# UK Fiancee Visa Financial Requirements



## canadianfiancee (Jan 14, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I have been a visitor to this site many times, and have found it extremely helpful, first when I applied as a Tier 5 (Working Holiday) applicant to the UK, and then as a student applicant when I did my Master's at the University of London two years after. 

Anyway, this time around, I am applying for a fiancee visa and have found the process much more complicated! I am a Canadian citizen who lived in the UK for three years and have recently returned to Vancouver, Canada to apply for my fiancee visa. My boyfriend/fiance is a UK national. We got engaged last week and we hope to get married this summer, around August. 

However, I am a bit lost as to how to answer the questions in the financial requirement form given the following:

My partner is not employed but is receiving bursary fees as part of his PhD at Imperial College. He is in his final 6 months of completing his PhD in petroleum engineering and has a job offer from one of the top 5 petroleum companies. The job will start in the summer, upon completion of his PhD and it will be in Aberdeen, Scotland. He has already signed the contract that he will be taking this job and that the company will be employing him. 

Hence, I am unsure whether to count the bursary as employment. He receives a bursary well within the 18,600 GBP requirement, but it is not taxable income. For this reason, I am unsure whether this will be fitting for Part 3A of appendix 2 because it is not technically a "salary". Additionally, my partner also worked as an intern for an oil company in Texas between January - June 2012. He received income that is also well within the 18,600 GBP requirement for this. However, I am not sure if the UKBA will consider this as an out of country employment (Part 3B) because technically, it was an internship. Additionally, my partner and I were also hoping to use the contract for his future job with the oil company in Aberdeen as further evidence for achieving the financial requirement. 

The reason for our confusion is because, savings wise, we do not have 18,600 GBP sitting in our account for more than 6 months. Instead, we hope to achieve the requirement through the combination of:

- savings amounting to about 13,000 GBP
- bursary income amounting to about 1,600 GBP a month (non-taxable, so my partner gets the full lump amount)
- my partner's future job with an income of 40,000 GBP a year, as evidenced in a signed contract between my partner and the oil company

I was hoping someone could give us information regarding how to best present our case for the financial requirement and any advise. Specifically, I was wondering if it is better for us to just wait until my partner starts his job in the summer, and then apply for a spousal visa afterwards. We are not so keen with this option however because it means more time apart, and we just want to be together asap! (I hope that's not too much to ask! ) 

Any information regarding this is much appreciated. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. I will be very grateful to you and your responses!

Canadian Fiancee


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

In order to apply for a fiancée visa, your fiancé needs to be in a position of having a past 12 months receiving at least £18,600, and also needs to show continued ability to earn this. A potential job offer won't work; this is an option available only when the UK fiancé is also returning from overseas. When the fiancé is already in the UK, they need to be earning the amount already or have the required amount of savings to use instead. 


These are the options open to you... 

*Categories B and C* (combined employment and non-employment income)
One way to do this is to wait until he has started his new job (so that he is now in a position of working) and provided he still received more than £18,600 bursary in the prior 12 months (or a combination of bursary and salary from his new job), you could apply under the combined categories of C (non-employment income) and B (earning more than £18,600) where B fulfils the current and future earnings requirement, and C proves his past income. If his internship still falls within the 12 mionths period, that can also count towards his past earnings.

*Category A* (employment income for at least 6 months)
If by the time he starts his new job, his 12 months leading up to the point of you applying _doesn't_ show at least £18,600 bursary received, then you would need to wait until he has worked in his new job for a full 6 months, and then you can apply using Category A (employment income across 6 months) because £40,000 is well in excess of the requirement.

*Category D* (savings)
There is also Category D (savings), but the savings required is much higher than the £18,600 amount. The calculation is worked out as follows:

((£18,600 - income received) x 2.5 years) + £16,000

In other words, start with the financial requirement (£18,600 if no children are involved) and deduct from this the income received during the past 12 months before tax. Multiply this by the length of the visa (2.5 years). Finally, add £16,000 (minimum savings that must be held before the account holder no longer qualifies for public funding assistance). If no income was received, the total savings required would be £62,500.

_______________


You could use ALL of these categories combined if you have the necessary savings, but until he is working in his current job, you would need a full £62,500 savings to meet the future requirement because, as said, a confirmed job offer doesn't count.


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## Franciscotelles (Oct 18, 2012)

2farapart said:


> In order to apply for a fiancée visa, your fiancé needs to be in a position of having a past 12 months receiving at least £18,600, and also needs to show continued ability to earn this. A potential job offer won't work; this is an option available only when the UK fiancé is also returning from overseas. When the fiancé is already in the UK, they need to be earning the amount already or have the required amount of savings to use instead.
> 
> 
> These are the options open to you...
> ...




12 months? 6 months of pay slips confiming an income of 18600 pounds a year is already enough, no?


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

It depends on which categories you are applying under. Just 6 months for Categories A and D, but 12 months for Categories B and C. When applying under a combination of A & D, 6 months is still fine, but the other named combinations (for example, A, C and D or B and C) would be best served with 12 months evidence.


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## Franciscotelles (Oct 18, 2012)

I see.

If you apply only Category A only and show 6 months of pay slips that meet 18600 pounds a year then it´s fine, right?


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

Franciscotelles said:


> I see.
> 
> If you apply only Category A only and show 6 months of pay slips that meet 18600 pounds a year then it´s fine, right?


Yes, that's exactly right.


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## canadianfiancee (Jan 14, 2013)

Hello,

Thank you very much for your replies. Concerning categories B and C, will payslips from his six month internship in Texas, which fall within the 12 month period, and payslips from his bursary for the past six months be enough as evidence for meeting the maintenance requirement? Combined, they show that my partner has earned more than 18,600 for the past 12 months.

Thank you and again, I very much appreciate your replies.


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