Paying the price: the social and economic cost of increasing salary thresholds for family joiners
December 2023
In this joint briefing with Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) we set out the potential impacts of the increased salary threshold for family joiners. In particular, we highlight how families who do not meet the financial requirements of the Immigration Rules but may be recognised as having a human rights based claim to enter or remain in the UK could be affected. As we note in the briefing, the majority of working Brits do not earn enough to meet the new threshold and particular groups will be disproportionately impacted by the change, for example public sector workers, women, and young people.
Those that are unable to satisfy the rules, but who can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances would lead to unjustifiably harsh conditions, would be placed on the 10-year route to settlement. If the government were to decide that those already in the UK on a family visa need to meet the new salary threshold, it is likely that many of those individuals would also move onto the 10-year route to settlement. As a previous study by IPPR, Praxis and GMIAU found, many people on the 10-year route experience insecurity, precarity and profound hardship.
Our recommendations:
The most effective way to prevent the problems outlined above would be to scrap the minimum income requirement in its entirety, or, at the very least, maintain it at its current level. In the meantime:
The government needs to urgently clarify its position regarding whether the increased salary threshold will apply to those already in the UK when they come to renew their visa.
The government must also urgently clarify when this change will take effect, to provide certainty to thousands of affected families. Furthermore, clarity regarding dependent children and cash savings must also be provided. For a change that may affect the lives of tens of thousands of British citizens every year, an equality impact assessment should be urgently undertaken.
In line with our previous report, we recommend that the 10-year route to settlement should be capped at five years.