UK Spouse / Partner/ Family visas: new income rule £29,000. Apply before it changes to £38,700!

 

Income threshold of £18,600 has been increased to £29,000 from 11 April 2024. It will be further increased to £34,500 later in 2024, and eventually to £38,700 in early 2025. 

Which category is it?

The visa in this post is for a spouse or partner of a British citizen, of someone with a permanent status in the UK, of an EEA citizen with a per-settled status. Children of the above also come under this category.  

If you already have a Spouse / Partner visa, will it affect you?

If your 1st Spouse/Partner or Fiancee visa was issued under the Rules before 11 April 2024, you can continue under the old £18,600 threshold. The figure is higher if you include children, ie £22,400 with 1 child and so on. But, the point is, the new rules won’t affect you. You will be able to continue under the “old” rules for extension and also for settlement (Indefinite Leave) after 5 years, assuming your visas remain continuous. 

For example, your 1st Partner visa was issued in 2023, now you need an extension in 2025. The income rules changed but you would continue under the old £18,600 rules for extension and then for settlement in 2028. However, if you had a gap between visas that breaks the continuity, then your next application will be under the new Rules. There are strict rules on continuity, please contact us. 

If you are planning to apply for the 1st Partner visa: 

We advise to do it now to avoid further increases! The £29,000 threshold is higher than £18,600, but it is still lower than upcoming changes of £34,500 and £38,700. The sooner the better! 

What about savings? 

The old rule was £62,500 in savings held for 6 months (it was never £16,000, as many people thought before getting a refusal). The higher amounts apply if children are included. 

The new amount of savings is £88,500, also held for 6 months. It doesn’t change if children are also applying. The rest remains the same, ie held for 6 months, whose names can be on account, selling of property etc. The Government confirmed the new income thresholds to come, £34,500 and £38,700, but not the amount of savings. If they apply the same formula as now, it would be £102,250 and £112,750!

What is the children are also applying? 

The good thing is the new £29,000 threshold applies regardless of the number of children included in the application. 

Will the exemption remain for those on disability benefits? 

Yes, it remains. The British / settled partners, who are in receipt of specified disability benefits (list is exhaustive), continue to be exempt from the thresholds, instead meeting a lower Adequate Maintenance requirements.

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