Dependant Visa Financial Requirement (2026)

Which dependant route gates the financial requirement

The financial requirement only makes sense once the dependant visa route is identified, because the route dictates the rulebook. Dependants under the family-visa route (a partner, child, or parent of a British or settled person) are assessed under the partner-route minimum income requirement set out in Appendix FM and Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules. Dependants under the work-visa routes (Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Health and Care Worker, and several others) are assessed under a separate maintenance requirement in Appendix Finance, evidenced through funds in a regulated account for a prescribed period unless the sponsor certifies maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship.

Confirming which dependant regime applies is the first analytical step for any sponsor. A spouse joining a Skilled Worker visa holder is a work-route dependant and is not assessed under the GBP 29,000 partner-route figure. A spouse joining a British citizen is a family-route partner and is assessed under Appendix FM. Mixing up the two regimes produces refusals that are difficult to overturn on administrative review, so the visa category of the lead sponsor or applicant is the gating fact, not the household income picture in the abstract.

Partner-route minimum income for family-visa dependants

For family-visa dependants the partner-route minimum income requirement increased to GBP 29,000 in April 2024, replacing the long-standing GBP 18,600 figure that had applied since 2012. The previously announced phased increases towards GBP 38,700 were paused for review under the independent Migration Advisory Committee process, so the operative figure for any specific dependant application must be confirmed against the gov.uk family-visa pages immediately before submission. The threshold is set as gross annual income of the British or settled sponsor before tax.

It can be met by the sponsor's UK employment income alone, by the sponsor's and applicant's combined income in specific circumstances (typically where the dependant applicant is applying from inside the UK with permission to work), by non-employment income such as rental property or dividends received by the sponsor, or by a combination of these with the cash-savings substitution described below. Where dependant children are added to the family route alongside a partner, the rules previously required additional sums per child on top of the partner figure; the GBP 29,000 update consolidated that position, and the current additive structure for the specific dependant composition should be checked on gov.uk.

Cash savings as a substitute on the dependant route

Cash savings can substitute for income, in whole or in part, where the dependant sponsor or applicant holds liquid funds at the required level. The formula in Appendix FM-SE, used only for the family-visa dependant route, requires savings of GBP 16,000 plus 2.5 times the income shortfall, held for at least six months in an instant-access account in the applicant's, sponsor's, or joint name. The GBP 16,000 floor mirrors the capital threshold for income-based benefits and is intended to ensure the savings are genuinely available for the dependant household rather than ordinary working capital.

The six-month holding period is strict and is one of the most common reasons for dependant refusals on cash-savings cases. Savings transferred in shortly before the application, even from a clearly identifiable source such as the sale of an overseas property held by the migrating family, do not count unless they have sat in the qualifying account for the full window. Evidence is provided through bank statements covering the six-month period on the account provider's letterhead, or in a downloaded format that the bank can verify on request.

Work-visa dependant maintenance under Appendix Finance

Dependants on Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Global Talent, Scale-up, and similar work routes are assessed under Appendix Finance, not Appendix FM-SE. The applicant must show maintenance funds (a set per-dependant amount on top of the main applicant's maintenance figure) held in a regulated account for at least 28 consecutive days ending no more than 31 days before the dependant application. The main applicant's sponsor can alternatively certify maintenance for the dependant on the Certificate of Sponsorship, which removes the need for the funds-in-account evidence for that named dependant.

Where the sponsor certifies maintenance, the bank-statement requirement falls away for that dependant. This is the route most often used by Skilled Worker holders at large licensed sponsors, where HR teams certify family maintenance as part of the standard onboarding. Where the sponsor does not certify (common with smaller sponsors), the dependant applicant builds the funds-in-account evidence themselves, with the 28-day window measured against the date the dependant application is submitted online.

Self-employed sponsors of family-route dependants

Self-employed sponsors on the family route face an additional evidential layer. The relevant period is the last full financial year (for sole traders, the tax year to 5 April; for limited companies, the accounting year). Dependant applications supported by self-employed sponsor income require HMRC SA300 or SA302 tax calculations, Class 2 NI confirmation where applicable, business bank statements covering the financial year, personal bank statements showing drawings, and (for a director of a limited company) accountant-certified accounts together with corporation tax filings.

The rules also distinguish between a self-employed sole trader and a director of a specified-limited company (broadly, a small owner-managed company in which the director is also a significant shareholder). The latter is treated under a specific sub-regime with additional company-evidence requirements, including a Companies House confirmation and a current appointments report. Dependant applications often founder where the sponsor is a director-shareholder and the evidence bundle is prepared as if the sponsor were a sole trader.

Exemptions and adequate-maintenance for dependant sponsors

Several exemptions remove the standard income threshold for family-route dependant applications and replace it with an adequate-maintenance test. The most commonly engaged are the sponsor receiving Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Armed Forces Independence Payment, or Carer's Allowance. Certain limited categories also disapply the income requirement for human-rights reasons under the GEN.3.1 and GEN.3.2 provisions of Appendix FM. The adequate-maintenance test asks whether the dependant household has sufficient resources to live without recourse to public funds, calculated by reference to income-support-equivalent figures.

