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Evara Guides

Marrying a spouse
to the UK

The spouse visa under Appendix FM, the income requirement families ask about most, the English and settlement milestones, and what the Home Office actually asks for on documents. Every consequential claim carries its official source and the date we read it.

By the Evara editorial team. Every consequential claim on this page names its official source, the country whose rule it is, and the date we checked it. Raynu Garg, our founder, reviews the matchmaking guidance on this site. She is not an immigration adviser, and nothing here is legal or immigration advice. Sources checked 6 September 2026.
The Short Answer

The partner visa under Appendix FM

To bring a husband or wife from India to the United Kingdom, the couple applies for a partner or spouse visa under Appendix FM of the UK Immigration Rules. The requirement families write to us about most often is the financial one. The sponsoring partner in the UK generally needs to meet a minimum income requirement, which is £29,000 a year on GOV.UK as at 6 September 2026. That figure applies to applications made on or after 11 April 2024. The earlier £18,600 figure still applies to a partner who first applied before that date and is extending, so it is not dead history and a family on it should not budget against the newer number. There is also an English language requirement. Where the financial requirement is met, the route runs over five years to settlement. Where it is not met, GOV.UK says the earliest a person can apply to settle is after ten years in the UK.

Source: UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements if you are applying as a partner or spouse; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the transitional rule; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the earlier threshold; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, where they are not met. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

The income figure has moved recently, so it is worth stating carefully, and this page previously stated it wrongly. The previous government announced two further increases, to £34,500 and then £38,700. Neither was written into the Immigration Rules, so neither took effect. They were not paused. The Migration Advisory Committee reported on 10 June 2025 and did not recommend a figure. It set out options, noted that several of its measures cluster around the region of £23,000 to £25,000, and advised against setting the family threshold from the Skilled Worker salary threshold. Its covering letter puts the same band differently again, as a number of measures that fall in the range £23,000 to £25,000, which is why no single number can be attributed to the Committee: the range describes where different calculations land, not a recommended threshold. On 6 September 2026 the figure in Appendix FM was still £29,000. Because this can change, confirm the current figure and how income can be evidenced on GOV.UK before applying. This guide is general information, not immigration advice.

Source: UK Home Office, in a letter from the Home Secretary published by the Migration Advisory Committee, Letter from the Home Secretary to Professor Brian Bell, 10 September 2024; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review, where the measures land; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review, the one approach the Committee advised against; Migration Advisory Committee, Letter from Professor Brian Bell to the Home Secretary, 10 June 2025; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

This guide is general information and not immigration advice. Nobody at Evara is an immigration adviser or a lawyer. Each claim below names the authority it came from, the country whose rule it is, and the date we last read it, and shows the sentence we actually read. The Immigration Rules, application fees and processing times all change after that date, so open the linked GOV.UK page before you act, and take advice on your own case.
The Money Question

Meeting the income requirement

The minimum income requirement is the part of a UK spouse application that needs the most care. The threshold on GOV.UK as at 6 September 2026 is £29,000 a year. The UK-based partner can usually meet it through employment income, and in some cases through a combination of income and cash savings, or through self-employment, each with its own evidence rules. Cash savings count above £16,000, and Appendix FM-SE requires bank statements showing the savings held throughout the 6 months before the date of application. The documentation matters as much as the amount. GOV.UK asks for 6 months of payslips counting back from the day you apply, bank statements, and a letter from the employer dated and on headed paper. Appendix FM-SE sets out exactly what each document must show.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements if you are applying as a partner or spouse; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence, what counts as income; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, specified savings; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, cash savings; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence, proving your income. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

The direction of the rule matters for planning. The threshold moved from £18,600 to £29,000 for applications made on or after 11 April 2024, and GOV.UK still applies £18,600 to a partner who first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and is extending that visa. Two further increases, to £34,500 and then £38,700, were announced but never written into the Immigration Rules, so neither took effect. The Migration Advisory Committee reviewed the requirement in June 2025, set out options rather than a single figure, and advised against setting the family threshold from the Skilled Worker salary threshold. A couple should plan around the figure in force on the day they apply, not the figure they remember, and should allow time to assemble clean financial evidence. Where the numbers are tight, consider paid advice. GOV.UK states that all immigration advisers must be registered with the Immigration Advice Authority or be a member of an approved professional body. That work sits outside what a matchmaker does.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the transitional rule; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the earlier threshold; UK Home Office, in a letter from the Home Secretary published by the Migration Advisory Committee, Letter from the Home Secretary to Professor Brian Bell, 10 September 2024; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review, where the measures land; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review, the one approach the Committee advised against; UK Government Digital Service for the Immigration Advice Authority, Find an immigration adviser. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Language And Settlement

