UK raises income requirements for family visas by 55% to rein in immigration

The minimum income requirements for sponsored family members in the UK have been increased, further tightening immigration standards. As per the salary threshold announced by the government, applicants must have a minimum annual salary of £29,000 (approximately Rs 30,21,174 at current exchange rates) to qualify. This marks a significant increase of 55% from the previous threshold of £18,600 (approximately Rs. 19,37,718).

Rishi Sunak’s government announced the rate hike last year as part of its phased plan to bring the salary threshold for family visas in line with those for skilled worker visas, taking effect on April 11.

“Sponsored family members, or together with the applicant if they are in the UK and granted work permission, must now earn at least £29,000 in the UK. This requirement can be met in a number of ways, including through savings,” the Home Office said. Just to lower your income, or in addition to lowering your income. “

The move marks the final measure in Chancellor Sunak’s package of plans to reduce legal immigration and “ensure people arriving here do not burden the taxpayer”, according to the Home Office.

“We have reached a tipping point with mass immigration. There are no simple solutions or simple decisions that can reduce numbers to a level acceptable to the British people,” Home Secretary James Cleverley said.

Cleverley stressed that increasing the salary range was about building an immigration system for the future.

“I promised action and we have delivered on it at breakneck speed. We have taken action to cut unsustainable numbers, protect British workers and their wages and ensure those bringing their families to the UK do not impose a cost on the taxpayer. burden, and build an immigration system that is fit for the future – one that the public can rightly trust,” news agency PTI quoted the home secretary as saying.

After official data showed that the number of legal net immigrants in the UK will reach 745,000 in 2022, a record high, the government announced a tightening of immigration policies.