LONDON – The newly elected government of the United Kingdom has paused the rules which stopped people earning under £38,700 from bringing foreign partners.
The salary hike was introduced by Rishi Sunak’s regime under which the government increased the minimum income requirement for sponsoring a foreign spouse or partner visa; the change was introduced to reduce legal immigration to the country.
As part of the plan, Sunak’s government increased the income threshold from £18,600 to £29,000 per year in April, with plans to increase it to £34,500 later this year and £38,700 by early 2025.
As per the fresh announcement by new Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper there will be “no further changes” to the current £29,000-a-year wage threshold to bring a family member from abroad.
The pause would remain in effect until a review of the family visa policy has been completed and the home secretary has said that she will order the Migration Advisory Committee to launch a review.
“The Family Immigration Rules, including the Minimum Income Requirement, need to balance a respect for family life whilst also ensuring the economic wellbeing of the UK is maintained,” the Home Secretary said in a written statement.
“To help ensure we reach the right balance and have a solid evidence base for any change, I will commission the MAC to review the financial requirements, in the Family Immigration Rules,” she said.
The home secretary also addressed the broader issue of immigration by stating that the Labour will implement a “new approach” to legal migration, focusing on enhancing the skills of the UK workforce before seeking talent from overseas.
Criticizing the previous Conservative government, Ms Cooper remarked that the increasing levels of legal migration in recent years highlight a “long-standing failure to address skills shortages and other issues within the UK labour market.”
