The last Conservative government put up the minimum income requirement – the amount that Britons or foreign residents of the UK need to earn in order to sponsor a family visa – from £18,600 to £29,000 last year.
Their review on Tuesday has recommended that the threshold should not rise to £38,700, which would put it in line with the skilled worker visa thresholds, as it would “most likely” breach the right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
It has set out a range of options ranging between £19,000 and £28,000, with most clustering around £23,000 to £25,000.
The advisers highlighted the “temporary stress” experienced by families who meet the threshold during the application process, while those who fail to qualify, sometimes for years, can experience “serious harm”, including emotional and psychological strain due to family separation, disruption to parent-child relationships, financial hardship, and long-term mental health effects on children and adults.
The advisers also reject having a higher threshold for families with children as this would have too much impact on family life.
Professor Brian Bell, MAC chair, said: “We were asked to advise on setting a minimum income requirement for the family migration route in a way that balances economic wellbeing with the right to family life.
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“While the decision on where to set the threshold is ultimately a political one, we have provided evidence on the impacts of financial requirements on families and economic wellbeing, and highlight the key considerations the government should take into account in reaching its decision.”
At a Commons debate then, multiple Labour MPs urged the Government not to go ahead with the mooted increase, and to cut the current level to make it easier to bring in spouses and other relatives from overseas.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This report proves what we’ve always said: that raising the salary threshold drives numbers down. So Labour must urgently re-instate the Conservative plan to further increase the salary threshold to £38,000.
“As Kemi [Badenoch] and I said on Friday, if the ECHR stops us from setting our own visa rules – from deporting foreign criminals or from putting Britain’s interests first – then we should leave the ECHR.”
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