UK implements increased income threshold for family visas; All you need to know
Summary
The government aims to create a high-wage, high-skill economy independent of large-scale migration.
British citizens and residents, including those of Indian descent, who wish to sponsor their relatives for a Family Visa must now meet a new minimum income requirement. This comes after the government’s incremental hike in salary thresholds announced last year. The action is viewed as a step forward in Britain’s strategy to reduce immigration levels.
The bar for minimum annual income, which was formerly £18,600 (around ₹19 lakh), has now risen to £29,000 (around ₹30 lakh), a massive hike of more than 55%. The UK government released an official statement stating that the income benchmark reform is effective immediately.
“Today’s change comes as the Home Secretary meets his commitment to implement his major package of reforms to the immigration system within weeks of announcing them – which came following the unveiling of measures to tighten the student visa route in May 2023,” read the statement.
To satisfy the salary threshold criteria for a skilled worker visa, the minimum acceptable income will climb two more times by early 2025, to £38,700 (around ₹40 lakh), according to the government’s official website.
According to the UK Home Office, this is the final step in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly’s plan to decrease immigration and “ensure those arriving here do not burden the taxpayer”.
The new income criterion, which has been in place for more than ten years, according to the British government, ensures that families are self-sufficient and do not require public funding while also spurring the economy.
“We have reached a tipping point with mass migration. There is no simple solution or easy decision which cuts numbers to levels acceptable to the British people,” Cleverly stated.
The government aims to create a high-wage, high-skill economy independent of large-scale migration. The set of regulations that was put into place last year aims to drastically reduce the number of migrants, which might affect about 300,000 people.
Following the release of official figures indicating that legal net migration to Britain had reached an all-time high of 745,000 in 2022, the government proposed tighter immigration policies.
Upon its initial presentation in the House of Commons in December 2023, the proposal was met with criticism from the opposition. As a result, instead of raising the wage threshold to GBP 38,700 (around ₹40 lakh) immediately as originally suggested, the administration decided to raise it more gradually.
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