Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the value of a primary residential property be included within Family Visa minimum financial requirement calculations.

Those using the family route to come to the UK must be capable of being independently supported by their sponsor. A couple’s income or cash savings are the most reliable and practicable indicator of their financial status and independence for the purposes of this requirement.

Equity in a property cannot be used to meet the MIR. Owning a capital asset does not in itself provide any means to support a partner. However, any income received from the rent of a property can be counted towards the requirement, provided the property is not, or will not be, the couple’s main residence in the UK.

On 10 September 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules.

There will be no changes to the current threshold of £29,000, or the ways in which the Minimum Income Requirement can be met, until the MAC review is complete.