Can we move to the UK together, or must the British partner go first?

If you live together in South Africa and one of you is British, a UK move can raise an uncomfortable question: does one partner have to leave first, find work and wait for the other to join?

A British citizen can return to the UK with their spouse or partner. Going ahead is one possible arrangement. It is not a universal family visa requirement. Whether a joint move works for you depends on the relationship route, the financial evidence and the dates.

Start with the financial route

For a new spouse or partner application, the usual minimum income requirement is currently £29,000 a year before tax. Some applications have different treatment, including eligible cases under the pre-11 April 2024 transitional arrangements and sponsors receiving specified disability or carer benefits.

The number is only the starting point. The rules also specify whose money can count, how it was earned or held, and which period the evidence must cover. A comfortable household budget does not automatically establish that the financial requirement is met.

Can we add our South African salaries together?

For the usual application from South Africa, the British sponsor’s qualifying overseas employment can be relevant to a return together. The South African applicant’s employment earnings cannot normally be added to the sponsor’s salary to reach the threshold. An applicant’s prospective UK salary is not normally counted either.

That distinction does not exclude every financial resource belonging to the applicant. Qualifying savings, pensions and certain other income can have a different treatment. Start by identifying the category of each source rather than adding everything into one total.

What does a returning sponsor need?

For an employed British partner returning to the UK, the main employment approaches look at both the earnings history and the work they are returning to.

• Category A: generally, current overseas employment with the same employer for at least six months at the required income level, plus a qualifying confirmed UK job offer.
• Category B: a qualifying confirmed UK job offer plus the required actual income received in the 12 months before application. The returning sponsor need not still be employed overseas on the application date.

The UK job must start within three months of the sponsor’s return. A job offer alone is insufficient under these approaches. Eligible combinations with other sources need their own calculation; cash savings cannot make up a shortfall in Category B’s past-12-month income test.

Before resigning, map the employment end date, proposed application date, return date and UK start date. Changing one can change which evidence route is available. Self-employment needs a separate assessment.

Could savings make a joint move possible?

Where the £29,000 threshold applies, £88,500 in qualifying cash savings can meet the initial financial requirement without employment income. That follows the savings calculation: £16,000 plus 2.5 times £29,000. A UK job offer is not required to meet the financial requirement through qualifying savings alone.

The funds may belong to the applicant, the sponsor or both. They must meet the ownership, access and source rules and are normally held for at least six months before application. Specific rules can apply to funds from qualifying asset sales; a property valuation is not itself cash savings.

Allow separately for application charges, the health surcharge and moving costs. Check currency conversion and the balance you need to retain before spending funds intended for the evidence.

Build the timeline before the commitments

For a 2027 move, put these facts on one page:

1. The British sponsor’s employers, earnings and employment dates over the last 12 months.
2. The proposed UK job, pay and start date, if relying on returning-sponsor employment.
3. Available savings, whose accounts hold them and how long the funds have been held.
4. The intended application and travel dates, alongside notice periods and accommodation plans.

Compare the evidence before choosing whether to move together or in stages. The relationship, accommodation, English language and other visa requirements still need to be met, and the applicant needs the appropriate permission before travelling to settle.

Guidance checked on 19 October 2026. A 2027 plan should be checked again against the rules in force when you apply.