Lowering UK’s income requirement for family visas ‘would increase net migration’ | Immigration and asylum
By: Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor | Published: 2025-06-09 23:01:00 | Source: www.theguardian.com
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…
