UK Immigration Minister admits 18600 threshold is unfair

[Thai Visa Express]

From a BBC website, the UK Immigration Minister agrees that something should be done about the current 18,600 GBP income threshold for settlement visas. I hope he doesn't mean it should be raised ! The article says :

Home Office Minister James Brokenshire has admitted UK-born citizens who want to bring their spouses into the UK from outside the EU are getting a raw deal.

Since 2012, only those who earn at least £18,600 a year can sponsor their non-European spouse's visa to ease the cost to taxpayers of migration.

But the rule does not apply to citizens of other EU countries who have settled in the UK.

Mr Brokenshire said he would make an effort to close the loophole.

Thousands of Britons have been unable to bring a non-EU spouse to the UK since July 2012, when the minimum earnings requirements were introduced.

When the policy was launched, the government said only British citizens, or those with refugee status, who earn at least £18,600 a year can sponsor their non-European spouse's visa.

This rises to £22,400 for families with a child, and a further £2,400 for each extra child.

But Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz said there was a loophole which had been highlighted by a constituent of his in Leicester East.

"Two people living in identical houses next to each other - one who happens to be British born or a person with indefinite leave tried to bring someone from India, they have got to show their £18,600," he said during a meeting on Tuesday.

"However, the next door neighbour who comes from Slovakia, who has settled in Leicester, and who wants to bring her spouse in, doesn't have to show that income. That's unfair isn't it?"

Mr Brokenshire said the Labour MP was "right to highlight" the issue and he planned to raise it with Britain's EU partners.

"I don't find that acceptable and it something that needs to be addressed," said the minister.

The link to the article is http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-31377750

Tony M

[Donutz]

Sounds like the usual nonsense that other countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands also utter: EU nationals living in an other EU/EEA country are exploiting a loophole. We all know about the SS/EU route, which has far more fair rules when it comes to family reunion. Basically one simply cannot be a financial burden to the state, so if you can make do on 15.000 GBP that's fine. National migration rules used to be more relaxed then those for EU nationals, the EU members agreed upon some rights for these EU nationals to fit in with the founding principle of the EU: freedom of movement for people, capital etc. The national immigration rules became ever more strict, more strict then Directive 2004/38 and now administrations in the UK, BE, NL etc. moan about this directive being a loophole. It isn't. And 2 years ago almost during the Greenbook meetings (under EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström) almost no country showed interest in changing the directive. The Dutch minister of immigration at the time, Gerd Leers. Don't know about the UK but the Belgians (minister Maggy de Block) did not had any interest. No way that all the EU countries could, or now can, be convinced to rewrite directive 2004/38.

But just last week the new Belgian minister stept to the media that he would visit his collegue in The Hague to deal with this loophole. He and the administrations we have now or had in power recently know full well that nothing can be changed unless they scrap 2004/38. A lot of muscle flexing that they will finally do something about the SS/EU route to stop all those evil families from being reunited under EU founding principles. A lot of nonsense and no media to counter all that hardline ********. Unless the UK, Dutch, Belgian and other administrations change the national migration laws to match the EU directive. Then there is no "loophole".

I do wonder if shopping, filling up your tank, working in an other EU country or living there (paying taxes) is also considered a loophole? Lots of evil British expats in Spain exploiting the system! *sarcasm*

[Baerboxer]

It's a disgrace that the UK places a "means" test on it's citizens for something like this.

Too tier Britain - those who have and those who have not.

[7by7]

I see nothing wrong with a 'means test' as such; I believe all immigrants should be able to support themselves, or be supported by family, without reliance upon state aid.

It is the arbitrary nature of a set minimum figure which takes no account of outgoings that I find objectionable.

My reading of the article is that the Minister, and Mr Vaz, don't feel the income requirement for a family settlement visa is unfair; they think it's unfair that they cannot apply similar requirement to EEA nationals and their families.

These only have to show that they can support and accommodate themselves without recourse to public funds; which used the be the requirement for family members of British nationals as well.

[steve187]

He seems to be saying that EU members should also have the £18,600, not that the figure should be reduced for UK citizens,this would then affect the SS route.

[bobrussell]

I very much doubt he feels any guilt about the £18 600!

There is something intrinsically unfair about two families living next door, each with a non-EU partner. One needs to earn £18 600, the other does not! Perhaps made more aggravating because the non-earning family will not be British!

Unless and until they can change EU law this will continue. If they do manage to change it then it will be equally inflexible and of dubious fairness for everybody!

[Donutz]

Or the various goverments (UK, NL, BE, ...) could get their heads out of their ***** and simply return the income requirement to "be able to support yourself". Not going to happen anytime soon I'm afraid but neither is a change of Directive 2004/38/EC