Family visa minimum income thresholds
The petition of residents of the constituency of Manchester Gorton,
Declares that multinational families are facing separation due to the Government decision to increase the income threshold for family reunification from £18,600 to £38,700; notes that there were 82,395 family-related visas granted in the year ending September 2023, with the most common origin countries being Pakistan, India and the USA; further declares that workers of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage have the lowest median hourly pay of any ethnic group which may lead this policy to be overwhelmingly discriminatory against British Asians; and further declares that the European Convention of Human Rights grants everyone the right to family life which this policy could threaten.
The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge the Government to not implement the increase in the minimum threshold for family visas to £38,700.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Afzal Khan, Official Report, 27 February 2024; Vol. 746, c. 300.]
[P002916]
Observations from The Minister for Legal Migration and the Border (Tom Pursglove):
The minimum income requirement (MIR) was introduced in July 2012 to ensure family migrants could be supported at a reasonable level, so they do not unreasonably become a burden on the British taxpayer, and to help ensure they can participate sufficiently in everyday life to facilitate their integration into British society. It has not been increased in line with inflation or real wages since its introduction, or been adjusted in light of rising numbers of migrants using the route.
The Government will bring this threshold into line with the new minimum general salary threshold for skilled workers, which is currently £38,700. This will ensure people only bring dependants to the UK they can support financially and will apply to all British and settled sponsors under the five-year partner route.
From 11 April 2024, the minimum income requirement (MIR) for family visas will increase to £29,000, that is the 25th percentile of earnings for jobs which are eligible for skilled worker visas. This will increase incrementally, moving to the 40th percentile (currently £34,500), and finally to the 50th percentile (currently £38,700, and the level at which the general skilled worker threshold is set) by early 2025.
Tethering the MIR to the general salary threshold for skilled workers ensures that migration policy is supportive of the wider ambition for the UK to be a high-wage, high-productivity, high-skill economy. The increase to the MIR will ensure that families will make a net positive impact on the economy, as well as contributing to the Government target to lower net migration.
Those unable to meet the increased MIR will still be granted permission where to deny entry, or permission for further stay, would breach their and/or their family’s article 8 rights (the right to family life) under the European convention on human rights.
The Government will publish an equality impact assessment for this policy in due course.