English, and the road to settlement

Beyond the finances, a partner visa applicant must meet an English language requirement. It begins at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening for the first application, rises to at least A2 in speaking and listening when extending after 2.5 years, and reaches at least B1 in speaking and listening at settlement. The UK visa is not permanent at the outset. The standard partner route to Indefinite Leave to Remain, which is settlement, runs over five years: an initial grant of up to 2 years and 9 months, then an extension of up to a further 2 years and 6 months. GOV.UK says the earliest a partner can apply to settle is after 5 years living in the UK continuously on a family visa as a partner, or after 10 years if the financial requirement is not met.

Source: UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, paragraph E-ECP.4.1.(b); UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English, applying to extend after 2.5 years; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the settlement requirements; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the first grant; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the extension; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, where they are not met. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Settlement carries two further steps that are worth knowing early. An applicant aged 18 to 64 needs at least CEFR B1 in speaking and listening, or a degree taught or researched in English, and must pass the Life in the UK Test. GOV.UK states that you need to take that test as part of your application for British citizenship or settlement in the UK, and it lists people who do not have to: those under 18, those aged 65 or over, those who have passed it before, and people with a long-term physical or mental condition. Our earlier copy said flatly that applicants for settlement must pass the test, which dropped the condition GOV.UK attaches. So a UK alliance is a multi-year process with milestones rather than a single approval. The exact requirements and fees change, so read the current GOV.UK guidance at each stage. On the marriage itself, GOV.UK treats a marriage certificate as one of several kinds of evidence of the relationship, alongside things like a tenancy agreement, joint bills or a joint bank statement, and Appendix FM-SE sets a marriage-certificate rule only for a marriage that took place in the United Kingdom. If the certificate is not in English or Welsh, GOV.UK asks for a certified translation. It does not ask for an apostille.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the age condition; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the settlement requirements; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Life in the UK Test. Book the Life in the UK Test; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Life in the UK Test. When you do not need to take the test; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, evidence of the relationship; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, paragraph 22; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence you must provide. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Registration, Documents, OCI

Registering in India, and what the UK asks for

One correction this page owes its readers concerns a Supreme Court of India judgment we quoted only halfway. In Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar, decided on 14 February 2006, the Court held that marriages of all persons who are citizens of India belonging to various religions should be made compulsorily registrable in their respective States, where the marriage is solemnized. Earlier versions of this page went on to say that the registered certificate is therefore the standard evidence of the marriage for a visa application. The judgment does not say that. It says the registration itself cannot be a proof of valid marriage per se, and would not be the determinative factor regarding validity of a marriage, though it has great evidentiary value. It mentions no visa, of any country, anywhere. So Seema supports compulsory registration in India, and it supports nothing at all about UK visa evidence. For what the Home Office actually accepts, GOV.UK lists a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate, a tenancy agreement, utility bills or Council Tax bills confirming that you live at the same address or pay bills together, and a bank statement from a joint bank account. Appendix FM-SE requires a valid marriage certificate recognised under the laws of England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland only where the marriage took place in the United Kingdom.

Source: Supreme Court of India, Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar, Transfer Petition (civil) 291 of 2005, judgment of 14 February 2006; Supreme Court of India, Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar, on what registration does and does not prove; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, evidence of the relationship; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, paragraph 22. Jurisdiction: India and United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

The apostille instruction needs the same care, and the reason it comes off this page is relevance, not treaty status. The Hague Apostille Convention entered into force for India on 14 July 2005, following its accession on 26 October 2004, and has applied to the United Kingdom since 24 January 1965. Five states objected to India’s accession, so the Convention did not enter into force between India and those five, and the United Kingdom is not among them. An Indian apostille is therefore recognised in the United Kingdom. That is a true statement about the treaty, and it is not a reason to buy one for a partner visa. The Home Office asks for a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh, and Appendix FM-SE asks for the document in the original language plus a full translation that can be independently verified. The words apostille, legalise and legalize appear nowhere in Appendix FM, nowhere in Appendix FM-SE, and nowhere on the GOV.UK partner or evidence pages. The FCDO legalisation service adds that it cannot legalise documents issued outside the UK at all. So get an apostille only if a particular body asks you for one, and not on our word.

