Important: This guide provides general legal information, not legal advice. Self-employment and company director cases are among the most technically complex applications under Appendix FM. The category you apply under, and whether your company is a “specified limited company,” materially changes both the calculation and the evidence required. If you are unsure which route applies to you, complete our free UK Spouse Visa Risk Check.
Quick Answer: Can a Self-Employed Sponsor Meet the Spouse Visa Financial Requirement?
Yes — self-employment income can meet the UK spouse visa financial requirement of £29,000. However, the rules work very differently from salaried employment. Self-employed sponsors fall under Category F or Category G of Appendix FM-SE, which use income from the most recent full financial year (or a two-year average), not a rolling 6-month period. The evidence trail is more extensive, and crucially, cash savings cannot be combined with Category F or G income — a restriction that does not apply to employed sponsors.
Company directors face an additional complexity: whether their company is a “specified limited company” under Appendix FM-SE paragraph 9(a) determines which rules apply. Directors of specified limited companies must use Category F or G. Directors of non-specified companies can use the standard employment categories (A or B) for salary and Category C for dividends — a materially different and often simpler route.
⚡ What Has Changed Recently?
- April 2024: The financial threshold increased from £18,600 to £29,000 for new applications. The self-employment categories (F and G) and the specified limited company rules themselves are unchanged — the same framework applies at the higher threshold.
- June 2025: Migration Advisory Committee review noted that self-employed applicants are disproportionately affected by the income threshold increase, as net profits fluctuate and the tax year timing creates evidence gaps. No specific rule change resulted.
- June 2026: No changes to Category F, G or the specified limited company rules since the April 2024 threshold increase. The case law confirmed in Hameed (Appendix FM – financial year) [2014] UKUT 00266 (IAC) still applies — the financial year is the self-assessment tax year, not any accounting year chosen by the business.
📋 At a Glance
- Income threshold: £29,000 gross profit/income (same as employed sponsors)
- Categories: F (most recent full financial year) or G (average of two years)
- Financial year used: HMRC self-assessment tax year (6 April to 5 April) — not the business’s chosen accounting year
- What’s assessed: Gross profit (after allowable business expenses, before tax)
- Savings combination: NOT permitted with Category F or G income
- Company directors: Must first determine if their company is a “specified limited company” — this changes everything
- Accountant’s letter: Required from a member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body
- Key legislation: Appendix FM-SE, paragraphs 7 (sole trader/partnership/franchise) and 9 (specified limited company)
- Key case law: Hameed [2014] UKUT 00266 (IAC) — confirms financial year is HMRC tax year
⚠️ Self-Employment Cases Have More Ways to Go Wrong
The category you apply under, whether your company is “specified,” and whether your most recent tax year shows enough income — all of these can derail an application even when the income is genuinely sufficient. Our free Risk Check identifies the specific risks in your situation before you submit.
Table of Contents
- Which Type of Self-Employment Applies to You?
- Category F vs Category G — What’s the Difference?
- Sole Traders, Partnerships and Franchises
- Is Your Company a Specified Limited Company?
- Non-Specified Limited Company Directors
- Specified Limited Company: Category F/G Evidence
- The Savings Restriction — Critical for Self-Employed Sponsors
- The Tax Year Timing Problem
- Full Evidence Checklist by Type
- Common Real-World Scenarios
- The MySpouseVisa.com Self-Employment Frameworks
- Martin Taggart’s Practical Insight
- Frequently Asked Questions
- References and Official Sources
1. Which Type of Self-Employment Applies to You?
Before anything else, you need to identify which type of self-employment describes your situation — because the rules, calculations and evidence requirements are different for each.
| Your Situation | Category Under Appendix FM-SE | Key Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | Category F or G | Most recent HMRC tax year; SA302 required; no savings combination |
| Partner in a business partnership | Category F or G | As above; partnership accounts and your share of profit |
| Franchise operator | Category F or G | As above; franchise agreement may be required |
| Director/employee of a specified limited company | Category F or G | Company’s most recent full financial year (CT600 year); full company accounts required; no savings combination |
| Director/employee of a non-specified limited company | Category A or B (salary); Category C (dividends) | Standard 6-month/12-month employment rules apply; savings CAN be combined; simpler evidence trail |
Quick Answer — Which Type Applies
Sole traders, partners, and franchise operators always use Category F or G. Company directors must first determine whether their company is “specified” — if it is, Category F or G applies; if not, the simpler Category A/B (salary) and Category C (dividends) apply instead. Getting this wrong causes refusal.
