An illustrative budget for the current five-year partner route, with future fee changes clearly excluded.
Rules and sources checked: 5 November 2026. General information; confirm the rules for your application date.
At today’s rates, an adult partner applying overseas normally pays £2,064 plus £3,105 IHS for the usual 33-month grant. A usual 30-month in-country extension costs £1,407 plus £2,587.50 IHS. Current indefinite-leave-to-remain application fee: £3,226. These components total £12,389.50.
This is a constant-price illustration, not a fixed five-year quote or a promise of settlement. Fees and rules may change before later applications. It excludes English and Life in the UK tests, TB, translations, appointments, priority services, travel and assistance fees. Fiancé entry, extra extensions, children and the ten-year route change the calculation. Citizenship is a separate optional application with separate eligibility and fees, not part of obtaining ILR.
The usual minimum income requirement for a new partner application is £29,000 a year. There is no additional child uplift under that standard threshold. Specified benefit cases use an adequate-maintenance test instead, and exceptions or human-rights cases need individual advice.
For a qualifying income shortfall at entry or extension, the usual cash-savings calculation is £16,000 + 2.5 × the annual shortfall. Savings alone therefore require £88,500. For example, £21,000 of eligible annual income leaves an £8,000 gap: £36,000 of qualifying savings is the usual amount. Savings must meet the ownership, access, source and evidence rules; normally the relevant amount must have been held for 6 months, with specific exceptions such as qualifying proceeds from assets held for the required period.
These rules do not mean every income source can be combined with savings. Employment, self-employment, company-director income, pensions and other income have different calculation and evidence requirements. Overseas earnings of an applicant coming from Thailand are not simply added to a sponsor’s UK salary. Returning sponsors may have a specific overseas-employment and UK-job-offer route.
If the first partner application was made before 11 April 2024 and you continue with the same partner, transitional rules may use £18,600 plus £3,800 for the first relevant child and £2,400 for each further relevant child, capped at £29,000. Children with specified British, Irish or settled status are excluded. The £38,700 proposal is not the current standard partner threshold.
Official sources: Family Income · Finance
For the usual first partner or parent application, the English requirement is CEFR A1 in speaking and listening. At a later extension, A2 normally applies if the earlier requirement was met at A1. An approved test is one way to qualify; accepted qualifications and nationality, age, disability or exceptional-circumstance exemptions may apply. A degree taught in English outside the UK requires the appropriate official assessment where specified.
For settlement under the relevant family rules, the current level is B1 in speaking and listening, with the scheduled increase to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027, unless exempt. This settlement change does not turn the first partner application into a B2 application. The Life in the UK requirement is separate. Check the approved test and test centre before paying.
Official sources: Family English · English Settlement
A refused visa application does not normally produce a refund of the application fee. If you cancel, whether that fee is refunded depends on how far processing has progressed and how you proved your identity. The IHS is different: it is normally refunded in full if the application is refused or withdrawn, usually automatically within 6 weeks of the decision.
VFS optional-service charges have VFS’s own cancellation terms. Our service fee is separate; see the written quote and our refund policy. Paying for preparation or priority processing never guarantees approval.
If refused, read the decision letter before making another application. It states whether you have a right of appeal or administrative review and the deadline. An overseas appeal, where available, is normally due within 28 days of receiving the decision. An eligible overseas administrative review is normally requested within 28 days and costs £80. A new application can affect a pending review. Get qualified advice promptly on which remedy applies.
Official sources: Cancel · Ihs Refunds · Appeal · Review
This guide summarises the linked official sources and cannot determine an individual application. For eligibility, exceptions, refusals or appeals, consult a suitably authorised adviser. UKVI makes the decision. Our administrative service fees are separate from government and third-party charges.
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