The UK government had initially indicated that the earning threshold for Britons to bring their foreign family members into the country would be increased from £18,600 to £38,700. However, in light of criticism and concerns about potential family separation, the government has now decided to raise the threshold to £29,000 in the spring instead.
Home Secretary James Cleverly’s announcement of the original plan had come as part of a package of measures to reduce legal migration, following a record net migration figure of 745,000 for 2022. The proposal drew negative feedback due to its expected impact on tearing families apart. On Thursday, Home Office minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom confirmed the policy change in response to a written parliamentary question.
The current threshold of £18,600 allows 75 percent of the UK working population to bring their foreign family members into the country to live, according to Lord Sharpe. He explained that increasing the threshold to £38,700 would limit that right to 30 percent of the working population. In spring 2024, the earning threshold will be further increased to £29,000 in the first stage, and continue to rise in incremental stages thereafter, with no further information on when the earnings threshold would surpass £29,000.
The deal to increase the threshold was met with mixed reactions, including criticism from the Tory right. There were concerns about a lack of a proper consultation process and the impact the changes were expected to have on the economy. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the change as “more evidence of Tory government chaos on immigration and the economy,” stating that the government failed to consider the impact of steep spousal visa changes on families next year.