The UK government has suspended plans to raise the family visa income threshold from £29,000 to £38,700 (approximately N80 million),Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced.
The policy, initially set to take effect in 2025, was introduced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this year as part of efforts to address record immigration figures.
The new administration has decided to delay the implementation of the proposed increase until a comprehensive review of the family visa policy is conducted by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). In the meantime, the current threshold of £29,000 will remain in place.
Cooper confirmed that no further adjustments to the policy will occur until the independent review is completed.
The government has tasked MAC with evaluating the impact of restricting migrant workers from bringing family members to the UK and the implications of increasing wage thresholds.
The new government, under Cooper’s direction, plans to reassess its approach to legal migration. The objective is to enhance the skills of the local workforce before turning to foreign recruitment. Cooper criticized the recent rise in legal migration levels, citing it as indicative of failures in addressing labor market shortages. Non-EU long-term migration surged from 277,000 in the year to December 2022 to 423,000 in the year to December 2023.
“This is why we are setting out a different approach – one that links migration policy and visa controls to skills and labor market policies – so immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems here at home,” Cooper stated.
This move puts on hold a policy that would have made it more difficult for families to reunite in the UK, requiring sponsors to meet a higher income requirement to bring their loved ones to the country.
The review by the MAC is expected to provide a more thorough examination of the family visa policy, ensuring it meets the needs of all stakeholders involved.
