UK Expansion Worker Maintenance Funds: £1,270, the 28-Day Rule and Sponsor Certification
A UK Expansion Worker sponsor cannot certify maintenance on your Certificate of Sponsorship. If you need to demonstrate funds, the usual requirement for the main applicant is £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, with that period ending within 31 days before you apply. An employer’s promise to cover accommodation is not a substitute for this route’s evidence requirement.
Separate business funding from personal maintenance
The current sponsor guidance expressly excludes UK Expansion Workers from maintenance certification. An A-rated licence does not remove that restriction. Employers familiar with another sponsored work route should check the Expansion Worker rules rather than reuse their usual CoS instructions.
Keep the UK launch budget, salary arrangements, relocation benefits and personal maintenance evidence in separate parts of the assignment plan. A healthy company bank balance does not, by itself, establish that the employee has the required personal funds. This distinction also matters when a director or business owner is the person being assigned.
Check both the holding period and the application date
The 28-day rule concerns how long the required money has been available. The 31-day window concerns how recently that period ended when you submit the application. A screenshot showing today’s balance does not establish the whole history.
Start with the intended online application date, then obtain bank evidence covering the necessary period. Review the relevant balances throughout it, not just the opening and closing figures. Keep genuine records of transfers, currency conversions and significant payments. If money has just moved between accounts, check what the combined documents actually establish instead of assuming the newest statement proves 28 days.
Add eligible dependants separately
Where everyone needs to show funds, add £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child. For illustration, a main applicant, an eligible partner and two eligible children would require £2,070 in total under those assumptions. This is an evidence calculation, not a quotation for the family’s move.
Visa application fees, the healthcare surcharge, housing deposits and living expenses belong in a separate budget. If family members apply later, check their own dates and UK immigration circumstances. A previous successful application by the main worker does not automatically provide the documents needed for a later dependant application.
When the 12-month exception may matter
The rules provide that a person applying for permission to stay, who has already been living in the UK with permission for at least 12 months on the application date, meets the financial requirement without showing these funds. Check the person’s actual permission and residence evidence; company age, passport age and another family member’s history are different matters.
Assess dependants individually. A worker already established in the UK should not assume that a partner and children preparing their first overseas applications share the same exception. Not having to evidence this maintenance amount also does not remove application charges or the real cost of living.
Make the bank evidence readable and consistent
The official financial-evidence guidance allows suitable electronic statements. They should identify the account holder, bank, relevant dates and balance. Funds held in another currency also need to satisfy the applicable sterling-conversion rules; choosing a convenient exchange rate is not evidence of compliance.
A useful preparation sheet lists each applicant, whether financial evidence is required, the amount, the documented period and the proposed application date. Resolve gaps before submission. 卓越移民 Premiervisa Group can help organise those document questions. For an initial discussion, describe the account type and statement period rather than sending complete account numbers or unredacted transaction records.
Sources checked
Policy and source check: 26 October 2026.
GOV.UK: Costs and maintenance funds https://www.gov.uk/uk-expansion-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs
GOV.UK: Partner and child funds https://www.gov.uk/uk-expansion-worker-visa/your-partner-and-children
Home Office: Current sponsor guidance, Part 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workers-and-temporary-workers-guidance-for-sponsors-part-2-sponsor-a-worker/workers-and-temporary-workers-guidance-for-sponsors-part-2-sponsor-a-worker-accessible--2
Immigration Rules: Global Business Mobility https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-global-business-mobility-routes
GOV.UK: Bank documents and foreign currencies https://www.gov.uk/guidance/financial-evidence-for-sponsored-or-endorsed-work-routes
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