UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirement to Remain at £29,000
Migration Advisory Committee to review the Family Visa financial requirement
With the new Labour government in the UK, our London Immigration Solicitors were expecting some immigration policy changes.
Although the Home Secretary has said the current government remains committed to reducing net migration a change to the planned increase to the Spouse Visa financial requirement has been announced. That is good news for Spouse Visa applicants – for now. Our Spouse Visa Solicitors stress that the reprieve may be temporary.
Read on to learn about the recently announced change to the financial requirement and how it may affect your Family Visa application.
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For Spouse Visa immigration law advice call London-based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
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The Migration Advisory Committee to review the Spouse Visa financial requirement
The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the minimum income requirement for the Family Visa (the Spouse Visa, Civil Partnership Visa and Unmarried Partner Visa).
In her statement to parliament, Yvette Cooper said this on the Family Visa financial requirement:
‘’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. 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. The minimum income requirement is currently set at £29,000 and there will be no further changes until the MAC review is complete.’’
Until the Migration Advisory Committee completes their review the financial requirement will remain at £29,000 for those Spouse Visa applicants who are relying on their sponsoring partner’s income or their own eligible income to meet the financial requirement.
Under the Conservative government, the financial requirement of £29,000 was due to increase to:
- £34,500 in mid to late 2024
- £38,700 in early 2025
Up until April 2024, the financial requirement was set at an income of £18,600 unless a Spouse Visa applicant was bringing dependant non-British children with them. For the first child, an additional income of £3,800 was required. An extra £2,400 was needed for each additional child. On 11 April 2024, the minimum income requirement rose from £18,600 to £29,000 but there is no longer a requirement for extra income if a Family Visa applicant is bringing dependant non-British children to the UK with them.
Will the Spouse Visa financial requirement go down?
Will the Migration Advisory Committee review recommend the reduction of the financial requirement from £29,000 to £18,600 or a lower sum? Will the government accept a reduction from £29,000? The answer is no one knows but our expert Spouse Visa Solicitors suspect not because:
- The Migration Advisory Committee only makes a recommendation. It is for the government to decide whether to accept their suggestions. With a committed aim of reducing net migration, it may be politically difficult to go back to the old financial requirement of £18,600
- When the old government increased the figure from £18,600 to £29,000 it was a big increase but the financial requirement had not been reviewed for several years
- The new government has not reduced the minimum salary threshold of £38,700 for the Skilled Worker Visa
In her statement, Yvette Cooper said this about migration figures:
‘’Under the previous government, net migration trebled in five years, heavily driven by a big increase in overseas recruitment. This government is clear that net migration must come down. Whilst we will always benefit from international skills and talent, including to keep us globally competitive, immigration must not be used as an alternative to tackling skills shortages and labour market failures here in the UK. For that reason, we are setting out a new approach.’’
The Home Secretary went on to give a historical perspective on UK net migration. The Office of National Statistics estimates that net migration in the year to December 2023 was 685,000, compared to 184,000 in the year to December 2019 before the global pandemic. There are many factors at play here, not least the Hong Kong Visa and Ukraine visa schemes as well as employers relying on Skilled Worker Visas and Health and Care Worker Visas to recruit much needed staff and the popularity of the UK and Student Visas for international students. Whilst Family Visas may not have been the driving force behind the increased net migration figures it seems unrealistic to think that the financial requirement figure will reduce back down to £18,600.
Will the Spouse Visa financial requirement be increased from £29,000?
The honest answer is that no one knows until the government gets the Migration Advisory Committee review report and decides whether to accept its recommendations.
Spouse Visa Solicitors say that there is certainly a risk that the Migration Advisory Committee could recommend a further increase and the government may accept the proposals because of the political climate and manifesto commitment to reduce UK migration.
What does that mean for you? If you are planning to apply for a Family Visa and your sponsoring partner’s income is less than £38,700 then maybe you should not delay your plans because you cannot assume that the financial requirement will remain at £29,000 – it may still increase to £34,500 or £38,700. If those increases would scupper your planned Family Visa application, then our Spouse Visa Solicitors recommend you go ahead with your application now.
If you can rely on your capital or your sponsoring partner’s savings to meet the financial requirement then there may be no reason to get your Family Visa application in before the Migration Advisory Committee review. Likewise, there may be no time pressures if your sponsoring partner receives a passporting state benefit that enables you to meet the financial requirement.
The timing of a Spouse Visa application is always tricky when you are concerned about meeting not only the financial requirement but also the evidence requirements to show you are in a genuine and subsisting relationship. If you are not sure what your best option is then talk to our friendly and experienced Spouse Visa Lawyers. We can also help if you are worried that your sponsoring partner does not meet the current £29,000 financial requirement and explore your options with you.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Lawyers and Spouse Visa Solicitors
For Spouse Visa immigration law advice call London-based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil Tagalog/Ilonggo, Urdu/Punjabi
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Lawyers and Spouse Visa Solicitors
For Spouse Visa immigration law advice call London-based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil Tagalog/Ilonggo, Urdu/Punjabi
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