Latest news with #familyvisa
The Independent
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Reports reveal ‘significant harm' caused by UK's family visa rules
British citizens are facing significant challenges due to the UK's family visa rules, particularly the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR). David Todd, a British father-to-be, says he feels "completely helpless" and like a "second-class citizen" because his American wife's income cannot be counted towards the threshold. New reports from charities Reunite Families UK and Coram detail the "significant emotional and psychological harm" inflicted by the policy, including long-term separation of children from parents and discrimination against certain groups. The Migration Advisory Committee recently reviewed the MIR, warning against raising it to the higher skilled worker threshold of £38,700. Advocates are urging the government to reform the system by abolishing or reducing the MIR, simplifying application processes, and allowing spouses' incomes to contribute to the requirement to prevent family separation.
The Independent
22-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Calls to reform family visa rules as Brits face being split up from partners
A British father-to-be has spoken out against the UK's family visa rules, describing the experience as making him feel like a "second-class citizen" for falling in love with someone not from the UK. David Todd, 33, says he feels "completely helpless" due to the current policy. Mr Todd is urging the government to reform the system, specifically calling for the abolition or reduction of the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR). This controversial threshold dictates the earnings British citizens must demonstrate to bring their non-UK partners to the country, a policy currently under review by ministers. His plea coincides with the release of new reports from charities Reunite Families UK and Coram, published on Monday. These studies detail the "significant emotional and psychological harm" the policy inflicts on families, particularly highlighting the long-term separation endured by children from one of their parents. Mr Todd had hoped to move back to the UK from Germany with his American wife, Claire Todd, 32, before they are expecting their first child in October. But the couple are facing being split up for Mr Todd to return to the UK alone to build up enough income proof as the British citizen in the relationship, or raise savings of more than £88,500 dictated by the visa rules to allow them to return as a family. Mr Todd told the PA news agency: 'There's been lots of times where I've stayed awake at night worrying about it and how it's all going to work out, because you feel completely helpless. 'It's like we're second class citizens because we married someone who fell in love with someone who wasn't British.' Earlier this month the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) set out its recommendations after a review requested by the Home Secretary to look at how to set an MIR for family visas that balances economic wellbeing and family life. It warned against raising the threshold for family visas to the same level for skilled workers, as planned by the previous government. Skilled workers are only eligible to come to the UK if they earn a salary of £38,700 or more, compared to £29,000 required mainly for family visas. The UK's current £29,000 threshold, which was set in 2024, is high compared to other high-income countries reviewed by the MAC. It was previously set at £18,600 since 2012. Mr Todd, from Solihull, West Midlands, added increasing the level to £38,700 would be 'devastating'. 'Even with this MAC report now, we don't know what the Government's going to do, how they're going to react,' the classical music conductor said. 'It's this feeling that you're kind of helpless, you're stuck in limbo, and you're desperately trying to contort yourself into this position where you can make it work just because you want to live with your wife or husband.' The couple, living in Wurzburg, Germany, were first left after Ms Todd's student visa ended in the UK, and moved to the European nation so they could be together seven years ago. After building 'good careers' as classical musicians on the continent, the couple began trying to make a return to the UK up to a year ago, wanting to be near family as they start their own. For Mr Todd, he said the Government should at least make the ways to prove income easier, and to include the spouse's salary to contribute to the income threshold. He said it is 'ridiculous' his wife's income cannot be used to meet the salary requirement despite her remote job as a content creator paying enough and means they 'could move to the UK tomorrow'. Mr Todd said he wants to 'avoid at all costs' the prospect of being separated from his wife and child, adding: 'It just feels wrong, am I going to have to turn to my child when she's older and say to her: 'Well, sorry, the reason I wasn't with you for the first year of your life was because I was trying to get work for the family to move.'' British father Ed Moon, currently living in Taipei with his Taiwanese wife Amber Moon and four-year-old daughter Maya, is also applying to the family visa route to move back to the UK as Maya reaches school age. He told PA the most difficult thing is the 'extremely extensive' documentation you need to provide, which if you get wrong will mean the visa being denied to start the process again, with visa fees costing around £2,000. 'We're having to dip into every ounce of our savings to do this,' the 36-year-old from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, said. 'You feel just unwanted by your country essentially. It's been especially tough, really like from a personal perspective.' The journalist also said it is a waste of money for the taxpayer for him to grow up and be educated in the UK, to then not let him and his family live there, adding: 'I want to be able to contribute to the UK.' The research by Reunite Families and Coram found that British citizens face exile, increased financial pressure and separation from their partners often for long periods of time from the family visa policy. For children separated from one of their parents, the charities warned they can face life-changing trauma and distress. The report also highlighted how the rules particularly discriminate against those including British mothers, who are more likely to experience hardship, working class and low income partners and black and ethnic minority workers, who are more likely to earn less than their white counterparts. Reunite Families UK executive director Caroline Coombs said 'simple and practical changes' from the Home Office could make significant differences to families, starting with scrapping the MIR and simplifying the rules and application process to stop the need for expensive legal advice. 'These rules have become the tax on love. People are suffering and want to be heard.'
