New minimum income for migrant families is retroactive

[cirian75]

So

New income required to bring you spouse and family in to the UK is £38,700.

And it is retroactive effecting family's already here!!!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/for...

The UK median wage is £34,963 PA

[President Merkin]

Since this applies to existing couples, if not overturned, it has the power to break up mixed nationality families come visa renewal time.

By any measure, it is a morally dilapidated, monstrous policy, the state literally interfering in people's love lives. I cannot imagine the kind of vacuous, soul free ghoul who would support this, so I fully expect the usual crew will be along presently to point out there are plenty of British singletons for British people..

[Getragdogleg]

Govt. gets it wrong again shocker !

What joe public wants is for the illegal/smuggled/small boat lot to be stopped. Not the ones who do the process properly and then go on to be productive.

The ones coming in illegally and then claiming the free money/hotel/house are the problem in most peoples minds.

[E63eeeeee...]

While I'm not supporting the overall approach, it's worth mentioning that both spouses' incomes count for the renewal so it's always been easier to meet the criteria for an extension than to arrive in the first place.

But yeah, this is what a country that prioritises changing made up numbers for political reasons over improving the lives of its residents and citizens ends up looking like. The political decision to include students in net migration figures to make them look scarier than they really are is a big part of this.

[gt_12345]

Good news.

Uncontrolled immigration has ruined the quality of life for many, yet it was allowed because the middle class profit from it.

[Tankrizzo]

At this point it's like they are totally incapable of actually coming up with a policy that is sensible. Who tf thought this one up? This won't stop any of the worries of the Farage types about people on boats.

[E63eeeeee...]

gt_12345 said:

Good news.

Uncontrolled immigration has ruined the quality of life for many, yet allowed because it benefitted the middle class.

The UK has never had uncontrolled immigration since the modern understanding of immigration was formed. Immigration is a net positive for an economy, so it's entirely possible for the government to protect people from any negative impacts through taxing the people who benefit from it and minimum wage and benefits. It's not immigration that's ruining the quality of life for normal people in the UK, it's neoliberalism and increasingly inequality. Immigrants do make a handy scapegoat though.

[dxg]

Getragdogleg said:

Govt. gets it wrong again shocker !

What joe public wants is for the illegal/smuggled/small boat lot to be stopped. Not the ones who do the process properly and then go on to be productive.

The ones coming in illegally and then claiming the free money/hotel/house are the problem in most peoples minds.

I think it's also the c. 1.2m million entering legally last year and again the year before that which is causing most people most concern.

The boats are a side show.

These are the kind of number's we're talk about about, not 20,000 or so per year illegally:


Just 335,000 of those coming in the year to September arrived on work visas. The numbers were made up by their 250,000 dependants, some 486,000 students, 153,000 dependants of students, and a surge in humanitarian and family visas (a little under 200,000).

This is not immigration as economic rocket fuel, but as a short-term patch. The dependants of people brought in to avoid paying British care-home workers more are unlikely to add significant economic value, and we can see this in the data; only 25 per cent or so are in work.

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/12/05/legal-...

[cirian75]

gt_12345 said:

Good news.

Uncontrolled immigration has ruined the quality of life for many, yet it was allowed because the middle class profit from it.

This message was brought you by CCHQ via the Daily Mail/Daily Express/Sun.

Cue gt_12345 claiming he does not read them.

[Timothy Bucktu]

I believe Sweden and possibly Germany have introduced similar rules?

[cirian75]

Timothy Bucktu said:

I believe Sweden and possibly Germany have introduced similar rules?

Probably not retroactive affecting people already there though.

[Deesee]

cirian75 said:

New income required to bring you spouse and family in to the UK is £38,700.

This amount £38,700, is not this somewhere around benefits threshold?

Should we be encouraging workers and family's to come here and work in poverty if they are earning less than that?

[p1stonhead]

Bets on the days until they reverse this decision? Because it’s as Mr Cleverly likes to say ‘batst’ insane.

Edited by p1stonhead on Wednesday 6th December 10:39

[President Merkin]

cirian75 said:

gt_12345 said:

Good news.

Uncontrolled immigration has ruined the quality of life for many, yet it was allowed because the middle class profit from it.

This message was brought you by CCHQ via the Daily Mail/Daily Express/Sun.

Cue gt_12345 claiming he does not read them.

It's not true either but the politics of bitterness & resentment is instructive.

p1stonhead said:

Bets on the days until they reverse this decision? Because it’s as Mr Cleverly likes to say ‘batst’ insane.

Mr. Celverly, who's spoken movingly about his mum coming here from Sierra Leone to train as a low paid but useful to society midwife? That Mr. Cleverly? It's almost as if these people want to pull up the drawbridge behind them.

[dudleybloke]

It's not the legal ones everybody is worried about.

[President Merkin]

dudleybloke said:

It's not the legal ones everybody is worried about.

Then they should be, otherwise they've fallen for the grift. 80,000 on boats, north of 600,000 legally. Ever get the feeling you've been conned?

[Carl_VivaEspana]

Timothy Bucktu said:

I believe Sweden and possibly Germany have introduced similar rules?

The new amount would bring it into alignment with the income you need for Spain. Spain one is also retroactive.

[cirian75]

Deesee said:

cirian75 said:

New income required to bring you spouse and family in to the UK is £38,700.

This amount £38,700, is not this somewhere around benefits threshold?

Should we be encouraging workers and family's to come here and work in poverty if they are earning less than that?

Missing the point completely.

As per the title

"New minimum income for migrant families is retroactive "

It affects people who already here.

[sugerbear]

dudleybloke said:

It's not the legal ones everybody is worried about.

It is for some, especially if they aren't white.

[E63eeeeee...]

Deesee said:

cirian75 said:

New income required to bring you spouse and family in to the UK is £38,700.

This amount £38,700, is not this somewhere around benefits threshold?

Should we be encouraging workers and family's to come here and work in poverty if they are earning less than that?

This is the route for British people to bring their non-British partners and children. It's not primarily a work route, it's about Brits being able to live with their families in the UK. There's an argument that the original £18k threshold prevented spouses being brought in to live in poverty, but raising the threshold to more than double that, and more than the typical UK income is just beating up on compliant people to try to get a number down.