In this blog post, we will look at the changes to the minimum income requirement for partner visas that were implemented earlier in 2024, and discuss who the changes apply to, the huge impacts the changes are having on families, and what you can do to help challenge these changes.

What are the changes to the minimum income requirement for partner visas?

On 11 April 2024, the minimum income requirement for individuals to sponsor their partner to come to the UK on a partner visa rose significantly from £18,600 to £29,000.

Further increases were initially planned to take place throughout the rest of 2024 and into early 2025, but the new Labour government have scrapped these plans. Instead, the government have referred the issue to the MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) for review. There will be no further changes to the financial requirement until this review is complete.

The impact of the number of dependent children applying alongside the main applicant on the minimum income requirement needing to be met has also changed.

Prior to the 2024 changes, each dependent child would increase the financial requirement that would need to be met. Applying with one dependent child would increase the minimum income requirement by £3,800, and any further dependent children would increase it by another £2,400 per child.

Now, the minimum income requirement does not change depending on the number of dependent children you are applying with – it remains at £29,000.

Who do the changes to the minimum income requirement for partner visas apply to?

The changes only apply to first-time applicants to the 5-year partner route. This includes:

• Individuals applying for entry clearance from outside the UK
• Individuals switching from another visa category into the partner route from inside the UK
• Individuals switching from the 10-year partner route into the 5-year partner route

For individuals applying from inside the UK, both the applicant’s and sponsor’s incomes can count towards meeting the requirement. For those applying outside the UK, only the sponsor’s income can count.

There are some exceptions to meeting this requirement, however. For example, the minimum income requirement for members of the armed forces wanting to sponsor their partner to come to the UK has also increased, but to a lesser degree.

Members of the armed forces wishing to sponsor their partner will now need to meet an income requirement of £23,496, which is equivalent to the armed forces minimum wage.

Applicants or their sponsors who receive the following benefits may also be exempted from meeting the minimum income requirement if they are able to prove their benefit entitlements:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Attendance Allowance
• Bereavement Benefits
• Police Injury Pension
• Allowances under the War Pensions Scheme

How can the minimum income requirement be met?

The relevant thresholds can be met in several ways including employment or self-employment income, income from pensions or property rental.

If relying on cash savings to meet these thresholds, the relevant amounts, which must have been held for six months before the application being submitted, are as follows:

	Minimum Income requirement	Savings required for further leave to remain	Savings required for indefinite leave to remain
People on the 5-year partner route before 11 April 2024	£18,600	£62,500	£34,600
Armed forces personnel (first applications after 11 April 2024)	£23,496	£74,740	£39,496
Other new entrants to the route	£29,000	£88,500	£45,000

If combining savings with other income then the equivalent income value of savings is calculated by deducting £16,000 from the total then, for further leave to remain, dividing the remainder by 2.5. For example, £50,000 – £16,000 = £34,000 /2.5 = £13,600.

The equivalent income calculated can then be combined with other sources of income to meet the financial requirement, though the rules relating to this can be complicated.

What impact are the changes to the minimum income requirement having on families?

The changes to the minimum income requirement for partner visas have understandably had big impacts on the lives of families around the world.

The Migrant Observatory state that data suggests “50% of UK employees earn less than the £29,000 threshold, and 70% earn less than £38,700”. This means that less and less people will be able to meet the required amount to be granted a visa on the 5-year partner route and, as Reunite Families UK have suggested, this will likely have a disproportionate, negative impact on women, ethnic minority groups, and young people.

The changes will not only separate more families, but it will also force more people onto a longer route for settlement in the UK. Individuals who cannot meet the financial requirement might still be granted a partner visa if they have ‘exceptional circumstances’. However, they will be granted on the 10-year route, meaning that they will have to be in the UK for an entire decade before being eligible for settlement in the UK. Individuals will have to wait longer to gain the security of settlement in the UK and will have to pay thousands of pounds more in visa renewal fees as a result.

What can I do to combat the changes to the minimum income requirement?

Reunite Families UK is a not-for-profit organisation that provides support for those navigating the partner visa process in the UK and advocates for their rights, raising awareness of the impacts the immigration rules have on families.

Since the minimum income requirement increase was announced in December 2023, Reunite Families UK have been campaigning against the changes by:

• Delivering a letter signed by over 200,000 people expressing their opposition to the changes directly to the Prime Minister’s door.
• Working with numerous other organisations to organise a coalition to oppose the changes and highlight the impact of high visa fees and immigration health surcharge.
• Reporting on the mental health impact of the current minimum income requirement.
• Applying for judicial review of the minimum income requirement, calling into question whether there was sound legal basis for the increase.

Reunite Families UK invite you to take action by writing to the Prime Minister, Home Secretary, and/or your MP about the changes to the minimum income requirement and why you are opposed to it.

Final Thoughts

The minimum income requirement for partner visas increasing to £29,000 means that more families will be unable to afford to be together in the UK, leaving them separated and struggling financially and emotionally.

However, the change in government provides an opportunity to voice your opposition to these changes and with the Migration Advisory Committee now conducting a review of the financial requirement, we can hope that no further increases will be made. And with organisations like Reunite Families UK taking action and outlining the ways individuals can advocate against the changes themselves, hundreds of thousands of people have already proved they are prepared to fight on behalf of families all over the world.

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