2. Category F vs Category G — What’s the Difference?
Both categories use full financial year income rather than rolling monthly figures. The difference is how many years are used:
| Feature | Category F | Category G |
|---|---|---|
| Period used | Most recent complete financial year | Average of the two most recent complete financial years |
| When to use it | Income in the most recent year is at or above £29,000 | Income in the most recent year falls short but the two-year average reaches £29,000 |
| Evidence required | One year of accounts, SA302, tax year overview, bank statements | Two years of all the above — double the documentation |
| Complexity | Simpler — use where possible | More complex — use only where Category F income is insufficient |
Category G is rarely used in practice — the additional documentation burden is significant, and it only helps where income fluctuated such that one year was below £29,000 but the average of two years meets the threshold. Where Category F works, use it.
Quick Answer — Category F vs G
Category F uses the most recent full financial year. Category G averages the two most recent years, useful where one year’s income fell short. Category G requires double the documentation. Always use Category F where the most recent year alone meets £29,000.
3. Sole Traders, Partnerships and Franchises
For sponsors who are sole traders, partners in a business partnership, or franchise operators, the financial requirement is assessed on gross taxable profit from the most recent complete HMRC self-assessment tax year (6 April to 5 April).
The case of Hameed (Appendix FM – financial year) [2014] UKUT 00266 (IAC) confirmed that the relevant financial year is the HMRC self-assessment tax year — not whatever 12-month accounting period the business may have chosen for its own accounts. This matters if you prepare accounts to a different year-end.
What is assessed: gross taxable profit — your total business income minus allowable business expenses, but before income tax and National Insurance are deducted. This is the figure on your SA302.
⚠️ Turnover is not profit: The Home Office assesses gross taxable profit, not turnover. A sole trader with £80,000 in turnover but £55,000 in allowable expenses has a gross taxable profit of £25,000 — which does not meet the £29,000 threshold. Always check the profit figure on your SA302, not your invoice total.
Quick Answer — Sole Traders
Sole traders use gross taxable profit from the most recent HMRC self-assessment tax year (6 April to 5 April), confirmed by SA302. Turnover does not count — only profit after allowable business expenses. The financial year is fixed as the HMRC tax year regardless of any accounting year-end chosen by the business.
4. Is Your Company a Specified Limited Company?
This is the single most important question for any company director applying for a spouse visa. Getting it wrong — applying under Category A/B when the company is specified, or vice versa — leads to refusal.
Under paragraph 9(a) of Appendix FM-SE, your company is a specified limited company if ALL THREE of the following are true:
- You are a director or employee (or both) of the company, or of another company in the same group
- Shares in the company are held (directly or indirectly) by you, your partner, or any of the following family members of either of you: parent, grandparent, child, stepchild, grandchild, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, or first cousin
- Any remaining shares are held (directly or indirectly) by fewer than five other people
In plain terms: if you own shares in your own company (or family members do), and the company has fewer than five other shareholders, it is almost certainly a specified limited company — and Category F or G applies to all income from it.
⚠️ Overseas companies: The specified limited company rules apply only to UK-registered companies. If you are a director of a company registered overseas, the income must be assessed under a different category — usually Category A or B (as employment income) or Category C (as non-employment income). Take specialist advice on overseas company income before applying.
Quick Answer — Specified Limited Company
A UK company is “specified” if you are a director or employee, you or family members hold shares, and remaining shares are held by fewer than five others. If specified, Category F or G applies — not the standard employment categories. This is the most common categorisation error in director applications.
5. Non-Specified Limited Company Directors
If your company does NOT meet the specified limited company definition — for example, if it is a larger company with many shareholders — your income is assessed under the standard categories:
- Salary: Assessed under Category A (employed 6+ months with current employer) or Category B (employed less than 6 months or recently changed). Standard 6-month evidence rules apply.
- Dividends: Assessed under Category C (non-employment income). The 12 months before application are used; dividend vouchers and bank statements required.
- Savings: CAN be combined — unlike Category F and G.
This is a materially simpler and more flexible route. If your company does not meet the specified limited company definition, you benefit from the full range of combination options available to employed applicants.
6. Specified Limited Company: Category F/G Evidence
The evidential requirements for specified limited company directors are significantly more burdensome than for employed applicants. The Home Office requires evidence that the company is genuine, trading, and that the income was actually received.
