The Family Visa category, under which British nationals and long-term residents are able to apply for their spouses, partners and elderly parents to join them in the UK, are widely used by the Indian diaspora. According to the latest Home Office statistics, 5,248 Indians were granted a Family Visa in 2023 – making up one of the largest groups in a category dominated by South Asians. Now, the newly elected Labour government has halted an incremental hike of the annual minimum income threshold for such visa applications, proposed by the previous Conservative regime.
Cooper told the House of Commons this week: “The family immigration rules, including the minimum income requirement, need to balance a respect for family life with ensuring that the economic wellbeing of the UK is maintained.
“To help ensure that we reach the right balance and have a solid evidence base for any change, I will commission the MAC to review the financial requirements in the family immigration rules. The minimum income requirement is currently set at £29,000, and there will be no further changes until the MAC review is complete.”
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Since April 2024, the minimum salary or income required by British nationals to sponsor long-term Family Visas rose from £18,600 to £29,000. It was to be followed by a further increase to £38,700 to match the minimum income requirement under the Skilled Worker Visa route. The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which advises government on immigration, will now assess whether such a hike is necessary. It has also been tasked to review the reliance of some key sectors on international recruitment, in particular IT and engineering, which rely on significant levels of international recruitment. Cooper has also laid out plans to strengthen the MAC itself so that it can highlight key sectors where “labour market failures mean that there is an over-reliance on international recruitment”.
She stated: “As a first step, I am commissioning the MAC to review the reliance of key sectors on international recruitment. In particular, I am asking the MAC to look at IT and engineering — occupations that have consistently, over a decade or more, been included on shortage occupation lists and relied on significant levels of international recruitment.
“We will also consider ways to strengthen the Migration Advisory Committee, including through the deployment of additional Home Office staff to its secretariat, ensuring it is able to work more strategically to forecast future trends, while continuing to review and provide independent, evidence-based recommendations on key areas of the immigration system.”
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In May, the Tory government had announced a series of measures related to the student and Graduate Visa routes. Cooper said the Labour Party strongly values the economic and academic contribution that international students make to this country, including those here on the Graduate Visa.
“That is why it is important to ensure that the system is effective and not open to abuse,” said Cooper, indicating that plans to clampdown on institutions that misuse student visas to exploit individuals will be pursued.