Prime Minister Keir Starmer is re-evaluating a proposal to raise the salary threshold for migrant spouses, according to the Telegraph. The current threshold for bringing a foreign spouse to the UK was increased earlier this year from £18,600 to £29,000, with the aim of reducing net migration by around 300,000.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has postponed the planned increase of the threshold to £38,700, which was set to take effect next year. Instead, Cooper has asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the appropriate level for the threshold. She stated in Parliament, “The Minimum Income Requirement (for the family visa) is currently set at £29,000 and there will be no further changes until the MAC review is complete.”
The proposed rise to £38,700, announced by former Home Secretary James Cleverly last December, faced substantial criticism. Migration experts cautioned that this increase could result in cancelled weddings and strained relationships for numerous couples. Home Office officials also warned that the increase might face legal challenges related to family rights and equality laws.
Brian Bell, the MAC chair, voiced concerns that the policy would have little effect on net migration while disadvantaging British citizens trying to bring their foreign partners to the UK. He remarked, “You should think about the benefit in terms of the welfare of people in Britain. These are British citizens who want to bring their partners with them to live in Britain. There’s a social benefit and a welfare benefit of doing that, which I don’t think should be ignored.”
Bell also questioned the rationale behind setting the threshold at £38,700, noting that it is comparable to the new salary requirement for foreign skilled workers. He pointed out that the median salary for full-time workers in the UK was £34,963 in 2023.
The MAC had initially recommended a threshold level that would prevent citizens from needing benefits, leading to the £18,600 figure set in 2011. The MAC’s review is anticipated to be completed after the summer, and it is possible that they may suggest a threshold lower than the current £29,000, potentially in the mid-£20,000s.
Despite the delay on the spousal visa threshold increase, Cooper affirmed that Labour will continue with other Conservative measures aimed at reducing net migration, which reached 685,000 in the year to December 2023. This includes restricting foreign students and care workers from bringing family members to the UK and increasing the salary threshold for skilled worker visas.
Cooper has also directed the MAC to explore ways to reduce reliance on foreign workers in IT and engineering by boosting domestic training and recruitment. She emphasised the need to address skills shortages and labour market issues within the UK rather than relying on immigration. “Whilst we will always benefit from international skills and talent, including to keep us globally competitive, immigration must not be used as an alternative to tackling skills shortages and labour market failures here in the UK. For that reason, we are setting out a new approach,” she said.