For Category F, the relevant financial year is the company’s most recent complete financial year as shown in the CT600 Company Tax Return — which can differ from the HMRC self-assessment tax year if the company has a non-standard year-end.
Required documents include:
- Company accounts (profit and loss, balance sheet) for the relevant financial year
- CT600 Corporation Tax Return for the relevant financial year
- SA302 self-assessment tax calculation for the director/shareholder
- HMRC Tax Year Overview confirming the SA302
- Payslips covering the relevant financial year (if drawing a salary)
- Dividend vouchers for all dividends declared and paid in the relevant year
- Business bank statements for the relevant financial year
- Personal bank statements for the relevant financial year showing salary and dividend receipts
- Evidence of ongoing business activity since the year-end — recent payslips or dividend vouchers, or evidence of ongoing business expenses (business rates, insurance, employer NIC payments)
- Letter from a suitably qualified accountant who is a member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body
⚠️ The accountant’s letter must come from a member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body — such as ICAEW, ACCA, ICAS, CIPFA, or CIMA. A letter from an unqualified bookkeeper or an accountant who is not a member of one of these bodies does not meet the requirement. Verify your accountant’s membership before commissioning the letter.
Quick Answer — Specified Company Evidence
Directors of specified limited companies need: company accounts, CT600, SA302, Tax Year Overview, payslips, dividend vouchers, business and personal bank statements for the relevant year, evidence of ongoing business activity, and a letter from a qualified accountant who is a member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body.
7. The Savings Restriction — Critical for Self-Employed Sponsors
This is one of the most important differences between self-employed and employed sponsor applications, and one that surprises many applicants.
Cash savings cannot be combined with Category F or Category G income. This applies to all self-employed sponsors — sole traders, partnerships, franchises, and specified limited company directors alike.
| Income Category | Can Savings Be Combined? |
|---|---|
| Category A (employed 6+ months) | ✅ Yes |
| Category B (employed less than 6 months) | ✅ Yes (for part 1 of the two-part test only) |
| Category C (non-employment income) | ✅ Yes |
| Category E (pension income) | ✅ Yes |
| Category F (self-employment, most recent year) | ❌ No |
| Category G (self-employment, two-year average) | ❌ No |
What this means in practice: if a self-employed sponsor earns £26,000 in gross taxable profit, they cannot top up the £3,000 shortfall with savings in the way an employed sponsor could. Their income must reach £29,000 on its own under Category F or G — or they must find an alternative route.
⚠️ There is one workaround: If a self-employed sponsor also has salaried employment or pension income, those other income sources (which fall under different categories) can be combined with savings. But Category F or G income itself cannot be combined with savings — the restriction is category-specific.
Quick Answer — The Savings Restriction
Cash savings cannot be combined with Category F or G self-employment income. A self-employed sponsor whose profit falls short of £29,000 cannot use savings to top up the gap — unlike an employed sponsor who can. Income must reach the threshold independently under these categories.
8. The Tax Year Timing Problem
Self-employed sponsors face a timing challenge that employed sponsors do not. The income used is from a completed HMRC tax year — but tax returns are submitted months after the year ends. This creates an evidence gap that regularly catches applicants out.
The HMRC self-assessment tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. If you are applying in, say, July 2026, your most recent complete tax year ended on 5 April 2026. But the deadline for filing that return is January 2027 — meaning your SA302 for 2025/26 may not yet exist if you haven’t filed early.
Possible positions:
- Filed early: SA302 available. You can use 2025/26 figures. Apply now.
- Not yet filed: Must fall back to the 2024/25 tax year — one year earlier. If 2024/25 income was lower (e.g. the business grew in 2025/26), you may fail the financial requirement on older figures despite currently earning well above £29,000.
- Category G option: If 2023/24 and 2024/25 figures average to £29,000, Category G may rescue the position. But Category G requires two complete years’ documentation.
For specified limited company directors, a further complication arises if the company’s financial year-end is not 5 April. If the company’s accounts run to a different date (e.g. 31 December), the relevant financial year is the CT600 company tax year — which may be different from the personal self-assessment year. Both sets of evidence must be aligned.
Quick Answer — The Timing Problem
Self-employed sponsors must use a completed HMRC tax year. If the most recent return hasn’t been filed, they fall back to an earlier year. Filing your self-assessment return early — as soon as the tax year ends in April — removes this problem entirely and gives you the maximum flexibility on application timing.
