Income Threshold Timeline: How UK Immigration Thresholds Have Changed

Timeline of Changes

The income threshold for spouse and partner visas has undergone several changes:

• July 2012. The minimum income requirement was introduced at £18,600 a year, with £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each further child.
• Late 2023. The government announced that the threshold would rise in stages, ending at £38,700. This was an announcement, not a rule change.
• 11 April 2024. The threshold became £29,000 for applications made on or after that date, and the child additions were removed for anyone on the new figure. This is the only change that has actually been made.
• Since then. Nothing. The later steps, including £38,700, were not brought into the Immigration Rules. The threshold is still £29,000.

GOV.UK states the current figure plainly on its proof of income page: “your combined income is at least £29,000 a year”. If you see £38,700 quoted as a family visa threshold, it is describing an announcement that was withdrawn, not a requirement.

Transitional Arrangements

There is one transitional tier, and one date decides who is on it.

• First applied before 11 April 2024. GOV.UK says you and your partner “will need to prove that your combined income is at least £18,600 a year”. The child additions apply on this tier: £3,800 a year for the first child and £2,400 a year for each additional child. This carries through the extension and to settlement on the five-year partner route.
• First applied on or after 11 April 2024. £29,000, with no additions for children. A child does not raise the figure on this tier.

The child additions are the part that is most often misapplied. They belong to the £18,600 tier only. Adding £3,800 to £29,000 produces a figure that appears nowhere in the rules.

Meeting the Threshold

There are several ways to meet the income threshold:

• Category A: salaried employment held with the same employer for at least 6 months before the application.
• Category B: employment held for less than 6 months, or income that varies, assessed on the previous 12 months as well as current earnings.
• Self-employment income (see our self-employment guide).
• Cash savings above the relevant threshold.
• Combined income from both partners. GOV.UK asks for the couple’s combined income.

There is also a route around the requirement rather than through it. GOV.UK says you do not need to meet a minimum income requirement if your partner receives one of a list of benefits, which includes Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Carer’s Allowance. In those cases the application is assessed on whether the family can be adequately maintained instead of against a fixed figure.

Impact on Different Groups

The threshold changes have affected different groups in different ways:

• A first application now. £29,000, whether or not there are children. See our visa fees guide for what else the application costs.
• Extending, first applied before 11 April 2024. £18,600, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each further child.
• Extending, first applied on or after 11 April 2024. £29,000.
• Sponsor receiving a qualifying benefit. No minimum income figure applies. The adequate maintenance test is used instead.

For the broader picture of all 2026 changes, see our immigration rules changes guide.

The Skilled Worker Salary Threshold

This is a different threshold with different rules, and the two are often confused. The general Skilled Worker threshold is £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation code if that is higher, and it was set on 22 July 2025. A lower threshold of £33,400 applies to certain groups, including new entrants and jobs on the Immigration Salary List. Being on the Immigration Salary List lowers the threshold and the application fee; it does not reduce the going rate. See our ILR salary threshold guide and the immigration salary list guide.

For the latest threshold information, always check GOV.UK.

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