Home Office Financial Requirement Coronavirus Concessions

The Home Office have included 'Coronavirus Concessions' at the end of a number of their key policy documents. Below is an extract from the current version of the Home Office's 'Immigration Directorate Instruction Family Migration: Appendix FM Section 1.7 Appendix Armed Forces' (Version 2.0 published 19th August 2020: do check for later versions) which sets out the approach caseworkers 'must take', when deciding a case, to ensure applicants are not disadvantaged as a result of circumstances beyond their control because of COVID-19.

Page 69 states:

Income received via the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or the Coronavirus Self- Employment Income Support Scheme can count as employment or self-employment income. Where there is evidence of a temporary loss of income due to COVID-19 during the period 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2020 you will apply the following concessions: 

·       a temporary loss of employment income between 1 March and 31 August 2020 due to COVID-19, will be disregarded provided the minimum income requirement was met at the required level for at least 6 months up to March 2020 

·       an applicant or sponsor furloughed under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be deemed as earning 100% of their salary 

·       a temporary loss of annual income due to COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2020 will generally be disregarded for self-employment income, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications. 

·       evidential flexibility may be applied where an applicant or sponsor experiences difficulty accessing specified evidence due to COVID-19 restrictions 

Practitioners should rely upon this policy, when making an application for entry clearance, leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain applications under the family Immigration Rules, where an Applicant's or Sponsor's income has been affected by the pandemic.