Source: Hague Conference on Private International Law, the depositary, Status table, Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents; Hague Conference on Private International Law, as depositary record, Apostille Convention status table: declaration, reservation and notification record for India’s accession; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence you must provide; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, translations; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Get your document legalised. Jurisdiction: International treaty status and United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

On the Indian side, a foreign-origin spouse of an Indian citizen or of an OCI cardholder may apply for registration as an OCI cardholder once the marriage has been registered and has subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application. The Ministry of Home Affairs adds a sentence every earlier version of our pages left out: such spouse shall be subjected to prior security clearance by a competent authority in India. Plan for that step, rather than treating the two-year mark as the end of it. The same official page states that foreign nationals who are eligible for an OCI card may apply with their jurisdictional FRRO without having to stay in India continuously for a period of 06 months. And an OCI cardholder holds a foreign passport and is not a citizen of India, which the name invites families to misread.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Government of India, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cardholder: Frequently Asked Questions; Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Online OCI Services, Online OCI Services: Eligibility; Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Online OCI Services, Online OCI Services: Eligibility, applying through the FRRO. Jurisdiction: India. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Good To Know

Practicalities worth planning for

The points NRI families to the United Kingdom ask about most, each with the authority it rests on. Confirm current detail on GOV.UK before you act.

Confirm the income figure

The threshold on GOV.UK is £29,000 a year, checked 6 September 2026. Two announced increases, to £34,500 and then £38,700, were never written into the Immigration Rules. Check the current amount and the accepted ways to evidence it before applying.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements if you are applying as a partner or spouse; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members; UK Home Office, in a letter from the Home Secretary published by the Migration Advisory Committee, Letter from the Home Secretary to Professor Brian Bell, 10 September 2024; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Documents, not just the amount

Documentation matters as much as the amount. GOV.UK asks for 6 months of payslips counting back from the day you apply, bank statements, and a letter from the employer dated and on headed paper. Appendix FM-SE sets out exactly what each document must show, so assemble them carefully and early.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence, proving your income; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, cash savings. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

English at every stage

The English requirement is CEFR A1 in speaking and listening for the first application, at least A2 when extending after 2.5 years, and at least B1 at settlement. Plan for the relevant test at each stage.

Source: UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, paragraph E-ECP.4.1.(b); UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English, applying to extend after 2.5 years; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the settlement requirements. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Five years, or ten

The standard partner route to settlement runs over five years: an initial grant of up to 2 years and 9 months, then an extension of up to a further 2 years and 6 months, then Indefinite Leave to Remain with the Life in the UK Test for applicants aged 18 to 64. If the financial requirement is not met, GOV.UK says settlement comes after 10 years instead.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the first grant; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the extension; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, where they are not met; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the age condition. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

OCI has a clearance step

A foreign-origin spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI cardholder can apply for registration as an OCI cardholder once the marriage has been registered and has subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately before the application. The Ministry of Home Affairs adds that such a spouse is subject to prior security clearance by a competent authority in India, which earlier versions of this page did not mention.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Government of India, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cardholder: Frequently Asked Questions; Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Online OCI Services, Online OCI Services: Eligibility. Jurisdiction: India. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Register in India, translate for the UK

Register the marriage in India. The Supreme Court of India has held that marriages of Indian citizens should be compulsorily registrable in the State where the marriage is solemnized, and a registered marriage is what the OCI two-year rule counts. For the UK application, GOV.UK asks for a certified translation of any document not in English or Welsh. It does not ask for an apostille.

