# Spouse Visa financial requirements on savings



## brianhuk (Jun 24, 2014)

I am applying for a spouse visa vaf4a for my wife. I wanted to know if, under financial requirements, the specified savings need to be in cash or if they can be invested in stocks and funds. All the investments can be liquidated within 24 hours and the portfolio is in the U.K.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Have you read FM 1.7 which details the options for meeting the financial requirement? If not, you should.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...3/Financial_Requirement_Guidance_20140324.pdf

You have to have held your investments for at least 6 months and you must liquidate your stocks and funds and deposit the proceeds in a checking or savings account prior to application.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

There have been several postings where people have had their investments in "instant access" brokerage accounts/mutual funds/401 type accounts/CD's etc and their applications have been put on hold due to these funds NOT being regarded by the Immigration Authorities as instant cash accounts.

Better to liquidate and put the money into deposit or savings accounts.


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## LizS (Jan 16, 2014)

They must be "cash". Stock/bonds/etc aren't cash. So, you must liquidate them before the end of the 6 month period. As, I understand it, you can keep them under the investment umbrella, as long as they are cash and meet the other requirements they outline.

What we did was sell enough investments, but leave the cash in the investment account so our final statements showed X pounds/dollars under the cash column. An ISA account would be similar. You can sell the investments you've held for 5 months, as long as they show up as cash before the end of month 6, and its clear you held an equivalent amount previous to that.

Of course, we aren't approved yet, but are waiting for word any day now.

Read the link nyclon points to, especially 7.4, and interpret it for yourself.

What Crawford says makes me nervous, but according to their own wording pension/investment accounts holding cash 'should' be fine as long as they meet the conditions of 7.4, even if there is a penalty to withdraw.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

7.4.3. in FM1.7 has a table that shows all the requirements that have to be met in order for the funds to be considered cash account. Sometimes the cash component staying in the investment account of stocks and shares can be considered cash account, sometimes not. The document gives an example of stocks and shares ISA as permissible, and brokerage account as inadmissible. It's safest to transfer the cash out and pay into a conventional bank or building society account.


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