The GEN.3 exceptions arise where refusing the dependant application would result in unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant or a relevant child. They are not a soft option for any dependant sponsor who is simply below the threshold; they require strong documentary evidence and a reasoned case put to the caseworker. Home Office caseworker guidance on gov.uk sets out the test in detail.

Income evidence specific to the dependant route

Within the dependant context, salaried employment of a family-route sponsor is evidenced under Appendix FM-SE with a defined bundle: payslips covering the six months prior to the application date for income held with the same employer for at least six months, or payslips covering twelve months where the employer has changed during the relevant period; corresponding bank statements showing the salary credits arriving in the sponsor's account; and an employer letter on the employer's letterhead confirming the role, the gross salary, the length of employment, and the contract type. Caseworkers cross-check the three documents for consistency, and discrepancies between payslip net and bank deposit (caused by salary sacrifice or season-ticket loans) are a common dependant-refusal reason that should be explained in the cover letter.

Non-salaried and variable income (hourly, commission, variable pay) is averaged over the relevant period and annualised. Bonuses can be included on a dependant application only where they are guaranteed under contract; discretionary bonuses are usually excluded. Income from second employment, rental property, or self-employment alongside main employment can be combined to meet the dependant threshold, subject to each stream meeting its own evidence rules. The total must meet GBP 29,000 (or the operative figure at the time of the dependant application) for the partner-route case.

Document presentation for dependant applications

Caseworker decisions on the dependant financial requirement turn as much on how evidence is presented as on whether the underlying numbers meet the threshold. Bank statements should be on the account provider's letterhead or in an officially branded electronic format the provider can confirm, with all pages submitted in sequence and no redactions of transaction lines that would otherwise show the salary credit. Where statements are downloaded from online banking, an accompanying letter from the bank confirming account holder, account number, and statement period is added where the statement itself does not show this on each page. Documents in a language other than English or Welsh are accompanied by a certified translation that names the translator, dates the translation, and confirms competence in the relevant language pair. Caseworkers do not translate documents on the dependant applicant's behalf, and an untranslated document is treated as missing for the evidence test, which can take an otherwise compliant dependant application below the documentary threshold and produce a refusal that is then expensive to challenge.

Disclaimer

This article is general information about UK rules and processes at the time of writing. It is not legal, immigration, tax, or financial advice. Rules and figures change. Verify the current position with the relevant authority (gov.uk, HMRC, FCA, or a regulated adviser) before acting on anything here.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current minimum income requirement for a partner on the family-visa dependant route?

The family-visa minimum income requirement for a partner increased to GBP 29,000 in April 2024. Previously announced phased increases towards GBP 38,700 were paused for review under the Migration Advisory Committee process. The operative figure for any specific dependant application should be confirmed against the gov.uk family-visa pages immediately before submission.

Can cash savings be used instead of meeting the dependant income threshold?

Yes, on the family-visa dependant route. Cash savings can substitute for income under the formula in Appendix FM-SE, requiring savings of GBP 16,000 plus 2.5 times the income shortfall, held for at least six months in an instant-access account in the applicant's, sponsor's, or joint name. Funds transferred in shortly before the dependant application do not count unless the six-month holding period is complete.

What payslip evidence does a salaried sponsor of a family-route dependant need?

Appendix FM-SE requires payslips covering the six months prior to the dependant application for income from an employer held for at least six months, or twelve months of payslips where the employer changed during the relevant period. Bank statements showing salary credits and an employer letter on letterhead confirming role, salary, and contract type accompany the payslips.

How is a self-employed sponsor's income evidenced for a dependant application?

Self-employment supporting a family-route dependant case is evidenced through HMRC documents (SA300 or SA302), Class 2 NI confirmation where applicable, business and personal bank statements, and for a director of a small limited company an accountant-certified set of accounts and Companies House documents. The relevant period is the last full financial year, not a rolling six months.

How are work-visa dependants assessed differently from family-visa dependants?

Work-visa dependants (such as a spouse joining a Skilled Worker holder) are assessed under Appendix Finance, which requires per-dependant maintenance funds held in a regulated account for 28 days, unless the sponsor certifies maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship. Family-visa dependants joining a British or settled partner are assessed under Appendix FM and the GBP 29,000 partner-route threshold.

Are there exemptions to the dependant financial requirement?

Sponsors of family-route dependants who receive certain disability benefits, Carer's Allowance, or Attendance Allowance are exempt from the standard income threshold and assessed under an adequate-maintenance test instead. GEN.3.1 and GEN.3.2 exceptions in Appendix FM can apply where refusal would cause unjustifiably harsh consequences for the dependant applicant or a relevant child, with strong documentary evidence required.