The Spouse Visa is a great option for those who are looking to come to the UK to join their eligible partner (either a British citizen, someone who has gained Indefinite Leave to Remain or a person who has humanitarian protection/refugee status). The visa offers an initial leave period of 2.5 years and the option to extend as necessary. Eventually, you can even settle in the UK on a Spouse Visa by gaining Indefinite Leave to Remain. This visa is a great option for those who are eligible, and in this article, we will look at it in a little more depth. We are going to look with particular interest at the earnings requirement, which makes up an important part of the eligibility criteria.
In order to be eligible for a Spouse Visa, you will need to prove that your combined earnings will be at least £18,600 per year. As the spouse will be applying from outside of the UK, it is incumbent upon the sponsoring partner to be earning at least this amount of money. Also, the minimum £18,600 is only applicable for a couple - if you have children, you will need to be earning an extra £3,800 for the first child and an extra £2,400 for each additional child.
You will, of course, need to prove these earnings as part of your Spouse Visa application. You will prove these with the appropriate documentary evidence as laid out below:
During your application, you will be informed which of these methods is required and the format in which they need to be provided. If you need any help with this, get in touch and we can help you to get your documentary evidence together for a Spouse Visa application.
Yes, you can absolutely apply for a Spouse Visa if your UK based partner is self-employed. You will, of course, need to be able to prove that they meet the income requirements as laid above (at least £18,600 - and more if you have children). The biggest issue that self-employed people face with this kind of application is proof of income. In this instance, you will need at least 6 months of accounts to be available in order to prove that the business is making the required income. UKVI will help to guide you as to the required format that you need to present the accounts, conversely, we can help you to prepare accounts for a visa application.
As well as income from self-employment, you can also add on additional income from other work, investment income and even rental income from rental properties if you are a landlord.
Yes, you can combine income as long as you meet the minimum requirement. The only issue that you may have is proving that this income will be regular for the long-term (especially if you are self-employed). This is why it is best to offer up as much previous accounting as possible.
As well as the obviously important financial requirements that we have covered above, there are other significantly important areas of the Spouse Visa application criteria. The main one being the proof of relationship. Clearly, UKVI wants to be sure that those who use the Spouse Visa as a route into the UK are genuine. As the route is one of the most beneficial in existence, it is clearly open to abuse. So, in order to prove that the relationship is genuine, UKVI require the following:
As well as the relationship criteria, the applicant (the spouse or partner coming from outside of the EEA) must also have a good level of English language skill (to CEFR Level B1). In order to meet this requirement, you must either come from a majority English speaking country, have gained a degree taught in English or passed an exam demonstrating your English skill level.
Getting More Help
If you need more help with the UK's Spouse Visa route then please get in touch. Our team of immigration solicitors have years of experience helping partners to come to the UK and can certainly help you to succeed in your application. So, for more information, call today and speak to a member of our team to get started.
It's a shame that you dont have an 'Excellent' star rating on here, as my experience with Reiss Edwards is nothing short of an excellent rating. They handled my application for an Indefinite Leave to remain in April 2014 and did my husband's one very recently including my daughter. Every time i have approached them, they have continued to treat me with courtesy, respect and patience. Amar was indeed a very thorough and professional gentleman. He is very knowledgeable, corporative and engaging. He responded to my emails, calls and enquiries promptly. He was always reassuring. I could not have asked for a better Immigration service. I would recommend them over and over again for anyone looking for an immigration advice. They gave me a free immigration advice when i called them, and the quality of the advice was something other charge thousands for. If you need a particular, name, Amar would be it. He exemplifies, for me, the true, professional gentleman. He is a valuable asset to Reiss Edwards.
