Income Threshold: Timeline and Impact

The Full Timeline

The income requirement for the UK family visa has changed several times since it was introduced. Here is the history, separating what was announced from what took effect.

Before July 2012: No Fixed Figure

Before 2012 there was no set income figure. The Home Office assessed whether the sponsor could adequately maintain and accommodate the applicant without recourse to public funds. That test was applied case by case, which led to inconsistent decisions.

July 2012: £18,600 Introduced

Following a review by the Migration Advisory Committee, the independent body that advises the government on immigration, a fixed figure of £18,600 was introduced. Extra amounts applied for children: £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each further child.

The figure was set at around the level at which a couple would stop being eligible for income-related benefits. It was contested from the start, on the grounds that it was out of reach in the lower-paying parts of the UK.

December 2023: Staged Increases Announced

As part of a wider package of immigration changes, the government announced that the income requirement would rise in stages to £38,700 — then the general salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa. The first stage would be £29,000.

11 April 2024: £29,000 Takes Effect

The first stage happened. From 11 April 2024, applications made as a partner are assessed against £29,000. The extra amounts for children were dropped for new applicants, though they still apply to people covered by the transitional arrangements. This was the largest single change the requirement has seen.

April 2024: The Later Stages Are Announced, Then Referred

The staged rises to £34,500 and then £38,700 were announced in April 2024. Neither was written into the Immigration Rules, so neither took effect. The question of how the family financial requirements should be set was referred to the Migration Advisory Committee.

10 June 2025: The Committee Reports

The Migration Advisory Committee published its review of the family visa financial requirements on 10 June 2025. The government has not published a response to it.

Today: £29,000, With No Published Plan to Change It

The GOV.UK financial requirements page gives £29,000 for new applications and £18,600 for those covered by the transitional arrangements. It does not mention £34,500, £38,700, or any future increase.

Why the Increase Was Made

The government gave several reasons for raising the requirement:

• Reducing net migration. The family route is a significant share of migration to the UK, and a higher figure reduces the number of people who can sponsor a partner.
• Financial self-sufficiency. The stated aim was that a sponsor should be able to support their family at a level that does not depend on public funds.
• Alignment with the Skilled Worker threshold. The £38,700 stage was set to match the Skilled Worker salary threshold as it stood when the plan was announced. That threshold rose to £41,700 on 22 July 2025, so the two figures no longer line up.

Impact on Families

See our visa fees guide for the full cost picture, including the immigration health surcharge.

Who Can Sponsor

A higher figure narrows the group of sponsors who can meet it from earnings alone. The people affected are those in lower-paid work, those outside the higher-paying regions, and those early in their careers.

Regional Differences

The requirement is a single national figure, but earnings are not evenly spread. Average pay in the North East, Wales and Northern Ireland is lower than in London and the South East, so the same figure is harder to reach in some places than others.

Separated Families

Where the UK-based partner does not earn enough, couples are separated for as long as that remains the case. This was the central argument in the responses to the announced increases.

Savings Instead of Income

Cash savings can replace or top up income under the financial requirement: £16,000 plus 2.5 times the shortfall, held for the 6 months before the application. Meeting the whole £29,000 from savings alone means £88,500.

Will the Requirement Reach £38,700?

Nothing published says that it will. The £34,500 and £38,700 stages were announced and then referred to the Migration Advisory Committee, which reported on 10 June 2025. No government response has been published, no date has been set, and GOV.UK carries one figure for new applications: £29,000.

A change to the requirement would appear first in a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, which is laid before Parliament and names the date it takes effect. Until a figure appears there, it is not a requirement. Our guide to the £38,700 figure sets out the full history of that number.

Which Figure Applies

The requirement in force on the day of the application is the one that is used. On the family route as partner, that means:

• Applications made on or after 11 April 2024: £29,000 a year. See our £29,000 guide.
• First applied as a partner before 11 April 2024, and extending: £18,600, plus £3,800 for a first child and £2,400 for each further child, capped at £29,000.
• Sponsor receiving certain disability or carer benefits: no minimum income figure; an adequate maintenance test applies instead.

Savings must have been held for the 6 months before the application date, so the money and the timing both matter. Our documents checklist lists the evidence each income category needs, and the cost of an immigration solicitor guide covers what regulated advice on an individual case costs.

Questions and answers