How much does it cost to fall in love? From today, if you’re a Briton wanting to live with a foreign spouse, the Government has a quite specific figure: £29,000 per year. That’s the new threshold to sponsor a partner, up from £18,600 and soon to rise to £38,700. Consequently, by next year 70 per cent of employed British citizens would not be able to “afford” a foreign husband or wife, according to the Migration Observatory.