Japa: UK Government Delays Plan to Increase Family Visa Income Threshold to N80 Million

The United Kingdom has postponed its plan to raise the family visa threshold from £29,000 to £38,700 (approximately N80 million), announced Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Originally set to take effect in 2025, the increase was introduced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this year to curb rising immigration figures.

The new administration has decided to delay the threshold increase until a thorough review of the family visa policy is conducted by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). Until then, the existing £29,000 threshold will remain in place.

“The Minimum Income Requirement is currently set at £29,000, and there will be no further changes until the MAC review is complete,” Cooper said.

Cooper emphasized that the Family Immigration Rules, including the Minimum Income Requirement, need to balance respect for family life with maintaining the UK’s economic well-being. She confirmed that no changes will be made until the independent public body completes its review.

The government has tasked the MAC with evaluating the impact of restricting migrant workers from bringing family members to the UK and the implications of increasing wage thresholds. Cooper noted that the new government aims to address labor shortages by enhancing the skills of the local workforce rather than relying on foreign workers.

She highlighted a significant increase in non-EU long-term migration, from 277,000 in the year ending December 2022 to 423,000 in the year ending December 2023. The government’s new approach links migration policy to skills and labor market policies to ensure immigration is not a substitute for domestic workforce development.

Visa applications across key routes in the UK dropped by 25 percent in the first quarter of 2024, largely due to stricter immigration regulations introduced by the previous government. These regulations included a higher minimum income requirement, stricter student visa rules, and new policies affecting foreign healthcare workers.