Maintenance

A migrant must show that they have at least £945 of cash funds available to support themselves for 90 days prior to submitting an application and £630 for each dependant in respect of the same period. Funds must not have dropped below the qualifying threshold at any point in the preceding 90 days, even for one day.

A-rated sponsors may alternatively certify maintenance on the CoS for the Tier 2 migrant and their dependants. The sponsor should produce a letter to the migrant confirming that they will support and accommodate them for the first month they are employed.

If you certify maintenance under Tier 2 you confirm that you will maintain and accommodate them up to the end of their first month of employment in the UK if needed. You may limit the amount of the undertaking, but any limit must be at least £945. If you certify maintenance for a Tier 2 migrant’s dependants you confirm that you will maintain and accommodate them for the first month of any leave that is granted to them. You may limit this, but it must be at least £630 per dependant.

Evidence for maintenance

If the sponsor does not wish to certify the maintenance requirement as detailed above, the maintenance requirement must be evidenced in one of the following ways:

• Original personal bank or building society statements (or ad hoc statements printed onto bank headed paper) for the previous 90 days before the application (these must be dated within one month of submitting the application). They must show the applicant’s name, account number, date, financial institution’s name and logo and transactions covering the 90-day period showing a balance at or above the requisite amount for the 90 days before the application.
• Electronic bank statements from an online bank account must contain all of the above and be:
• supported by a letter from the bank confirming the authenticity of the statements; or
• stamped on each page with the bank’s official stamp.
• Building society passbook covering the 90-day period before the application showing the applicant’s name, account number, financial institution’s name and logo and transactions by the applicant covering the three-month period, showing a balance at or above the requisite amount for the 90 days before the application.
• Letter from the bank or building society confirming the applicant’s name, account number, date, financial institution’s name and logo, and that funds held in the applicant’s account are at or above the requisite amount for the 90-day period before the application.
• Letter from a financial institution regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or equivalent, confirming the applicant’s name, account number, date, financial institution’s name and logo, and that funds held in the applicant’s account are at or above the requisite amount for the 90 days before the application.