I am glad that i instructed Reiss Edwards on my visa matter. It started with a 20 minutes free immigration advice. I met with Amar to discuss my ILR refusal. He gave me a great deal of quality advice and decided to take on my messy case. I had doubts on the merits of my case by he was relatively convinced he could win it. That made me quite secure. To be honest, things did not start as quick as I would have wanted, but they kept on communicating the process and state of things to me.A big thank you to Verusha and Foram. They were also very helpful. Brilliant and informative. Their fee was fair and reasonable, especially if you compare them to other law firms and immigration law firms in London; some of whom even told me that i would not be able to get an indefinte leave to remain in this country. The process was long but was worth it. In the end, a big thank you to Reiss Edwards.
Investing over 2 million pounds is defintely not a routine decision. We had to make sure that the Tier 1 investor immigration lawyers that we'd be picking has to be one of the best within the Tier 1 investor category. We contacted Reiss Edwards and they were able to get us not only the Tier 1 investor visa but also suggested profitable investment portfolios in addition to what we already had in mind.
TI have just had British Citizenship application approved. Prior to making the application, i was not sure which law firm i should hire to facilitate the paperwork. After a few hours of research, i decided to go with Reiss Edwards and i must confess that i wasnt disappointed. The immigration lawyers at Reiss Edwards handled my case well and they really knew what they were doing. They were fully aware of what documents I needed and it was easy for them to tell if my case was going to be easy or not. At the end of the day, I have not received my British citizenship within 3 months. If anyone is looking for a good immigration lawyer to handle thier case, contact Reiss Edwards.
Fantastic Solicitors!!!
My wife's spouse visa extension application was refused by the Home Office and they gave her 14 days to leave the country. We contacted Reiss Edwards and they said "OK don't worry we will sort this out". They put together the list of documents for me to obtain and they prepared a bundle which was as thick as the printer it came out from.We followed everything they asked us to do and in the end we won our appeal and got our spouse visa. We can't recommend them enough and we have promised ourselves never to make any more UK visa applications without them.
The team of lawyers at Reiss Edwards are very professional and friendly people. Their experience in and around UK immigration law is quite extensive; be sure that you application is in safe and competent hands. My immigration matter was an indefinite leave to remain application based on Tier 1 on a self-employment basis. The immigration lawyers at Reiss Edwards made sure that the application was perfect and ready to be accepted. I got a positive decision and I recommend them highly for anyone who needs a UK immigration help.
I contacted Reiss Edwards to help me with my wife's UK settlement visa. They acted with utmost professionalism throughout the entire application. I spoke with Joe Dinh, he is an immigration solicitor and he is one of the best solicitors out there. He ensured that there was little to no room for error. At some point I thought he was over cautious. He remained calmed and continued to assure us on our immigration matter. Most people in his position would have panicked but he was calmed and continued to assure us. We received out positive outcome very quickly.
I have been using Reiss Edwards for three years now for my family's immigration application. Both for my initial application and extension. They are really affordable. The team of solicitors at this firm are probably one of the most efficient and economical in terms of cost. They offered free advice over the phone and spent good time with us before inviting us for consultation.
Reiss Edwards is a top notch immigration service company. The way they handled our documentation and also the list of documents they sent was efficient and top quality. They helped us professionally throughout the process. We are very happy with the immigration advice we received from the team. We highly recommend them.
I used Reiss Edwards immigration lawyers to assist with my immigration matter and that of my family. It was an EX1 application. They dealt with the matter properly and even when complications were coming up from the Home Office, they helped resolve the issue properly. They are very professional and are very popular in London. I am happy to have worked with them.
This is the only firm that i spoke with that didn't ask for money before listening to me, will be using them again.
I used Reiss Edwards for my Tier 2 visa application and it was successful. The team was ever present and happy to answer my question. The caseworker that dealing with my case went on holiday yet by case did not suffer one bit. Another lawyer stepped and took over the case without any hassle.
My Tier 1 Investor Visa was dealt with quickly and without issue. Would recommend Reiss Edwards as an Immigration law firm in London. Thank you to the team.
1st Floor, Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QT, United Kingdom