Source: Supreme Court of India, Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar, Transfer Petition (civil) 291 of 2005, judgment of 14 February 2006; Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Government of India, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cardholder: Frequently Asked Questions; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence you must provide; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Get your document legalised. Jurisdiction: India and United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Keep Reading

Related pages

Matchmaking for NRI families and companion guides:

NRI Matrimony Hub Matchmaking in London Matchmaking in the UK Register a Marriage in India NRI Matrimony Essay
Common Questions

India to UK FAQs

What is the minimum income for a UK spouse visa in 2026?+

The minimum income requirement for a partner visa is £29,000 a year. That was the figure in Appendix FM and on GOV.UK when we checked on 6 September 2026. It applies to applications made on or after 11 April 2024. The earlier £18,600 figure still applies to a partner who first applied before that date and is extending. Two further increases, to £34,500 and then £38,700, were announced by the previous government but were never written into the Immigration Rules, so neither took effect. The Migration Advisory Committee reported in June 2025 without recommending a single figure. Confirm the current amount on GOV.UK before applying.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements if you are applying as a partner or spouse; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the transitional rule; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the earlier threshold; UK Home Office, in a letter from the Home Secretary published by the Migration Advisory Committee, Letter from the Home Secretary to Professor Brian Bell, 10 September 2024; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review; Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review, where the measures land. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

How can the UK partner meet the income requirement?+

Usually through employment income. GOV.UK also allows self-employment income, cash savings above £16,000, pension income and some non-work income such as property rentals or dividends, and in some cases a combination of sources. Appendix FM-SE requires bank statements showing cash savings held throughout the 6 months before the date of application. GOV.UK asks for 6 months of payslips counting back from the day you apply, bank statements, and a letter from the employer dated and on headed paper. Appendix FM-SE sets out exactly what each document must show.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence, what counts as income; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, specified savings; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, cash savings; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence, proving your income. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Is there an English language requirement?+

Yes. It is CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening for the first application, at least A2 in speaking and listening when extending after 2.5 years, and at least B1 in speaking and listening at settlement, or a degree taught or researched in English. An applicant aged 18 to 64 must also pass the Life in the UK Test at settlement. Some applicants are exempt, including people aged 65 or over. Plan for the relevant assessment at each stage.

Source: UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, paragraph E-ECP.4.1.(b); UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English, applying to extend after 2.5 years; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English, reusing a B1 result at settlement; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the age condition; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the settlement requirements; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Life in the UK Test. When you do not need to take the test. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

How long until my spouse can settle in the UK?+

GOV.UK says the earliest a partner can apply to settle is after 5 years living in the UK continuously on a family visa as a partner. That is an initial grant of up to 2 years and 9 months, then an extension of up to a further 2 years and 6 months. If the financial requirement is not met, GOV.UK says the earliest a person can apply to settle is after 10 years in the UK. At settlement an applicant aged 18 to 64 needs at least CEFR B1 in speaking and listening and must pass the Life in the UK Test. The 2025 immigration white paper raises the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years, but it expressly keeps a shorter five-year pathway for non-UK dependants of British citizens who stay compliant, so it does not lengthen the partner route. A UK alliance is therefore a multi-year process with milestones rather than a single approval.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner (family visa); UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the first grant; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the extension; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, where they are not met; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the age condition; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the settlement requirements; UK Home Office, Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, paragraph 264; UK Home Office, Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, paragraph 265. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Do we register the marriage in India for a UK visa?+

Register the marriage in India, but not because a UK visa demands an apostille. GOV.UK treats a marriage certificate as one of several kinds of evidence of the relationship, alongside a tenancy agreement, joint bills or a joint bank statement, and Appendix FM-SE sets its marriage-certificate rule only for a marriage that took place in the United Kingdom. If the certificate is not in English or Welsh, GOV.UK asks for a certified translation, and Appendix FM-SE requires the original language document plus a full translation that can be independently verified. GOV.UK does not ask for an apostille for a partner visa, and the FCDO legalisation service cannot legalise a document issued outside the UK anyway. Register in any case: the Supreme Court of India has held that marriages of Indian citizens should be compulsorily registrable in the State where the marriage is solemnized, and a registered marriage is what the OCI two-year rule counts.

Source: UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, evidence of the relationship; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, paragraph 22; UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence you must provide; UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, translations; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Get your document legalised; Supreme Court of India, Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar, Transfer Petition (civil) 291 of 2005, judgment of 14 February 2006; Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Government of India, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cardholder: Frequently Asked Questions. Jurisdiction: United Kingdom and India. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

Where This Came From

Sources, with the date we read them

Every claim above points to one of these. Each entry names the authority, the country whose rule it is, the date we last read it, and the sentence we actually read.

