Changes to the Minimum Income and Adequate Maintenance Requirement

We have some good news for those who suffered the impact of Coronavirus on their income.  The Home Office provided advice for visa applicants and stated that if you are applying to enter or remain in the UK on the basis of your family or private life, there are temporary concessions in place if you are unable to meet the requirements of the family immigration rules.  If you are unable to travel back due to the Coronavirus travel restrictions and your leave has expired, a short break in continuous residence will be overlooked.  If you are here as a fiancé or proposed civil partner and your wedding has been delayed due to the Coronavirus you can request an extension until 31st July 2020.  If you have experienced a loss of income due to Coronavirus the Home Office will consider employment income for the period immediately before the loss of income due to the Coronavirus, provided the requirement has been met for at least six months up to March 2020. 

If your salary has reduced because you are furloughed, the Home Office will take into account your income as though you were earning 100% of your salary.  If you are self-employed a loss of annual income due to Coronavirus between 1st March 2020 and 31st July 2020 will generally be disregarded along with the impact on employment income for the same period for future applications.  In some cases if you are unable to provide specific documents due to the Coronavirus, the Home Office will sometimes be able to decide the application without seeing certain documents. If you are to take an English language test as part of your application you can apply for an exemption if the test center was closed or you could not travel to it due to Coronavirus when you applied.

Please call us if you have your ability to meet the financial requirements have been affected and we will aim to guide you