Family Visa Minimum Income Thresholds

Afzal Khan Excerpts

Tuesday 27th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Afzal Khan (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)]

I rise to present a petition urging the Government to reverse their decision to increase the minimum income threshold for family visas. This policy, which will see the income threshold for family reunification visas almost double, will lead to multinational families being torn apart. It will entrench the UK’s hostile immigration environment, and is likely to be overwhelmingly discriminatory against ethnic minorities, particularly British Asians. Most concerningly, it threatens the European convention on human rights, which grants everyone the right to family life. I believe that Britain is better than cruel policies like this.

The petition states:

“The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge the Government to not implement the increase in the minimum income threshold for family visas to £38,700.

And the petitioners remain, etc.”

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of residents of the constituency of Manchester Gorton,

Declares that multinational families are facing separation due to the Government's 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.]

[P002916]