9. Full Evidence Checklist by Type
Sole Trader / Partnership / Franchise (Category F)
- SA302 tax calculation for the most recent complete HMRC tax year
- HMRC Tax Year Overview confirming the SA302
- Business accounts for the same tax year (profit and loss account at minimum)
- Letter from a qualified accountant (member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body) confirming the figures
- Business bank statements for the full period relied upon
- Personal bank statements for the full period showing income received
- Evidence of HMRC registration as self-employed (UTR number)
- Evidence that self-employment is ongoing at the date of application
Specified Limited Company Director (Category F)
- Company accounts for the most recent complete company financial year
- CT600 Corporation Tax Return for the same year
- SA302 personal tax calculation
- HMRC Tax Year Overview confirming the SA302
- Payslips for the relevant period (if drawing salary)
- Dividend vouchers for all dividends declared and paid
- Business bank statements for the relevant year
- Personal bank statements showing salary and dividend receipts
- Evidence of ongoing trading since the year-end
- Accountant’s letter from a member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body
Category G (Two-Year Average — for Either Type)
- All of the above for each of the two most recent complete financial years (i.e. everything doubled)
- A clear calculation showing the mean average across both years reaches £29,000
Not Sure If Your Evidence Pack Is Complete?
Missing a dividend voucher, providing an accountant’s letter from an unqualified bookkeeper, or including the wrong financial year are among the most common reasons self-employed applications fail. Our Risk Check reviews your evidence position before you submit.
10. Common Real-World Scenarios
Scenario: “I’m a sole trader earning £32,000 net profit last tax year. Can I apply?”
Direct answer: Yes — but verify it’s gross taxable profit on your SA302, not net after tax.
£32,000 in gross taxable profit (the figure on your SA302 before income tax and NI) meets the £29,000 threshold under Category F. You need: SA302, Tax Year Overview, business accounts, accountant’s letter, business and personal bank statements, and evidence the business is ongoing.
Risk: If you haven’t yet filed your most recent tax return, you’ll be assessed on the prior year’s SA302. If that shows less than £29,000, you’ll need to fall back to Category G or wait until you’ve filed.
Scenario: “My profit was £27,000 last year. I have £30,000 in savings. Can I use those to top up?”
Direct answer: No — savings cannot be combined with Category F income.
This is the most important restriction for self-employed sponsors. Category F income cannot be supplemented by savings. You need profit to reach £29,000 independently — or you need to wait for a year in which it does, or use Category G if the average of two years reaches the threshold.
Risk: Many self-employed sponsors assume the savings top-up route is available to them as it is to employed sponsors. It is not. Plan around your actual profit figures — not what savings could cover.
Scenario: “I’m a director of my own limited company. I pay myself £15,000 salary and take £18,000 in dividends.”
Direct answer: You likely meet the threshold at £33,000 — but the category question is critical.
If your company is a specified limited company (which it almost certainly is if you own the shares), both salary and dividends must be assessed together under Category F. The total of £33,000 meets £29,000. However, the evidence trail is extensive — CT600, company accounts, dividend vouchers, SA302, both sets of bank statements, accountant’s letter, and evidence of ongoing trading.
Risk: Dividends must be formally declared and paid — board minutes, dividend vouchers, and payment into your personal account. Informal withdrawals or retained profits do not count. See also the Director’s Evidence Chain framework on our Financial Requirement page.
Scenario: “My profit was £35,000 two years ago but only £24,000 last year. Which year is used?”
Direct answer: Category F uses the most recent year — £24,000 — which doesn’t meet the threshold. But Category G may help.
Under Category G, the two-year average is used: (£35,000 + £24,000) ÷ 2 = £29,500 — which meets the £29,000 threshold. However, this requires full documentation for both years, and savings still cannot be combined. Alternatively, waiting until a better trading year has passed and then using Category F may be simpler.
Risk: Category G requires significantly more documentation. Ensure your accountant can produce accounts and the required letter for both years before committing to this route.
Scenario: “I haven’t filed my tax return for this year yet. Can I still apply?”
Direct answer: Yes — but you’ll be assessed on the prior year’s figures.
If the most recent tax return hasn’t been filed, the Home Office uses the most recent available SA302. If last year’s figures are below £29,000, you won’t meet Category F on those figures — regardless of what you’re currently earning. The fix: file your return early (as soon as the tax year ends in April) to unlock the most recent year’s figures.
