What is the financial requirement for a Partner of a British Citizen visa applying with children?

When applying for a family visa as a partner of a British Citizen or Settled Person holding Indefinite Leave to Remain, EU Settled Status or EU Pre-Settled Status, meeting the financial requirement is critical. This requirement ensures that you and your family can be adequately supported without needing access to public funds.

Basic Financial Requirement

The standard financial requirement for a partner applying alone is a minimum gross annual income of £29,000. The applicant can also meet the financial requirement by solely relying on cash savings of at least £88,500 (increased from the previous requirement of £62,500). If the applicant has children, for applications made after 11 April 2024 there is no longer an additional income requirement which was previously applicable to applicants with non-British or non-EEA children.

Sources of Income

Meeting the financial requirement can be achieved through various sources of income, including:

• Income from employment or self-employment (it should be noted that when applying for entry clearance, only the income of the British or Settled partner will be considered and not the applicant);
• Pension of the applicant and/or partner; and
• Specified non-employment income and/or savings, such as rental income or dividends from shares.

However, the financial requirements are different if either:

• your partner is getting certain disability or carer’s benefits;
• you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you’re extending that visa – this includes instances where you first applied as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner. You and your partner will need to prove that your combined income is at least £18,600 a year. You must prove you have extra money for any children who:
• you’re including in a family visa;
• are already in the UK as dependants on your family visa; or
• are already in the UK as your partner’s dependants.

If you need to prove the availability of extra money for children, you’ll need to show evidence of  the following additional amounts:

• £3,800 a year for the first child; and
• £2,400 a year for each additional child you have after the first child.

This is capped at £29,000. For example, if you have four children, the financial requirement you must meet is £29,000, not £29,600.

You can combine different sources of income to meet the financial requirement. For instance, a mix of employment income and savings can be used. Where the applicant is applying for entry clearance as a partner, they cannot rely on the employment or self-employment income of the applicant.

The financial requirement of Partner visas can be complex, particularly where the old rules apply, or if you are combining sources to demonstrate sufficient funds. There are also specific documents which you must submit with your application, and they vary depending on how you are demonstrating that you meet the requirement. If you are uncertain about any aspect of the financial requirement, seeking advice from an experienced immigration lawyer is strongly recommended.

How Gherson can assist

Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.

The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.

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