Navigating the UK Family Visa: How Much Do You Really Need to Earn?
Navigating the UK Family Visa: How Much Do You Really Need to Earn?
The rules for UK family visas have changed dramatically in the past year, leaving many couples and families uncertain about what it now takes to reunite or remain together in Britain. With income thresholds rising steeply and policy debates ongoing, it’s crucial to understand both the current requirements and the potential reforms on the horizon.
In April 2024, the minimum income requirement (MIR) required to sponsor a partner visa (spouse, civil partner, or fiancé(e)) increased from £18,600 to £29,000. There were further plans by the Home Office to increase this threshold to reflect the rising living costs in the UK. These plans were put on hold subject to the outcome of the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) review in June 2025.
Migration Advisory Committee Review June 2025
The review acknowledged that the setting of the financial requirement is not a simple matter as it would need to balance the UK’s economy with the right to family life. As such, the review did suggest four measures that could be used to calculate the MIR, alongside potential indicators for each measure.
In short, the MAC review did not recommend the approach based on the Skilled Worker salary threshold (i.e. increasing the MIR to £38,700) as it is unrelated to the Family route and it is most likely to conflict with international law and obligations.
The MAC review however did suggest that should the government wish to use a living-standards approach which put more emphasis on economic wellbeing and less on family life, indicators in the £24,000 to £28,000 range could be justified.
What is next?
It is unclear whether the Home Office will take the recommendations made by the MAC review and implement these recommendations. It should be noted that the Home Office are not obliged to follow the recommendations made by the MAC review. It is expected that the Home Office will announce any proposed changes to the financial requirements via a “White Paper” sometime in 2025.
As such, the MIR remains at the same threshold as established in April 2024- at its simplest can be summarised as follows:
Gross annual income of at least £29,000; or
Cash savings of at least £88,500; or
A combination of both income and cash savings
Please feel free to get in touch with us at PROVISAS for a personalised advice or to discuss your specific circumstances in detail.