Risk: Sponsors often apply in summer or autumn, when the April return hasn’t been filed yet. This is the most common timing mistake in self-employed applications.
Scenario: “I’m employed part-time and also self-employed. Can I combine both incomes?”
Direct answer: Yes — but the periods must align.
Employment income (Category A or B) and self-employment income (Category F or G) can be combined — but only where the income falls within the same financial year period. Employment income not yet received at the date of submission cannot be combined with self-employment income. Where both apply, the evidence requirements for both categories must be met in full.
Risk: The period alignment requirement is easy to miss. Take specialist advice when combining employment and self-employment income — the documentation requirements for both categories simultaneously are significant.
Scenario: “My accountant is not a member of ICAEW or ACCA. Will their letter still count?”
Direct answer: Probably not — the Rules require a letter from a member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body.
Appendix FM-SE requires the accountant’s letter to come from a member of a recognised professional body. If your accountant is not a member of ICAEW, ACCA, ICAS, CIPFA or CIMA (or equivalent), their letter does not satisfy the requirement and the application is likely to be refused on that basis alone.
Risk: Many small businesses use unqualified bookkeepers or non-member accountants. Check your accountant’s professional membership before commissioning any letter for a visa application.
Scenario: “I’m a director of a company that has 10 external shareholders. Is it still a specified limited company?”
Direct answer: Probably not — if 10 external shareholders hold the remaining shares, the company doesn’t meet the specified limited company definition.
The specified limited company definition requires that remaining shares (those not held by you or family members) are held by fewer than five other people. If 10 external shareholders hold the remaining shares, the company is not specified — and your salary and dividends can be assessed under the standard Categories A/B and C, with savings combination available.
Risk: Always verify this against the exact shareholding structure. If shares are held indirectly (through holding companies), the analysis is more complex — seek specialist advice.
Quick Answer — Real-World Scenarios
The most common self-employed failures are: applying before filing the most recent tax return, assuming savings can top up a profit shortfall (they can’t under Category F/G), using the wrong financial year, and providing an accountant’s letter from an unqualified bookkeeper. All are avoidable with preparation.
11. The MySpouseVisa.com Self-Employment Frameworks
🔴 The April Gap
Every year, between 6 April and the point at which a self-employed sponsor files their self-assessment return, there is a window where the most recent usable tax year is not the one that just ended — it’s the one before it. For a growing business, this means being assessed on older, lower figures rather than current earnings. A sponsor earning £35,000 in 2025/26 who applies in June 2026 without having filed their return is assessed on 2024/25 figures. If those were £26,000, they fail the threshold. Filing the return in April or May, as soon as the tax year ends, closes the gap entirely — the updated SA302 becomes available and the current year’s income can be used immediately.
The lesson: Self-employed sponsors should make filing the self-assessment return a priority as soon as the tax year ends each April — not waiting until the January deadline. The application timeline should be planned around when the SA302 will be available, not when it would be convenient to apply.
🔴 The Category Trap
The most consequential mistake in director applications is applying under the wrong category. A director who owns shares in a small family company and applies using Category A (6 months of payslips and an employer letter) without realising their company is specified will have their application refused — not because their income is insufficient, but because the category of evidence submitted is wrong. The Home Office will not exercise discretion on this. The evidence must match the correct category. Knowing before you apply — with certainty — whether your company is specified or not is the single most important step in a director application.
The lesson: Before gathering any evidence, determine whether your company is specified (paragraph 9(a) of Appendix FM-SE) or not. This single determination changes the entire evidence pack, the calculation method, and whether savings can be combined. Take specialist advice if any element of the shareholding structure is unclear.
12. Martin Taggart’s Practical Insight
Self-employed sponsor cases are where I see the greatest number of avoidable refusals. The pattern is almost always the same: a sponsor who earns enough, knows they earn enough, and submits an application that fails on a technicality they didn’t know existed. The two most common are the category error and the tax year timing problem.
On the category error: I see directors apply under Category A because that’s what their payslips suggest — they are, after all, employed by their own company. But if the company is specified under paragraph 9(a), Category A is simply the wrong category. The Home Office will refuse, point to the specified company rules, and the sponsor has lost both their application fee and significant time. The check takes ten minutes; the refusal costs months.
