logo
Lowering UK's income requirement for family visas ‘would increase net migration'

Lowering UK's income requirement for family visas ‘would increase net migration'

The Guardiana day ago

Ministers could cut the amount a British citizen or settled resident must earn to apply for a partner's visa but that would result in a rise in net migration, a report by the government's independent immigration panel has said.
The migration advisory committee said that ministers could set any future minimum income threshold between £23,000 and £25,000. Since April 2024, applicants have had to earn at least £29,000 to apply for a visa for their partner.
The panel has suggested scrapping a Tory plan to raise the minimum income threshold for family visas to £38,700, saying it would conflict with human rights laws.
The committee gave some options, including that a threshold of £24,000 to £28,000 could give more priority to economic wellbeing, such as by reducing the burden to taxpayers, than to family life.
It also suggested a threshold of £23,000 to £25,000 could ensure that families could support themselves without necessarily requiring them to earn a salary above the minimum wage.
The committee said lowering the amount to £24,000, for example, could mean an increase of about 1-3% of projected future net migration.
The Conservative government of the former prime minister Rishi Sunak planned to introduce the higher threshold for family visa applicants to be equivalent to the skilled worker level.
But the committee's report said: 'Given the family route that we are reviewing has a completely different objective and purpose to the work route, we do not understand the rationale for the threshold being set using this method.
'We do not recommend the approach based on the skilled worker salary threshold as it is unrelated to the family route and is the most likely to conflict with international law and obligations (eg article 8).'
Article 8 of the European convention on human rights is the right to private and family life that can be applied to migration cases in the UK.
The UK's current £29,000 threshold is high compared with other high-income countries reviewed by the committee.
The committee's chair, Prof Brian Bell, said: 'While the decision on where to set the threshold is ultimately a political one, we have provided evidence on the impacts of financial requirements on families and economic wellbeing, and highlight the key considerations the government should take into account in reaching its decision.'
The committee advised against raising the threshold for families with children as, despite them facing higher living costs, the impacts on family life appear 'particularly significant' for children.
It also recommended keeping the income amount required the same across all regions of the UK.
The committee also said their review was 'greatly hindered' by insufficient data and urged for better data collection by the Home Office on characteristics of each applicant to be linked to outcomes to inform further policy decisions.
Campaigners welcomed some recommendations but are disappointed that the committee has not suggested scrapping the minimum income threshold, which they say keeps families in separate countries.
Caroline Coombs, the co-founder of Reunite Families UK, said there should be no minimum income requirement (MIR), given its impact.
'Any threshold even at minimum wage would still separate many groups of people who just want to be a family here in the UK.
'We were struck by the MAC's acknowledgment that any decision on the MIR is a political decision. For this reason, we are calling on the home secretary to have the political courage to change a system … destroying the lives of British and settled residents and their children for over a decade,' she said.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The home secretary commissioned the independent migration advisory committee to undertake a review.
'We are now considering its findings and will respond in due course. More broadly, the government has already committed to legislate to clarify the application of article 8 of the ECHR for applicants, caseworkers and the courts.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Business live: US and China reach deal to restore trade truce
Business live: US and China reach deal to restore trade truce

Times

time15 minutes ago

  • Times

Business live: US and China reach deal to restore trade truce

Inditex, the owner of Zara, has reported worse-than-expected first-quarter revenue and a slower start to its summer sales. Revenue in the three months to the end of April was €8.27 billion, below analysts' forecasts of €8.36 billion. Inditex said revenue had risen 6 per cent at the start of the second quarter, compared to 12 per cent growth over the same period a year ago. The board of Assura, a real estate investment trust which is one of the NHS's biggest landlords, is recommending shareholders accept a 'final' offer from KKR and Stonepeak, the American private equity firms, following a contested takeover battle for the group. The consortium has raised its offer for the company to nearly £1.7 billion, or 52.1p a share, outbidding rival suitor Primary Health Properties. Assura owns hundreds of doctors' surgeries around the UK. Bid interest has lifted the shares 24 per cent over the past year to 49p last night. US and Chinese officials have agreed on a framework to put their trade truce back on track and remove China's export restrictions on rare earth metals and some of the recent US export restrictions. However, market reaction in Asia was muted as there was little detail after the two days of talks concluded around midnight in London. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 and China's SSE Composite were both up around 0.6 per cent. US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said: 'The idea is we're going to go back and speak to President Trump and make sure he approves it. They're going to go back and speak to President Xi and make sure he approves it, and if that is approved, we will then implement the framework.' • Entrepreneur Davina Schonle was left feeling 'humiliated' after she and her eight-month-old baby were refused admission to London Tech Week, a gathering of global technology leaders taking place at London's Olympia.• AstraZeneca has been accused of 'turning a blind eye' to the Chinese government and putting 'profits before people' as it invests billions in the country amid the long-running detention of a key executive.• A battle between listed technology company Big Technologies and its former chief executive has escalated as it suspended the voting rights of shareholders holding 17 per cent of its stock.• Britain's listing rulebook is not to blame for the shrinking of the London stock market, Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, told MPs.

