UK Government gradually raises minimum wage for family visas

The British government has decided to gradually increase the minimum salary requirement for family visas, overturning a previously contentious decision. 

The Conservative government, on 4 December, had announced a series of measures to tighten legal immigration, including a substantial 47% hike in the minimum salary required for skilled job work visas to £38,700 (€45,160).

The approach towards family visas will now involve a gradual adjustment of the minimum salary requirement to facilitate predictability for families, according to an official press release. 

Starting this coming spring, the minimum salary for family visas will be set at £29,000 (€33,000), up from the current £18,600. The government aims for subsequent increases to £34,500 and £38,700, though a specific timeline beyond the spring was not detailed.

The government clarified that the objective is to align the family visa threshold with that of skilled employment visas, ensuring that individuals only bring dependents to the UK if they are able to financially support them.

“I don’t think the government has done this with families in mind, I think its done it with ideas of electoral fortitude,” Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, a policy and public affairs manager at non-profit migrant advice organisation Praxis, told Euronews.

“If they really wanted to help families they’d do a proper equality impact assessment and get some independent advice on what this is going to mean for families and what this is going to mean for the rights of British citizens,” she added.

Home Secretary James Cleverly remains confident that these changes will result in the most significant reduction in net migration, estimating approximately 300,000 fewer people arriving in the UK compared to the previous year.

In addition to the adjustments in family visa requirements, the government had previously announced reforms in the list of professions facing labour shortages and implemented a system to assess the financial capability of immigrants bringing family members. 

Further measures include restrictions on students bringing family members to the UK starting in January, with exceptions, as well as a 66% increase in the fee for foreigners accessing the National Health Service, now set at £1,035 (€1,200).

Official statistics published at the end of November revealed that net immigration, the difference between arrivals and departures, reached 745,000 people last year, surpassing the initial estimate of 606,000 people. 

The government’s multifaceted approach aims to address immigration challenges while maintaining financial stability and support for families arriving in the United Kingdom.