Visa income threshold a 'cruel' barrier to family reunions, says charity

Thousands of children are facing Christmas with one of their parents stranded abroad owing to the Home Office's restrictive visa policies, leading to charities branding the UK "one of the worst countries in the world for family reunion".

- Diane Taylor

Under family immigration rules, the UK-based spouse has to earn a minimum of £29,000 before an application can be made for a visa for the non-UK spouse to live here.

The Tory government planned to raise the previous minimum income threshold of £18,600 to £38,700 for these visas by spring 2025, but this is under review by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and for now it has been pegged at £29,000.

The organisation Reunite Families UK has conducted research into the damaging impact of the minimum income requirement on children who they say are hidden victims of what they describe as "cruel immigration policies", such as the minimum income requirement. They are submitting this research to the MAC.