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Family visa income requirement should be lowered, says review
Campaigners have welcomed a much-anticipated review into family visa requirements previously labelled a 'tax on love' by a Bristol Home Office said it is considering recommendations which include lowering the minimum income required for a British partner or settled resident to apply for a visa for their partner in the UK, currently set at £29, Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has reviewed the impact of the current visa process on families, including on children's mental health and the right to family of Reunite Families UK, Caroline Coombs, from Bristol, said "children are the biggest victims of these rules". The minimum income requirement (MIR) has long been contested by couples who are unable to meet the threshold and, in some cases, are therefore forced to live introduced in 2012, it increased from £18,600 to £29,000 in April 2024, as part of measures by the previous Conservative government to reduce Labour government commissioned an independent review of the policy, which has been carried out by the MAC, and was published on current threshold applies only to the British partner or settled resident and does not account for potential earnings from the foreign partner once settled in the UK - a rule the review is also calling on the Government to reconsider. The review received 2,089 responses - the highest ever for a MAC consultation - and contributions from 36 Families UK, a not-for-profit helping families navigate the UK family visa route, provided evidence including testimonies from families evidence relating to the mental health of the children analysis reported, as well as feeling stress and loneliness, some children showed symptoms of anxiety, selective mutism and inability to focus in testimony included in the review reads: "My daughter's lived without her dad since she was six. From six to 11, the main memory of childhood is with her dad through a screen."Caroline Coombs, co-founder and Executive Director of Reunite Families UK, said: "The Home Secretary previously said that her work would be led by evidence."We ask her to look to that evidence - those very real-life experiences - when it comes to making her decisions which could ultimately make or break British citizens and settled residents' family life." 'MIR should be removed' The MAC review considered various factors including whether lowering the income requirement would increase net suggested a range of possible new thresholds. For example, it said a level between £23,000 to £25,000 would enable families to support did suggest lowering the threshold from £29,000 to roughly £24,000 may increase net immigration by up to 8,000 Ms Coombs said the Government should consider removing the MIR altogether:"Any threshold even at minimum wage would still separate many groups of people who just want to be a family here in the UK," she said. Carla Denyer, Green Party co-leader and MP for Bristol Central, described the minimum income requirements for family visas as a "cruel tax on love"."[It] tears families apart and puts untold stress on those with the misfortune to simply fall in love with someone who is not from this country," she said she has heard "devastating stories" from constituents who have been "forced to move halfway across the world" because of the income threshold."Whether it's for love, for work, or to flee violence or oppression, people move – that's a fact of life, and it's down to the government to make it work," she said. 'Real trade-off' Net migration in 2024 was an estimated 431,000 people, down almost 50% on the previous year. This followed record high levels in recent years, with the government under political pressure to get numbers down previous Conservative government planned to increase the threshold further, to £38,700, thus aligning it to the Skilled Worker the MAC said it "did not understand the rationale" for it and said a higher threshold was "likely to conflict with international law and obligations", referring to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which enshrines the right to family chairman Prof Brian Bell said balancing family life and economic wellbeing was a "real trade-off"."There is a cost to the UK economy and UK taxpayers of having this route, and we should just be honest about that and say there is a trade-off," he said."But similarly, on the other side, people who say 'we should set it at very high numbers to make sure that we don't lose any money' ignore the massive impact that has on families and the destruction of some relationships and the harm it causes to children."A Home Office spokesperson said the government was considering the review's findings and would respond in due course.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Family visa income threshold should be lower, review says
