New here & need major advise & help

Hi everyone. Here's a little back ground. I'm a Us Citizen and my husband a British citizen, both living here in the US. Years ago he came on some sort of work visa and ended up having a son here (not mine). I met him years later, we have been married for 4 years and together for 8 years. We hadn't realized in 2012 things and laws changed. Our issue is this financial issue. Does he have to be working in the UK for  six months or is that just things I've heard that are incorrect. Are there any ways around this? Will they take our income info from the US as he makes good money for being self employed. I too make a decent living. I also have 16k USD In savings. If I just travel with him when he leaves on a visitors visa can we still try to apply whilst in England and ask for special circumstances or does he need to be there and working? Of course he will be on the search for a job immediately. This has added me more stress than you can imagine. We will live rent free with his parents or Nan when we do arrive. I would appreciate any info. Thanks so much xo

He doesn't have to be working but he has to have a job offer that earns at least £18,600 per year and he has to be able to show he has earned that in the US over the year before you apply. You cannot go to the UK on a visitors visa and apply for your visa from there if he gets a job and moves to the UK. If he does do that, he must work there for six months and earn the minimum before you apply for the visa.

Your savings doesn't count in that you still have to meet the financial requirement. And your job doesn't count either, in that only his earnings count towards meeting the requirement.

He makes 35k per year alone but now we have to find a job offer!!

Yes, he must have a job offer before you move. The only alternative is having a lot of money in cash savings.

If he is self-employed and he can prove that his self-employment income is guaranteed to continue once in the UK (he will need hard evidence of this), he can just apply using his self-employment income (Category F or G) and won't need to get a new job in the UK first.

However, if he can't guarantee that he will definitely earn at least £18,600 through his self-employment in the UK, he will need that UK job offer of at least £18,600 per year, starting within 3 months of moving back, AND will also need to show he has earned at least £18,600 in the last 12 months in the US.