United Kingdom’s £29,000 Family Visa Floor Bites Hard

The UK’s family visa income rule is now set at £29,000 a year and it’s staying there for now.
Not cheap.
The jump took effect on 11 April 2024, up from £18,600 and the old child-linked add-ons are gone for new applicants, which makes the rule simpler, but honestly harsher for mixed-income households.

The program/policy

This applies to people applying for a spouse, partner, fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa after 11 April 2024.
It also affects expats and digital nomads who want to bring a partner into the UK or switch into the partner route from another visa and that’s where the pain lands because the threshold now sits as a flat £29,000.

It’s not for short visits.
It’s for settlement or long-term family residence.

Sponsors can meet the test through employment, self-employment, dividends, pension income, property rental or cash savings and £88,500 in savings can replace the income rule. Employment cases usually need at least six months of payslips, which, surprisingly, is where a lot of applicants get stuck.

Who it affects

If you first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner, you can still use the older £18,600 rule, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each extra child.
New applicants don’t get that cushion.
That’s the real shift.

There are exceptions.
Partners on qualifying disability or carer’s benefits may be exempt and some cases can still go ahead where a British or Irish child is involved or where refusal would breach human rights protections.

What to do

Check which rule applies before you apply, because the date of your first application matters more than your current plans.
If you’re close to the threshold, review every eligible income stream, then compare that with the savings option, because one weak payslip can sink the case.

The current rate is frozen while the government’s review runs through the Migration Advisory Committee, so the next move could come later, but today’s requirement is still £29,000.
Read our full United Kingdom guide for the complete picture and keep an eye on visa updates.