Update: Since this post was written the Government has u-turned. On 21 December, they announced that the minimum income threshold would only rise to £29,000 with no timeline for the increase to £38,700.
At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Stephen asked the Prime Minister about the Government’s announcement that they are increasing minimum income requirements on visas to £38,700.
On 4 December, the Government announced plans to increase the income that people have to earn to get a UK visa to £38,700. The increase applies to family visas, meaning British citizens wanting to bring a foreign family member or partner would have to earn more than £38,700. The Government did not announce whether the change would apply to people already living in the UK renewing their visa.
Stephen challenged the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, about the change at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 13 December. He urged the Prime Minister whether the increased requirements would apply to visa renewals and urged the Government to consider transitional arrangements to support people affected.
“The marriage plans of thousands of couples were dashed last week by the sudden announcement a big increase in the salary requirement for a spouse visa,” Stephen said. “Does [the Prime Minister’s] party’s support for the family now only apply to the highly paid?”
The Prime Minister accepted the need for transitional arrangements in response to Stephen’s questions, saying “it is also right to look at transitional arrangements to ensure that they are fair. The Home Office are actively looking at this and will set out further arrangements in due course.”