Government urged to disrupt ‘addictive grip' of smartphones on children's lives
Government urged to disrupt ‘addictive grip' of smartphones on children's lives

The Independent

time16 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Government urged to disrupt ‘addictive grip' of smartphones on children's lives

The Government is being urged to create child-friendly playful neighbourhoods and disrupt the 'addictive grip' of smartphones on children's lives. Closures of playgrounds, busier roads, shortened school break times and the dominance of screentime have restricted children's opportunities to play, a report has suggested. Urgent action is needed to create more opportunities for children to play outdoors and away from digital devices and social media, according to a report by the Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry. It warned: 'Too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, doomscrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates.' The commission was chaired by Paul Lindley, founder of organic baby food manufacturer Ella's Kitchen, in partnership with the Centre for Young Lives think tank, which was co-founded by the former children's commissioner for England Baroness Anne Longfield. It has called on the Government to establish a National Play Strategy for England, backed by an annual £125 million investment and led by a 'minister for play'. The strategy should include a commitment to a 'step-change' in the quantity and quality of children's use of digital devices through stronger regulation, public engagement and information, and addressing addictive 'push' factors that have driven children online, the report added. The inquiry has called on the Government to raise the digital age of consent to 16 and introduce a ban on smartphones in schools during the school day. It added that it should become easier for parents to organise 'safe play' in their streets, and there should be a national ban on 'No Ball Games' signs. A poll of 2,000 parents in England, commissioned by the inquiry, suggested that 55% of parents believe their youngest child plays outside less than they did when they were children. Around three in four (76%) parents agree that people are generally less accepting of children playing outside on the street than when they were a child, according to the poll. The Raising the Nation Play Commission brought together 19 expert commissioners to conduct a year-long inquiry into how play can be restored to every childhood in England. Lady Longfield, executive chairwoman of the Centre for Young Lives, said: 'Too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, doomscrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates. 'It is no coincidence that the least happy generation, the generation with the highest rates of obesity and rising ill health, is the generation that plays less and less. 'As we have heard from a swathe of experts and professionals working with children over the last year, play is being squeezed out of childhoods, with drastic implications for children, our economy and public services. 'With so much at stake children really have everything to play for: their health, wellbeing, happiness, learning, and development depends on our ability to reignite the role of play. 'This report provides a blueprint for how we can get children playing again and also tackle the scourge of addictive doomscrolling, so we can prevent future generations from becoming glued to screens.' Technology Secretary Pete Kyle has indicated he is considering an 'app cap' for children. On Sunday, the minister signalled he was looking at measures to restrict the amount of time children spend on their phones, including through a possible 10pm curfew. Mr Lindley, chairman of the Raising the Nation Play Commission, said: 'Creating truly playful communities is not just about better street design, traffic management, and reduced crime, but also about a reversal of the growing culture of intolerance towards children playing. 'This will also encourage more parents to have confidence they can let their children play out more freely, in the knowledge that their children will be both having a great time and are also safe. 'We need to give our children back the time, space, opportunity, freedom – and the right – to play again.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We recognise the vital importance of play and access to nature as part of children's development and wellbeing as we strive to create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever. 'Through our Plan for Change, we are setting young people up to achieve and thrive – both inside and outside the classroom. 'We have given hundreds of thousands of children the tools to turn their grey school spaces green as part of our National Education Nature Park, we are opening up grassroots sports to all with £100 million investment in facilities and we are working with experts to develop a framework to improve access to activities outside of school. 'Schools already have the power to completely ban phones in the classroom and the overwhelming majority – 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools – limit or restrict use. 'And from July, new rules under the Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to protect children in the UK from seeing harmful content online.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store