UK Family Visas 2026: Routes, Eligibility Logic, and What HR and Compliance Systems Need to Know
UK family migration sits under Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules. It's one of the higher-volume visa categories and one of the least well understood — including by HR teams who may need to advise international employees on bringing dependants or family members.
This post covers the main family visa routes, the eligibility logic the Home Office applies, and the data points your compliance workflows should be capturing.
The Route Map
Appendix FM contains several distinct routes that are often conflated:
| Route | Applicant | Sponsor must be |
|---|---|---|
| Partner (spouse/civil partner) | Foreign spouse/CP | British citizen or settled |
| Partner (unmarried) | Partner with 2yr cohabitation | British citizen or settled |
| Fiancé(e) | Intending spouse | British citizen or settled |
| Child | Under-18 child | British citizen or settled parent |
| Parent | Parent of under-18 | N/A (child is the basis) |
| Adult Dependent Relative | Parent/grandparent/sibling/adult child needing care | British citizen or settled |
Each route has distinct eligibility criteria, evidence requirements, and visa durations.
Partner Route: Financial Threshold Logic
The financial requirement is the most computationally complex element. As of 2026:
- Baseline threshold: £29,000 gross annual income (increased from £18,600 in April 2024, with further rises signalled)
- Savings offset: For each £1 of annual shortfall below the threshold, the sponsor must hold £2.50 in savings above £16,000, held for at least 6 consecutive months
- Cash savings formula: Required savings = (Annual threshold − Annual income) × 2.5 + £16,000
Example: Sponsor earns £24,000/year. Shortfall = £5,000. Required savings = (5,000 × 2.5) + 16,000 = £28,500.
Income sources the Home Office accepts include: employment income, self-employment income (using the lower of last two years' net profit), non-employment income, pension, and certain state benefits. Dividend income from a company where the applicant is a director is treated differently and requires specific evidence.
For HR systems: When flagging employees who may need to sponsor a family member, the gross employment income figure should be used — not the salary shown in offer letters (which may exclude guaranteed bonuses or shift premiums that the Home Office will accept). Check what the employee's P60 shows, not just their contract.
Relationship Evidence and Genuine Relationship Test
Beyond income, partner visa applications must pass a genuine relationship test. The Home Office caseworker guidance specifies types of evidence that meet this:
- Joint tenancy or mortgage documentation
- Joint bank account statements showing regular shared transactions
- Correspondence at a shared address (utility bills, official letters)
- Evidence of time spent together (travel records, photographs with contextual detail)
- Communication records (messaging history, call logs)
Applications relying entirely on documentation from one category are more likely to attract scrutiny. A mix of evidence types performs better.
Child Visas: Decision Tree
Is child under 18?
├── No → Standard family visa routes don't apply (ADR route for adults)
└── Yes → Is the sponsoring parent British or settled?
├── No → Check if parent has valid leave with permission to have dependants
└── Yes →
├── Is the other parent also in the UK and settled? → Straightforward
└── Is the other parent outside the UK?
├── Does absent parent consent? → Provide written evidence
├── Has absent parent died? → Provide death certificate
└── Neither → Must show exceptional circumstances or sole responsibility
"Sole responsibility" is a specific legal concept with its own Home Office guidance — it does not simply mean the UK-based parent is the primary caregiver. It requires demonstrating historical and ongoing exclusive decision-making about the child's upbringing.
Adult Dependent Relative Route: Refusal Rate Context
The ADR route is the hardest family immigration category. Published refusal rates have historically been above 70% at entry clearance stage. The two tests are:
- Care need: The applicant needs long-term personal care due to illness, disability, or age.
- Unavailability: That care cannot reasonably be obtained in the applicant's home country (cost, availability, or quality of local provision).
Compliance systems should flag ADR as requiring specialist legal input before any application is submitted. This is not a route that benefits from DIY filing.
Visa Durations and Status Transitions
| Route | Initial leave | Path to settlement |
|---|---|---|
| Partner | 30 months (inside UK), 33 months (outside UK) × 2 rounds = 5 years | ILR after 5 years |
| Fiancé(e) | 6 months (no extension) | Must convert after marriage |
| Child | Same as sponsoring parent's leave | Mirrors parent route |
| ADR | 30 months initially | ILR after 5 years |
For right-to-work tracking: A dependant on a partner visa has the right to work without restriction. An ADR visa holder also has the right to work. A fiancé(e) visa holder does NOT have the right to work before the marriage takes place and leave is converted.
Fee and Surcharge Calculations (2026)
Spouse/partner visa from outside UK: £1,846 application fee + £1,035/year immigration health surcharge × visa length.
For a 33-month entry clearance visa, IHS = £1,035 × 2.75 = £2,846. Total out-of-pocket before legal fees: ~£4,692.
For HR teams advising employees on relocation packages that include visa cost coverage — budget for the full IHS as well as the visa fee, and note that IHS is non-refundable if the application is refused.
Integration with ImmigrationGPT
ImmigrationGPT provides eligibility checking and sponsor licence verification tools that integrate these rules programmatically. The sponsor register API and eligibility logic are available for testing against your HR system's data.
General information only. Not legal advice. Immigration rules are subject to change — verify current thresholds against official UKVI guidance before building automated eligibility checks.
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