  1. UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. The page states it was updated on 3 August 2026.

    What it says: a specified gross annual income of at least £29,000

  2. UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, paragraph E-ECP.4.1.(b)

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: have passed an English language test in speaking and listening at a minimum of level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages with a provider approved by the Secretary of State

  3. UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, specified savings

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: specified savings of: (i) £16,000; and (ii) additional savings of an amount equivalent to 2.5 times the amount which is the difference between the gross annual income

  4. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements if you are applying as a partner or spouse

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. The page metadata states it was updated on 2 September 2026.

    What it says: usually need to prove that your combined income is at least £29,000 a year

  5. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the transitional rule

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you’re extending that visa

  6. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, the earlier threshold

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: will need to prove that your combined income is at least £18,600 a year

  7. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Financial requirements, where they are not met

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: the earliest you’ll be able to apply to settle is after 10 years in the UK

  8. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: The earliest you can apply to settle in the UK (called ‘indefinite leave to remain’) is after you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years continuously on a family visa as a partner.

  9. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the first grant

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: You can stay in the UK for up to 2 years and 9 months.

  10. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, length of the extension

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: you can stay in the UK for up to a further 2 years and 6 months

  11. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Apply as a partner or spouse, evidence of the relationship

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. These are items in the list of things GOV.UK says you can use.

    What it says: a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate a tenancy agreement, utility bills or Council Tax bills confirming that you live at the same address or pay bills together a bank statement from a joint bank account

  12. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: You must pass at least level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale for your first visa application.

  13. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English, applying to extend after 2.5 years

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026, under the heading Applying to extend your visa after 2.5 years.

    What it says: level A1, you’ll need to pass at least level A2 in speaking and listening

  14. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Knowledge of English, reusing a B1 result at settlement

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: If you pass level B1 or higher, you can use your test result again when you apply for settlement after 5 years.

  15. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner (family visa)

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: 5 continuous years if you’re on the 5 year route

  16. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the age condition

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. This is the sentence that introduces the settlement requirements.

    What it says: If you’re 18 to 64 you’ll need to

  17. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK. Apply as a partner, the settlement requirements

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. Two consecutive items in the same list.

    What it says: book and pass the Life in the UK Test meet the English language requirements by having a recognised English qualification with at least level B1 in speaking and listening or a degree taught or researched in English

  18. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Life in the UK Test. Book the Life in the UK Test

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: You need to take the test as part of your application for British citizenship or settlement in the UK.

  19. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Life in the UK Test. When you do not need to take the test

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. Items in the list under the heading When you do not need to take the test, which also lists being under 18 and having a long-term physical or mental condition.

    What it says: are 65 or over have passed it before

  20. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence you must provide

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. The words apostille, legalise and legalize appear zero times on this page.

    What it says: a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh

  21. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence, proving your income

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: 6 months of payslips, counting back from the day you apply a letter from an employer, dated and on headed paper

  22. UK Government Digital Service for the Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Information and evidence, what counts as income

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. Items in the list under the heading What counts as income.

    What it says: cash savings above £16,000 money from a pension non-work income, for example from property rentals or dividends

  23. UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, translations

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. The words apostille, legalise and legalize appear zero times in this Appendix.

    What it says: Where any specified documents provided are not in English or Welsh, the applicant must provide document in the original language and a full translation that can be independently verified by the Entry Clearance Officer, Immigration Officer or the Secretary of State.

  24. UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, cash savings

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: personal bank statements showing that at least the level of cash savings relied upon in the application has been held in an account(s) in the name of the person or of the person and their partner jointly throughout the period of 6 months prior to the date of application.

  25. UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence, paragraph 22

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. The Appendix sets no equivalent legalisation rule for a marriage outside the UK.

    What it says: A marriage in the United Kingdom must be evidenced by a valid marriage certificate recognised under the laws of England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

  26. UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Get your document legalised

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: You cannot get documents issued outside the UK legalised using this service - get them legalised in the country they were issued.

  27. UK Government Digital Service for the Immigration Advice Authority, Find an immigration adviser

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: All immigration advisers must be registered with IAA or be a member of an approved professional body.

