The financial requirement for a UK spouse or partner visa is a gross annual income of £29,000, set under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. It has applied to all new applications since 11 April 2024, and as of July 2026 it remains unchanged: the previously announced increases to £34,500 and £38,700 were paused, the Migration Advisory Committee's June 2025 review recommended against a further rise, and the government has not yet acted on the report. The current rules are on the gov.uk family visa financial requirement page.
Three points South African couples most often get wrong at the outset:
- It is the UK sponsor's income that counts for applications from outside the UK. The applicant's South African salary cannot be used for an entry clearance application, however substantial it is. (If the applicant is already in the UK with permission to work, their UK income can count for an in-country application.)
- The figure is gross, before tax, and it does not increase with dependent children on the £29,000 route.
- Transitional protection is real. If the first partner visa application was made before 11 April 2024 and you are extending or settling with the same partner on continuous leave, the old £18,600 threshold still applies (as of July 2026).
The cash savings route: where South African money comes in
Cash savings can replace or top up income, and this is the route where South African funds usually do the work. The formula is £16,000 plus 2.5 times the shortfall against £29,000. Relying on savings alone therefore means £88,500; a sponsor earning £20,000 has a £9,000 shortfall and needs £38,500 in savings. Whatever the figure, the savings must have been held for at least six consecutive months before the application, under the control of the applicant, the sponsor, or both.
Note the difference from the 28-day rule that governs Student and Skilled Worker maintenance funds: the partner route runs under Appendix FM, and its evidential period for savings is six months, not 28 days. If you are comparing routes, our 28-day rule guide covers the other framework.
The six-month problem when money moves
The six-month rule measures how long the savings have been held, and money moving between the couple's own accounts does not in itself break the period, provided ownership and the paper trail are continuous and fully evidenced. What causes refusals is evidence gaps: a statement missing for one month of the period, a large unexplained deposit, or funds that appear from a source that cannot be documented.
For a couple funding the application from South Africa, that translates into a sequencing decision made months in advance:
- Consolidate early. Get the full savings amount into the account (or accounts) that will be evidenced before the six-month window you intend to rely on begins. A gift from family counts, but it needs a gift letter and must sit within the holding period like any other funds.
- Document the transfer leg. The statements must trace the money continuously. When the funds cross from a South African account to a UK account mid-period, both accounts' statements must cover the trail without gaps, and the source-of-funds paperwork from the transfer (the same documentation a South African bank requires under the Single Discretionary Allowance) should be kept with the visa evidence.
- Decide the currency early. This is the decision unique to cross-border couples, covered next.
Rand savings against a pound threshold
The financial requirement is fixed in pounds, while savings held in South Africa are measured in rand, and the exchange rate between the two moves. A rand balance that equals £88,500 today will not equal £88,500 on your application date unless the rate is identical, and the Home Office converts foreign currency at the rate applicable at assessment, not at the rate on the day you set the money aside.
That leaves two factual options, each with a trade-off:
- Convert to pounds before the six-month window starts. The threshold is then met in the currency it is measured in, and rate movement stops mattering to the application. The conversion becomes a planned transfer under the R2 million Single Discretionary Allowance (doubled in the 2026 Budget, so a couple has R4 million of combined annual capacity without SARS pre-approval), executed at bank-beating rates with the bank's flat R250 SWIFT fee as the only transfer cost. See our money transfers service for the mechanics, and the annual allowances guide for which allowance applies at larger amounts.
- Hold in rand with headroom. Legitimate, but the buffer needs to be large enough to absorb whatever the rate does across six-plus months, and we make no predictions about what that will be. A balance sized exactly to the threshold is a refusal risk you can remove entirely by converting early.
The hardest conversations we have on spouse visa transfers are with couples who did everything right except the order. The savings were real, the relationship evidence was solid, but the money arrived in the UK three months before the application, so the six-month clock had not run in the account being evidenced the way their solicitor needed it to. The fix costs nothing: decide the application month first, then count backwards and move the money before the window opens. We sequence the transfer around the visa date, not the other way round.
Funding a spouse visa from South Africa?
Tell us your target application date and we will map the transfer against the six-month savings window.
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Frequently asked questions
How much income do I need to sponsor my spouse's UK visa?
The minimum income requirement is £29,000 gross per year for applications made on or after 11 April 2024, and it remains at that level as of July 2026. Applicants who first entered the partner route before 11 April 2024 keep the £18,600 threshold for extensions and settlement with the same partner.
How much in savings do I need if I have no qualifying income?
£88,500, held for at least six consecutive months before the application. The formula is £16,000 plus 2.5 times the income shortfall, so partial income reduces the savings needed.
Can my South African salary count towards the requirement?
Not for an application made from outside the UK: only the UK sponsor's income counts for entry clearance. The applicant's income can count once they are in the UK with permission to work and applying in-country.
Do savings in a South African bank account count?
Yes, provided they are cash savings under the couple's control, held for six months and fully evidenced. The balance is converted to pounds at assessment, so rand-held savings need a buffer above the threshold.
Does transferring the savings from South Africa to the UK restart the six months?
Moving money between the couple's own accounts does not in itself restart the period, but every account involved must be evidenced continuously with no gaps. Poorly documented transfers, not the transfers themselves, are what cause refusals.
Will the £29,000 threshold change?
The Migration Advisory Committee's June 2025 review recommended against a further increase and the government has not announced a change as of July 2026. Always confirm the figure in force on gov.uk on the date you apply.
