New UK Citizen in US Moving to UK with US Spouse?

Hello Everyone - We're just starting to gather info to move to the UK. Here we go and many thanks in advance:

1) I am a new UK citizen through UK mother.
2) My wife of 20 years is US.
3) We want to move to UK soon, and have wife get ILR.
4) What is best path to accomplish this?
5) Is it better if I go first?
6) I am probably retired, my wife will probably want to work.
7) Would MY receipt of any benefits affect HER Visa/ILR application?
For cash requirement, do only pure savings accounts matter, how about IRA/401(k)/CD's? Does it all need to be in one account?
9) Partly moving there to care for my elderly parents, will that help in anyway with my wife's application for visa/ILR?


Thanks again

Welcome to the forum .

It will take 5 years of living in the UK on spousal visas in order for your wife to qualify for ILR (it’s a leave to REMAIN visa so she must already have lived in the U.K. for a number of years before she can qualify).

You’re looking at 3 visa applications over the next 5 years, and I would budget around £10,000 in visa fees for them (especially if she plans to apply for citizenship too)

In order for her to qualify for a spousal visa, you need to meet 3 main requirements:

1) financial requirement (UK spouse’s UK income)
2) accommodation requirement (you must have guaranteed accommodation in the U.K.
3) relationship requirement (proof of a genuine relationship over the last 20 years)

See here: https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/partner-spouse

Whether you need to go first will depend on how you can meet the financial requirement. If you can meet it without going to the U.K. first, then you can apply while you are both still in the US.

For savings, they can be in a number of accounts as long as the account are in your name(s) only and the money has been held in each account in full for at least 6 months.

Your wife will be allowed to work once she has a spousal visa.

You can receive any benefits you are entitled to as a U.K. citizen but you cannot claim extra because of your wife and she cannot claim any herself.

Caring for your elderly parents will have no effect on the application... unless you already live in the U.K., you already care for them full-time and you receive Carer’s Allowance from the U.K. government, which would mean you would be exempt from meeting the financial requirement.


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Your wife will need to apply for a spouse visa from the US. It’s 5 years to ILR with a FLR visa at the 2.5 year mark. Your reason for moving won’t affect the outcome of the visa or help towards ILR.

You don’t have to go first, you can travel at the same time as your wife. She will be able to work once she has her spouse visa. You don’t have to.

The savings don’t need to all be in the same account but the lowest balance of each account added together over the 6 months prior to the date of the application must be 62.5kgbp or more.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/636618/Appendix_FM_1_7_Financial_Requirement_Final.pdf