The minimum income threshold for family visas should be relaxed, a government-commissioned review has recommended.A report by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has suggested a reduction from the current level of £29, warned against previous proposals to raise the threshold to the same level as for skilled workers - £38,700 a year - saying it could breach the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).The Conservatives said that the UK should leave the ECHR if it "stops us from setting our own visa rules". Article 8 of the ECHR enshrines the right to family threshold is the minimum income a British citizen or settled resident must earn to bring their partner to join them in the UK. If the partner is already in the UK on a valid visa, their income also counts towards the minimum applications are made by people not already living in the UK. The MAC suggested a range of possible new thresholds. It said a level between £23,000 to £25,000 would enable families to support themselves.A threshold of between £24,000 to £28,000 meanwhile would put more emphasis on economic wellbeing - both of the families themselves and for said it did "not understand the rationale" for setting the family visa threshold at the £38,700 level for skilled workers, as the two visas have "completely different objective[s]".A £38,700 level would be the "most likely to conflict with international law and obligations".It is the government's decision whether to accept any of the MAC's recommendations. Prof Brian Bell, chairman of the MAC, said that balancing family life and economic wellbeing was a "real trade-off"."There is a cost to the UK economy and UK taxpayers of having this route, and we should just be honest about that and say there is a trade-off," he said."But similarly, on the other side, people who say 'we should set it at very high numbers to make sure that we don't lose any money' ignore the massive impact that has on families and the destruction of some relationships and the harm it causes to children." A higher threshold would also have a "negative impact on the family life of a larger number of people", the MAC said. It noted many families with lower incomes still earn enough to support themselves even if they do not make a net positive fiscal impact on the said an adult would need to earn £27,800 to have a neutral impact on the public finances - and £40,400 for a couple to have no impact in the first year a spouse arrived in the MAC did not recommend a higher threshold for families with children, saying the impacts on family life for them would be "particularly significant". In 2023 the previous Conservative government announced plans to raise the salary threshold to £38,700, as part of plans to cut the level of they backed down following criticism that this would keep families apart, settling on a £29,000 threshold with plans to gradually increase it did not implement those further rises when the party came into government and asked the MAC to review the committee said the threshold of £29,000 was already high compared to other high-income countries it had looked at. The MAC said it "was not possible to predict with any confidence" the impact different thresholds would have on the level of net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving the did suggest lowering the threshold from £29,000 to roughly £24,000 may increase net migration by up to 8,000 migration in 2024 was an estimated 431,000 people, down almost 50% on the previous followed record high levels in recent years, with the government under political pressure to get numbers down further. The MAC also criticised the Home Office for its data collection, saying insufficient data "greatly hindered" their review.A Home Office spokesperson said the government was considering the review's findings and would respond in due course. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said migration figures remain too high and that the government "must urgently re-instate the Conservative plan to further increase the salary threshold"."If the ECHR stops us from setting our own visa rules, from deporting foreign criminals or from putting Britain's interests first, then we should leave the ECHR," he ECHR, which was established in 1950, sets out the rights and freedoms people are entitled to in the 46 signatory countries and is a central part of UK human rights month, the government said it would bring forward legislation to clarify how aspects of the ECHR should apply in immigration cases.
The Sun
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Warning Euro judges may sabotage new migrant rules by stopping salary hike for family visas
PLANS to cut migration risk being sabotaged by the European Convention on Human Rights, a review warns. Raising the salary threshold for British citizens and settled migrants wanting to bring in a spouse on a family visa could breach international law, it says. The Migration Advisory Committee said lifting the bar to £38,700 — the current threshold for skilled worker visas — was unrelated to family migration. It was likely to break protections under Article 8 of the ECHR, which could trigger UK court challenges. But it is understood Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will reject the advice and press ahead with tougher rules. The previous Tory government came up with the planned rise to help cut net migration by 300,000. After taking office, Ms Cooper ordered a review of the plan, saying the system must be 'fair and coherent'. The MAC has now recommended a lower threshold of £23,000 to £25,000. It warned the £38,700 figure was copied from a different visa route, the skilled worker system, which has 'a completely different objective and purpose'. Sticking to that figure, the review says, may spark challenges on Article 8, which guarantees family life rights and is used to overturn immigration decisions. A Home Office source insisted: 'The MAC offered advice but it's a decision for the Home Secretary.' Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'If the ECHR stops us from setting our own visa rules, we should leave the ECHR.' Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled a sweeping immigration overhaul - vowing to -finally take back control of our borders A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are considering the findings and will respond in due course.' 1
