Meeting the Spouse Visa Financial Requirement if Your Spouse is a Company Director

Posted onDecember 22, 2025

It can be hard for a Spouse Visa applicant to prove that they meet the Family Visa financial requirement when their sponsoring partner is a company director.

Our UK Immigration Solicitors can help answer all your Spouse Visa financial requirements questions, including those related to income from company directorships.

Contact OTS Solicitors Today for Expert Spouse Visa and Immigration Advice.

The Spouse Visa financial requirement

Spouse Visa Solicitors say the financial requirement rules are complex. The rules are set out in Appendix FM of the immigration rules. They say that the Spouse Visa financial requirement must be met by either the visa applicant or their sponsoring husband, wife, civil partner, or unmarried partner at three stages:

First Family Visa application.
Spouse Visa extension application.
Application for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

A visa extension is necessary because, under UK immigration rules, a Spouse Visa holder does not meet the five-year residence requirement to apply for settlement when their first Spouse Visa expires.

Meeting the Spouse Visa financial requirement

The Spouse Visa financial requirement can be met in three ways:

Income evidence.
Cash savings evidence or, in some cases, a combination of evidence of cash savings and income.
Benefits – if the sponsor receives a specified UK state benefit, the Spouse Visa applicant can use evidence of the benefit to prove they meet the financial requirement, even though the sponsor’s income is less than £29,000.

There are stringent rules governing the use of cash savings and income to meet financial requirements. The rules state that an applicant cannot combine savings with income in categories F or G.

The income Spouse Visa financial requirement

The current income requirement is an annual gross income of £29,000.

For a first Family Visa application, the sponsor must meet the full income requirement. On an extension or settlement application, the visa holder or settlement applicant can use their salary to help evidence that the couple meet the financial requirement.

The cash savings financial requirement

If a visa applicant intends to meet the financial requirement by providing evidence of cash savings, they need at least £88,500 to rely solely on savings. An applicant cannot rely on a combination of savings and income unless the savings of their sponsor and/or themselves amount to over £16,000.

Some sponsoring partners who are company directors find it easier to demonstrate that the financial requirement is met through cash savings rather than providing information about their company. However, UK Immigration Solicitors warn that the immigration rules are detailed on what counts as cashing savings and the extent of the required evidence.

A company director cannot rely on a combination of Category F and G income, dividends, and cash to meet the requirement. They can rely only on cash savings; however, they will need at least £88,500 in cash, and the funds must be readily available. The money cannot be tied up in the company's finances.

Meeting the Spouse Visa financial requirement through company director’s income

A sponsor or the visa applicant can meet the financial requirement through their income as a company director. For example:

The Family Visa applicant may be switching to a Spouse Visa and already in the UK on a Business Visa, operating a successful company.
The applicant could be applying to extend an existing Spouse Visa and either have their own business or be a company director in their partner's company.

The immigration rules set out how Home Office officials should assess a company director's income when determining whether the financial requirement has been met. That is why it is best to seek advice from Spouse Visa Solicitors on the required paperwork to avoid delays or application refusal.

Company accounts

When relying on income as a company director to evidence that you meet the financial requirement, an applicant can rely on either category F or G income.

Category F means an applicant relies on income from the last financial year’s accounting period. The sponsor or visa applicant must have the right to work in the UK and either be a company director of a specified limited company or be self-employed.
Category G involves using the last two financial account years by calculating the average income received by the company director during the previous two full financial years. This can be beneficial when company profits and directors’ income vary wildly from year to year. Evidence is needed to support the figures derived from the company tax return submitted to HMRC.

The company director rules on how to meet the Spouse Visa financial requirement

Whether an applicant uses category F or G income figures, they must provide specific evidence if the company is classified as a specified limited company. Spouse Visa Solicitors say that under the current rules, an applicant needs to provide:

The company tax return for the last full financial year, together with evidence that the tax return was filed at HMRC.
Company registration - evidence that the company is registered with Companies House and the current appointment report.
Company accounts - if the company must produce audited accounts on an annual basis, the last accounts for the full financial year. If the company does not have to file annual audited accounts, then unaudited accounts for the previous full financial year and a certificate of confirmation from an accountant (who must be a member of a UK-recognised supervisory organisation or the Institute of Financial Accountants).
Company bank statements – the statements need to cover the 12 months of the company tax return.
Supporting evidence – you need to provide supporting evidence but you only need to provide one document out of several options such as evidence of ownership or lease of business premises or original proof of registration with HMRC as an employer for National Insurance and PAYE purposes, or VAT registration certificate and the VAT return for the last full financial year with the VAT registration number.

Director’s income and dividend payments

If an applicant or their sponsor is a company director and their income is derived from salary and share dividends, the Home Office will require evidence of both sources. The rules require:

Wage slips and P60 – these need to be for the same period as the company tax return.
Bank statements covering the 12 months of the company tax return. The statements must be for the account to which salary and any dividend payments are made. Therefore, an applicant may need to provide two sets of statements if wages and dividends are paid into separate bank accounts.
Evidence of dividend payments in the form of dividend vouchers.
Evidence of employment as a director of the company.

Using additional income sources with Category F or G income to meet the financial requirement

Category F or G income can be combined with some other sources of income to meet the financial requirement. The other income sources include:

Salaried employment.
Non-salaried employment, such as freelance work.
Pension income.

However, calculating income can be complicated because all income must be from the same financial year. Clear evidence must be provided if a P60 covers a period different from the sponsor’s company's accounting period. In addition, the applicant or sponsor must be receiving the income as current income. Historical income from previous employment cannot be relied on, even if the company income and salary were obtained in the same financial year.

A company director of a new start-up cannot rely on projected company turnover and profits, or on their historical salary before becoming an entrepreneur and setting up their own business.

Spouse Visa Solicitors in London

At OTS Solicitors, our immigration law experts specialise in Family Visa applications. Our expertise is recognised by our inclusion in the 2026 editions of the Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession.

Having built up a reputation for client service, excellent communication, and comprehensive knowledge of Appendix FM and all the Spouse Visa immigration rule changes, OTS Solicitors are often asked to comment in the media on Family Visa and settlement reforms or to handle tricky applications where an application has previously been refused, or the sponsor’s company finances are difficult to navigate.

Contact OTS Solicitors Today for Specialist Family Visa and Settlement Immigration Advice.

Appointments are available at our London office and via phone or online consultation.

Our Immigration Lawyers in London speak Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Gujarati, Hindi, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog/Ilonggo, and Urdu/Punjabi.

Related Posts