The Conservative government, under Rishi Sunak, put forward new regulations to drastically reduce net migration and address visa misuse to reduce unsustainable legal migration levels in April 2024
At the time, Conservative ministers said the rules are taking effect because immigration is “far too high” – but now a review has been ordered by the current Labour government.
Critics of the immigration strategy call it ‘a tax on love’, with the regulations requiring British citizens or settled residents who want to bring their partners to the UK to show a minimum salary of at least £29,000 a year.
Here’s a closer look at the current immigration rules for families and what the new review could mean.
What are the current immigration rules for families?
As reported by the BBC, most people seeking work in the UK will still have to apply for a visa through the points-based system (PBS).
The Conservative government implemented a requirement for workers to earn at least £29,000 a year to bring their families to the UK, with plans to raise it further to £38,700. Labour put this second increase on hold when the party came to power.
The amount does not apply to some jobs — such as health and social care. However, overseas social care workers can no longer bring in family dependents.
The minimum income required to typically sponsor someone for a spouse/partner visa rose from £18,600 per year to £29,000 under the government, with plans for it to ultimately reach around £38,700.
The Conservatives also ordered a 2024 review of the Graduate visa, a two-year unsponsored work permit for overseas graduates of British universities.
What could the 2025 Labour review mean?
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) said on Tuesday, June 10 that it would recommend reducing the minimum income requirement to less than the £29,000 it currently sits at, rather than
It went on to state that this amount was high compared to other high-income countries it reviewed, with analysis showing that a threshold of £24,000 to £28,000 could give more priority to economic wellbeing.
Not only does this improve family life for those affected but it also reduced the burden to taxpayers. The MAC advises not to increase the minimum income requirement to bring dependents and avoid following the same pattern as skilled workers.
"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,” the committee wrote. "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 (e.g. Article 8).”
Article 8 here refers to a section of the European Convention on Human Rights, stating the right to private and family life that can be applied to migration cases in the UK.
"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,” said Chairman of MAC, Professor Brian Bell.
