Appendix FM Financial Requirement and Immigration Rules

By Amar Ali, Immigration Solicitor

October 03, 2022

Last updated: 11 April 2024

The Appendix FM immigration rules contain all of the minimum financial requirements that must be met by individuals applying for leave to enter, leave to remain, or indefinite leave to remain. You will need to meet the Appendix FM financial requirements if you are applying for a spouse visa, unmarried partner visa, fiancé visa, or dependant child visa.

What are the Appendix FM financial requirements?

The Appendix FM financial requirements¹ state that applicants must have an annual income (i.e. a combined income with their UK-based partner) equivalent to £29,000.

Appendix FM financial requirement exemptions

According to the adequate maintenance guidance, not all spouse visa, unmarried partner visa, fiancé visa, and dependant child visa applicants are required to meet the minimum income requirements. Appendix FM EX1 ²sets out a number of exceptions where the financial requirements may be overlooked:

Where an applicant has a genuine and subsisting parental relationship with a child under the age of 18 years who is in the UK, a British Citizen or has lived in the UK continuously for at least the last 7 years, and it would not be reasonable to expect the child to leave the UK; or
Where an applicant has a genuine and subsisting relationship with a partner in the UK who is a British Citizen, settled here, or has refugee leave, and there are insurmountable obstacles to family life with that partner outside the UK.

Please contact our immigration lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your circumstances by calling us on 020 3744 2797 or complete our enquiry form.

How to meet Appendix FM financial requirements

The Appendix FM financial requirements can be met in a number of ways, including:

Income from the employment

This includes salaried and non-salaried employment income from the UK-based partner or from the applicant if they are currently in the UK and have permission to work here. Evidence of income from employment can include recent payslips or a letter from the employer with details of the role, annual salary, type of employment, and duration of employment. If you or your partner do not meet the annual combined income requirement, you can include any of the other forms of income listed below.

Non-employment income

Non-employment income may include income from:

renting a property
savings interest
dividends from shares
maintenance payments from a former partner
Allowances including the UK Maternity Allowance, Bereavement Allowance, Bereavement Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance

The above list of non-employment is not exhaustive; hence if you have another form of income, speak to an immigration solicitor who can confirm if it can be included in your income calculation.

Cash savings over £16,000

Cash savings held by the applicant or their partner for 6 months or more immediately before applying can be used to reduce or meet the financial requirement. To calculate the effect of your cash savings on the financial requirement, you will need to complete the following steps:

Step 1: Take £16,000 from your total savings

Step 2: Divide the amount over £16,000 by 2.5

Step 3: Take the calculated amount from £29,000 or the actual amount you require

For example, for a partner with £21,000 in savings, the calculation is:

Step 1: £21,000 - £16,000 = £5,000

Step 2: £5,000 / 2.5 = £2,000

Step 3: £29,000 - £2,000 = £27,000

This means you will only need to show evidence of £27,000 in annual income.

To show you meet the financial requirement through savings, you can provide recent bank statements showing the savings held in your account (or that of your partner) for at least the last 6 months.

Income from pensions

Income from UK and overseas pensions, including state and occupational or private pensions, can be used towards meeting the minimum income requirement. The Home Office will ask for details of the gross annual income from any pension held by you or your partner – note this must have been a form of income in the last 28 days.

Income from self-employment

You can also include income received as a self-employed person or as a director of a UK limited company. Where the UK-based sponsor is self-employed, or the applicant is in the UK with permission to be self-employed, they can meet the financial requirement by showing income from either the last financial year or the average of the last two financial years.

Our immigration solicitors understand each of the Appendix FM rules and how these apply in each situation. If you have any questions or to discuss whether you meet the financial requirements, call one of our friendly and approachable team members on 020 3744 2797 or complete our enquiry form.

How can Reiss Edwards help?

Reiss Edwards specialises in all aspects of personal immigration, including interpreting the Appendix FM rules for those applying for a family visa. Our team can: