UK pauses Sunak government's move to raise minimum income threshold for Family Visas

The United Kingdom has paused its planned increase in the minimum income requirement for British nationals and permanent residents for bringing family members to the country. This decision, which affects many Indian families, was confirmed by UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in a written statement to the House of Commons. The current annual income threshold of GBP 29,000 will remain unchanged until the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) completes a review of the impact on families.

The MAC has also been asked to evaluate the reliance of key sectors, particularly IT and engineering, on international recruitment, including significant contributions from India. "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," Cooper said.

Cooper emphasized the need for a thorough review, saying, "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 GBP 29,000, and there will be no further changes until the MAC review is complete."


The previous Conservative government, led by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, had announced a series of measures to curb migration in December last year. Among these was a proposal to increase the minimum salary required for British nationals to sponsor long-term Family Visas for spouses or parents from GBP 18,600 to GBP 29,000, with future increases planned to GBP 38,700, aligning with the Skilled Worker Visa route's minimum income requirement.

Analysts warned that such a significant hike would impact the family plans of those with lower incomes. According to UK Home Office statistics from earlier this year, Indians accounted for the second-highest number of Family Visa sponsors in 2023, with 5,248 applications, following Pakistanis (14,330) and ahead of Bangladeshis (3,534).

In her migration strategy, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper outlined plans to enhance the MAC's capabilities to identify sectors with labor market issues, leading to an over-reliance on international recruitment. "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," Cooper told the Commons.

She highlighted that these occupational groups are among the top ten in the UK with the highest percentage of their workforce comprised of new foreign workers on visas. To support the MAC, Cooper plans to deploy additional Home Office staff to its secretariat, enabling it to work strategically in forecasting future trends and providing independent, evidence-based recommendations on immigration system areas.

Despite the change in government, many visa restrictions implemented by the previous Conservative administration, including those affecting overseas students and care workers' ability to bring family dependents, remain in place under the new Labour regime. Cooper remarked, "This government strongly values the economic and academic contribution that international students make to this country, including those here on the graduate visa, and that is why it is important to ensure that the system is effective and not open to abuse."

She reiterated the commitment to previously announced measures to protect the immigration system from exploitation, emphasizing collaboration with the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure effectiveness. Criticizing the Conservative Party for the data showing that "net migration trebled in five years," Cooper stated her focus on aligning migration policy and visa controls with skills and labor market strategies to prevent immigration from becoming an "alternative to training or tackling workforce problems" in the country.