  28. UK Home Office, in a letter from the Home Secretary published by the Migration Advisory Committee, Letter from the Home Secretary to Professor Brian Bell, 10 September 2024

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. This is the source of the £34,500 step our earlier copy omitted.

    What it says: The previous government set out its intention to make two further increases to the MIR by early 2025, firstly to £34,500 and secondly to £38,700.

  29. Migration Advisory Committee, Letter from Professor Brian Bell to the Home Secretary, 10 June 2025

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026 from the PDF, with line breaks normalised to single spaces. Note that the letter and the report describe the same band in different words, which is one reason no single figure can be attributed to the Committee.

    What it says: A number of such measures based on different approaches, including working full-time at the National Living Wage, fall in the range £23,000 to £25,000.

  30. Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. This sentence is why our earlier wording, that the increases were paused, was wrong.

    What it says: However, it did not put these increases in the Immigration Rules and as a result they were not implemented following the change of government

  31. Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review, where the measures land

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. This is the sentence our earlier copy reported as a recommendation.

    What it says: Several of the measures, calculated in different ways, cluster around the region of £23,000 to £25,000.

  32. Migration Advisory Committee, Family visa financial requirements review, the one approach the Committee advised against

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: We do not recommend the approach based on the Skilled Worker salary threshold as it is unrelated to the Family route and is the most likely to conflict with international law and obligations

  33. UK Home Office, Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, paragraph 264

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: This expansion of the Point-Based System will increase the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years.

  34. UK Home Office, Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, paragraph 265

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026.

    What it says: We will continue to offer a shorter pathway to settlement for non-UK dependants of British citizens to five years, provided they have remained compliant with their requirements

  35. Hague Conference on Private International Law, the depositary, Status table, Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents

    Jurisdiction: International treaty status. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. The table records a last update of 30-VI-2026.

    What it says: Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (India row: accession 26-X-2004, entry into force 14-VII-2005; United Kingdom row: ratification 21-VIII-1964, entry into force 24-I-1965)

  36. Hague Conference on Private International Law, as depositary record, Apostille Convention status table: declaration, reservation and notification record for India’s accession

    Jurisdiction: International treaty status. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026. The objectors listed are Belgium, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The string United Kingdom does not occur anywhere on the page, so the Convention is in force between India and the United Kingdom.

    What it says: Therefore, the Convention will not enter into force between India and the above-mentioned Contracting States.

  37. Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Government of India, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cardholder: Frequently Asked Questions

    Jurisdiction: India. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026, resolving mha.gov.in through a public DNS-over-HTTPS lookup because the local resolver could not resolve the host.

    What it says: spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application. Such spouse shall be subjected to prior security clearance by a competent authority in India.

  38. Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Online OCI Services, Online OCI Services: Eligibility

    Jurisdiction: India. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026, resolving ociservices.gov.in through a public DNS-over-HTTPS lookup because the local resolver could not resolve the host. This is the sentence every earlier version of our pages omitted.

    What it says: Such spouse shall be subjected to prior security clearance by a competent authority in India.

  39. Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Online OCI Services, Online OCI Services: Eligibility, applying through the FRRO

    Jurisdiction: India. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026, resolving ociservices.gov.in through a public DNS-over-HTTPS lookup because the local resolver could not resolve the host.

    What it says: Foreign nationals who are eligible for an OCI card may apply for the same with their jurisdictional FRRO without having to stay in India continuously for a period of 06 months.

  40. Supreme Court of India, Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar, Transfer Petition (civil) 291 of 2005, judgment of 14 February 2006

    Jurisdiction: India. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026 from the official JUDIS PDF, resolving api.sci.gov.in through a public DNS-over-HTTPS lookup, with line breaks normalised to single spaces.

    What it says: Accordingly, we are of the view that marriages of all persons who are citizens of India belonging to various religions should be made compulsorily registrable in their respective States, where the marriage is solemnized.

  41. Supreme Court of India, Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar, on what registration does and does not prove

    Jurisdiction: India. Retrieved 6 September 2026. Read live on 6 September 2026 from the official JUDIS PDF. The judgment mentions no visa of any country.

    What it says: Though, the registration itself cannot be a proof of valid marriage per se, and would not be the determinative factor regarding validity of a marriage, yet it has a great evidentiary value

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