15 September 2024
On 10 September 2024, the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, formally commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the current £29,000 minimum income requirement for UK family, partner and spouse visas. The previous government increased the minimum income threshold for family visas from £18,600 to £29,000 in April 2024 and intended to increase it again to £34,500 later this year and then to £38,700 in early 2025, as part of its plan to reduce net migration. There is certainly a risk that the Migration Advisory Committee could support the previous government’s plan and recommend a further increase; however, it has been confirmed that there will be no further changes for now as the financial requirement will remain at £29,000 until the MAC review is complete.
The Migration Advisory Committee is expected to deliver its report around May 2025. The government will then consider the MAC’s recommendations and decide whether to accept them or not. It may be politically difficult to reinstate the old financial requirement of £18,600 with extra income needed for each dependent child, especially considering the fact that the minimum income threshold had not been reviewed since it was first implemented in July 2012. However, there is some hope that it will remain at £29,000 on a permanent basis, with no additional income required to bring dependent non-British children to the UK.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is currently conducting a consultation process on the proposed changes to the minimum income threshold to gather a broad range of perspectives on the impact and effectiveness of the financial requirements. The consultation period is for three months, closing on Wednesday, 11 December 2024. The call for evidence is open to organisations as well as individuals on the Home Office website.
