RHCP

According to an article in the Independent I've just read an article from The Independent yesterday suggesting that the government is backtracking now on this and no decision has yet been made so that will come as some temporary relief for those affected.

I've just read on another immigration forum a quote from No. 10 saying that these new requirements will also apply to renewals as well, once implemented next Spring. Obviously not good news for those at the FLR and ILR stages.

Hi, Are there any German forum members who can assist me? I am purely carrying out research for the purpose of comparing with the UK. I would like to know the financial requirements for a spouse joining a German citizen in Germany under family reunion for a temporary and then permanent resident permit. I know that the process is 3 years but would like to know the following: Application fees for the permit application at the beginning and end of process Minimum income or savings, if applicable and required The health insurance charge if German partner or applicant is not working. I know it is roughly 7.5% of salary if working. Any other significant financial costs involved. Thanks

I'm inclined to mostly agree with you on the English requirement proposal but don't really share your view about the income level. For example we can survive OK on a lower total income than proposed without, in my case, resorting to state support. Furthermore if they deem that a 'living' income of at least £26,200 is necessary (incidentally in the report they said "still exceptionally low" so if they had their way the figure would probably be in excess of £30k) then why is the state pension and/or support benefits nowhere near their proposed income figure? Regarding the NHS Surcharge, we are in full agreement on that one. My wife also pays tax and NI. I read on another site that it could be questionable raising visa fees purely to fund public sector salaries which is what Sunak has announced and could potentially be open to a legal challenge although I won't hold my breath on that possibility.

Hi, I’ve not posted on this forum for several years now since we left Thailand and settled in the UK. My wife is presently on FLR. I am in regular contact with my local MP who is part of and I think chairman of a small group of around 20 predominantly right-wing Conservatives who very recently issued an extensive report with proposals on reducing net immigration. Among these proposals are 3 recommendations directly affecting this thread: · Raise the minimum combined income threshold to £26,200 for sponsoring a spouse, in line with work visas. · Raise the minimum language requirement to B1 (intermediate level). · Raise the Immigration Health Surcharge to £2,700 per person, per year. It is possible that this group has had an influence on the PM’s announcement to fund public sector workers pay increases. I’m sure many of you will agree that the Tories see spouse visas as a soft target to extract more and more unjustifiable and probably uncosted fees from in order to fund in other areas which is grossly unfair. So based on the aforementioned proposals, we might also see more obstacles put in place in the form of increased income and language requirements going into the future.