First of all I'm sorry sorry If I'm asking a question thats been answered lots of times but I've seached a few times and not really got answer I'm looking for.

On the visa application form I've noticed that a lot of the questions relate to the sponsors employment details, current income, etc. Is this a round about way of saying that the sponsor should have a current full time job?

To explain my situation. I've been in Thialand for the last two months visiting my girlfriend and when I return to the UK at the end of the month we are planning to apply for a fiancee visa (Yes, I know its an expensive way to do things, but she wants to see the UK first!). Having lost my job last May I decided that I would have a year away from work before rejoining the rat race. I have enough money in savings to support myself for about 3 years and have a house thats very nearly paid for. I just wondered if having enough money to live on and support my future wife without having full time employment would be acceptable for a visa application or do I have to start job hunting first.

Thanks

We recently did an application for a client in similar circumstances as long as you can show you can maintain and accommodate her without recourse to public funds etc you should be OK.

Obviously you should meet other requirements and not forgetting she may work when married plus yourself.

If you require professional help feel free to pm myself or via our website.

Good luck

See also Maintenance and accommodation.

My wife has just received her settlement visa. I have been residing in Thailand for the past 8 years. I have no employment to go back to in the UK, however I showed that I had enough in savings to support us for 2 years without recourse to public funds. I did state that I would look for gainfull employment once I was back in the UK and I also included my CV (for info purposes only) in my wife's application. Good luck.

My wife has just received her settlement visa. I have been residing in Thailand for the past 8 years. I have no employment to go back to in the UK, however I showed that I had enough in savings to support us for 2 years without recourse to public funds. I did state that I would look for gainfull employment once I was back in the UK and I also included my CV (for info purposes only) in my wife's application. Good luck.

How much is enough?

From MAA4 Maintenance: General requirements

There is no explicit minimum figure for what represents sufficient maintenance. If dependants of the main applicant are going to accompany him / her to the United Kingdom, resources must be available for the whole family unit to be maintained.

The ECO should bear in mind the position taken by the UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (UKAIT):

In 2006, the UKAIT in UKAIT 00065 KA and Others (Pakistan), strongly suggested that it would not be appropriate to have immigrant families existing on resources that were less than the Income Support level for a British family of that size.

More information is available on the British & Irish Legal Information Institute website (BAILII)

If it is more likely than not that the total amount that the applicant and sponsor will have to live on will be below what the income support level would be for a British family of that size, then it may be appropriate to refuse the application on maintenance and accommodation grounds.

NB. Topic title edited to include 'UK.'