UKgirlinCanada

Hi all
I need to sponsor my Canadian husband so that we can move back to the UK. I have been offered an 8 month contract which, for the annual salary exceeds the financial requirement, but when pro rated for 8 months just falls shy.
I don't seem to be able to see anything about this in the financial requirements document and am wondering if anyone has any experience regarding this.
Many thanks in advance

quiltman

Hopefully Brit in Paris will be along soon with a more experienced answer but as I read the requirements you need a job offer in UK to start within 3 months of arriving, paying AT THE RATE of £18,600 per annum. I believe you will need a letter from your employer stating your annualised pay rate. I'm not sure that an 8 month contract will invalidate your application as it only says a job but does not seem to specify that it must be permanent. The only other complication is if you have children - they would be British by descent , assuming you are a British citizen , and it would be worthwhile getting them UK passports.

UKgirlinCanada

Thank you quiltman. I had read it in a similar way (i.e. it says that you need a job at the rate of GBP18,00 per annum but doesn't say that the job needs to be permanent/for a year). I am reluctant to call the 'helpline' as last time I did, they just redirected me back to the financial document! Thankfully, my kids got their British passports last year, so we don't need to worry about that . I just don't know if I can accept this job offer or whether I need to keep doing interviews etc.

BritInParis

There is no minimum contract length - you could in theory work a single day - but your salary must be over £18,600 per annum pro rata - employment can be full-time or part-time and can be permanent, a fixed-term contract or with an agency - so the job offer you have meets this aspect of the financial requirements.

Bear in mind you also need to have been working for a minimum of six months in a job in Canada that also pays more than £18,600 pa in order to be eligible.

UKgirlinCanada

Thanks for your response BritInParis. Apologies for my confusion, but if it needs to be GBP18,600 pro rata then it sounds to me that my current job offer doesn't meet the requirements as it would only be about GBP17,600 for the 8 months. If the contract was for 8 months it would obviously exceed the requirement. Does that make sense or am I getting the wrong end of the stick?

BritInParis

If your annual salary will be more than £18,600 pa, i.e. more than £1550 per month gross, and the job starts within three months of your proposed return to the UK then the contract length doesn't matter as it is not mentioned in the financial requirements.

By the same token if you had a job that paid, say, £20,000 pa and you were made redundant after three months it wouldn't invalidate your husband's visa.

If you are still concerned would your prospective employer countenance either a higher starting salary or a longer contract term, say nine months?