Moving home with a non-British partner: where the UK income rules stand

£29,000, and holding

Back in April 2024, the threshold for bringing a partner to the UK leapt from £18,600, where it had sat since 2012, to £29,000. The previous government had a second jump to £38,700 lined up, matching the salary bar for skilled work visas. It never happened. After the 2024 election, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper froze the figure at £29,000 and asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to take a proper look.

Over two years later, £29,000 is still the number most new applicants face.

• Extending with the same partner? If you first applied before April 2024, you stay on the old £18,600 level.
• On certain disability or carer benefits? Sponsors in this group go through a different test altogether.

The review that's still in the in-tray

The MAC published its findings in June 2025, and they were blunter than many expected. It advised against raising the threshold any further and dismissed the idea of linking family income rules to work visa salaries. It also pointed out that the UK's bar is high by international standards: of the other wealthy countries it looked at, all but one either had no income requirement at all or set one well below ours.

It didn't hand ministers a single number. Instead it set out options and said the final call was a political and ethical one. Its main suggestions:

• A range of roughly £23,000 to £25,000, close to what someone earns working full time on the National Living Wage.
• Reviewing the threshold regularly, so families aren't blindsided by sudden jumps.
• Making the paperwork for self-employed sponsors a little less of an endurance event.

Seventeen months on, the government still hasn't said what it plans to do. For couples trying to plan a move, not knowing is arguably as tricky as the figure itself. It's hard to book a removal van around a number that might change.

Two sides of the argument

Like most things in immigration policy, the threshold has passionate defenders and equally passionate critics.

• Supporters argue that it makes sure families arriving in the UK can support themselves without relying on public funds, and that it eases pressure on public services.
• Critics, including campaigners such as Reunite Families UK, argue that any income test keeps couples apart simply because one partner earns less, and that even a threshold set at minimum wage would still separate families.

The MAC's own evidence pointed to the effect on children growing up apart from a parent: in its survey, 43% of respondents said they had been separated from a partner or family while applying or trying to meet the rules.

This week's settlement news

On 2 November 2026, the government finally published its response to the earned settlement consultation, which closed back in February. For many migrants, the short version is a longer road to permanent residence, with more conditions along the way. For partners of British citizens, the five-year route to settlement survives, which will have prompted a sigh of relief in a lot of households.

That's not to say nothing changes. The new framework brings:

• tougher rules on criminality, debts owed to government and access to public funds
• a test of sustained earnings: £12,571 a year for an individual, or £25,142 for a couple, which one partner can meet on their own

Those figures sit separately from the £29,000 visa threshold. How exactly they'll apply to partners of British citizens won't be clear until the detailed Immigration Rules appear, and as anyone who follows this area will tell you, the detail is where the surprises tend to live.

Already in the rulebook

• English language: from 26 March 2027, people applying for settlement on the partner route will need B2-level English in speaking and listening, up from B1.
• Grounds for refusal: since November 2025, family applications have been judged on the same general grounds for refusal as other visa routes, rather than their own separate set.
• Fees: application fees went up again in April 2026, which, to be fair, surprised nobody.

Why expats feel this one differently

The rules hit British expats in a particular way. A couple applying from overseas is judged mainly on the British partner's earnings: from their current job abroad, and from a UK job lined up for their return. The non-British partner's own income generally doesn't count at that stage, however much they earn. So if your partner is the one with the big salary, the system effectively asks you to leave it at the border, and that can be the hardest part of the whole process to swallow.

It also means timing matters. A lower threshold, or a new way of counting income, could open the door for couples who are currently just short. Until the government responds to the MAC, they're stuck planning around a number that could go down, stay put or be redesigned entirely.

What we're keeping an eye on

1. A formal government response to the MAC review, and whether the threshold actually moves.
2. The detailed rules that turn this week's settlement announcement into something concrete, especially how the new earnings test fits alongside the existing threshold for partners of British citizens.

We'll update this page as things develop, so you don't have to refresh GOV.UK every morning. If you're planning a move now, we can introduce you to a vetted UK immigration specialist who can check your options.

This article is commentary on publicly announced policy and is not immigration advice. The rules change regularly, so check GOV.UK for the current position.