On timing: I speak to self-employed sponsors in June or July who are confused that their current income doesn’t appear to count. They earned £40,000 this year — why can’t they use that? Because the tax year just ended in April, they haven’t filed the return yet, and the only SA302 in existence is last year’s, which showed £25,000 when the business was smaller. The solution is mundane but effective: file early, every year, as a standing practice. Sponsors who do this have maximum flexibility on application timing. Those who wait until January are constrained.
And on savings: this restriction continues to surprise people. The ability to use savings to top up an income shortfall — something that feels intuitive and fair — simply does not exist for self-employed sponsors under Category F or G. Planning for this early matters. If a sole trader’s income is likely to reach £29,000 next year but not this year, waiting is genuinely the right strategy in many cases.
Still Have Questions About Your Specific Situation?
Self-employment and director cases are the most technically complex applications under Appendix FM. If your situation involves a specified company, fluctuating profits, a recent change in how you take income, or a non-standard tax year, get it reviewed before you apply.
13. Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can a self-employed sponsor meet the spouse visa financial requirement?
Yes. Self-employment income counts under Category F (most recent financial year) or Category G (two-year average), provided gross taxable profit reaches £29,000 in the relevant period and the required evidence is provided.
Q2: What income figure is used — turnover or profit?
Gross taxable profit — after allowable business expenses but before income tax and National Insurance. This is the figure shown on your SA302. Turnover is not used.
Q3: Can I top up my self-employment income with savings if I fall short?
No. Cash savings cannot be combined with Category F or G self-employment income. The income must reach £29,000 independently under those categories.
Q4: What is a specified limited company?
A UK-registered company where you are a director or employee, you or family members hold shares (directly or indirectly), and any remaining shares are held by fewer than five other people. If your company meets this definition, Category F or G applies — not Categories A/B.
Q5: Do I need an accountant’s letter?
Yes — for self-employment applications and specified limited company applications, a letter from a suitably qualified accountant who is a member of a UK Recognised Supervisory Body (ICAEW, ACCA, ICAS, CIPFA, CIMA) is required. A letter from an unqualified bookkeeper does not meet this requirement.
Q6: Which financial year is used — the tax year or my accounting year?
For sole traders and partnerships, the HMRC self-assessment tax year (6 April to 5 April) is used — confirmed in Hameed [2014] UKUT 00266. For specified limited companies, the company’s own financial year as shown in the CT600 is used, which may differ.
Q7: I haven’t filed my most recent tax return. What happens?
The most recent available SA302 is used. If you haven’t filed the current year’s return, you fall back to the prior year. If prior year income was lower, you may need Category G or to wait until the return is filed.
Q8: Can I combine self-employment income with my salaried employment income?
Yes — provided the employment income falls within the same financial year period as the self-employment income being relied upon. Employment income not yet received at the date of submission cannot be combined.
Q9: What is Category G and when would I use it?
Category G uses the average gross profit across the two most recent complete financial years. Use it only where income in the most recent year alone falls below £29,000 but the two-year average reaches the threshold. It requires full documentation for both years.
Q10: My company is not UK-registered. What category applies?
The specified limited company rules only apply to UK-registered companies. Income from an overseas company is generally assessed as employment income (Category A or B), self-employment income (Category F/G), or non-employment income (Category C), depending on the nature of the income. [SOLICITOR REVIEW NEEDED: confirm current Home Office guidance on the treatment of income from overseas companies before publishing this answer.]
Related Topics on MySpouseVisa.com
- UK Spouse Visa: The Complete Guide
- UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirement: Full Guide
- Using Savings for Your Spouse Visa: Complete Guide
- Adequate Maintenance Test: Full Guide
Note: Links to /spouse-visa-limited-company-director/ and other cluster pages will be added here as those pages are published.
References and Official Sources
- UK Immigration Rules — Appendix FM-SE: paragraphs 7 (sole trader/partnership/franchise) and 9 (specified limited company)
- Upper Tribunal — Hameed (Appendix FM – financial year) [2014] UKUT 00266 (IAC) — confirmed financial year is HMRC self-assessment tax year
- Free Movement — What are the financial requirements for spouse and partner UK visas?
- Immigration Barrister (Richmond Chambers) — Self-Employment Income and the Partner Visa Financial Requirement
- Immigration Barrister (Richmond Chambers) — How to Satisfy the Partner Visa Financial Requirement as a Company Director
- GOV.UK — Appendix FM: Immigration Rules Family Members
This page was last reviewed by Martin Taggart, Solicitor, in June 2026. Next scheduled review: September 2026.