New family immigration visa rules 'penalise couples'
There are fears that more people will be separated by the introduction of a minimum salary level for those wanting UK family visas.Families living in the UK and abroad have raised concerns about what new rules will mean for them as they try to reunite with foreign spouses.
In December, the Home Office, which says migration to the UK is too high, announced a package of measures to reduce net migration, following a spike in arrival numbers.
As of 11 April this year, anyone applying for a visa to bring a loved one from overseas must earn at least £29,000 per year.
A family visa is required for a British citizen or settled resident wanting to bring a foreign partner or spouse, and potentially children, to live in the UK together.
The minimum income required to sponsor a foreign spouse coming to the UK via the Family Visa scheme has now increased from £18,600 to £29,000.
The Government plans to increase this further, in stages, to £38,700 by next spring.
The minimum income requirement applies to the spouse already living in the UK.
In 2020, the UK was placed second from bottom among 56 countries for ease of family reunion, ranking only above Denmark, according to the Migrant Integration Policy Index.
Caroline Coombs, who lives in Bristol, co-founded Reunite Families UK - a non-profit organisation supporting families navigating the visa process.
The group started on Facebook in 2017 and has grown to almost 4,500 members.
Migration 'too high'
As highlighted in a recent BBC Panorama episode "Immigration: the UK's Record Rise", last year, the Government issued 1.44 million visas. Only around 5.6% of those were family-related.
In response, a Home Office spokesperson said in a statement: "The current levels of migration to the UK are far too high.
"That is why the government announced a plan to cut the number of migrants coming to the UK by 300,000 a year – the largest reduction ever.
“By tethering the minimum income requirement to the general salary threshold for skilled workers, it ensures migration policy is supportive of the wider ambition for the UK to be a high-wage, high-productivity, high-skill economy.”
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c72px7jjz2qo
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