Immigration Solicitors

The Migrants Rights Network has claimed that 47% of working Britons would be unable to live in the UK with a spouse from overseas because of the coalition government’s tough rules on spousal visas.

Britons married to a partner who is not a British national must be able to support their spouse with a minimum income of £18,600.

Outside London, the national minimum wage for full-time work is £13,200 – meaning that lower paid workers who are married to a partner from overseas cannot afford to bring their spouse to live in the UK.

Policy director at the Migrants Rights Network, Ruth Grove-White, said:

“This analysis shows that hardworking families outside London are bearing the brunt of the government's tough migration rules.

“Effectively, a price has been put on love – and those who don't earn enough are facing indefinite separation from their husband or wife.

”This is not just a problem in the immigration rules, it raises questions about the kind of society we want to be – one that respects the right of British citizens to live with their family, or one that deems some too poor to have equal rights?"

The coalition government has introduced tougher rules for migrants to the UK, including restrictions on claiming benefits, which make new migrants wait for three months before being able to claim.

Tougher rules on spousal visas mean that Britons who marry partners from other countries must be able to prove they can support them rather than have to claim benefits.

Unmarried partners can also apply for an unmarried partners’ visa, but couples have to prove they have been together for more than two years in a relationship akin to marriage.

Even if couples have been together for longer, they may still only be granted an unmarried partners’ visa for a probationary period.

Couples who apply for an unmarried partners’ visa must also be able to show they have sufficient funds to support themselves without recourse to welfare benefits.

Last year, a judge called for the minimum income threshold of £18,600 for bringing an overseas spouse to the UK to live to be reduced to £13,400.

It is thought the current rules have resulted in married couples living apart – and children being brought up overseas or in the UK without regular contact with a parent who is unable to settle in the UK.

Home Office data suggests that more than 17,000 married couples may be affected by the income threshold of £18,600, preventing one partner from entering the UK to live with their spouse.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors/strong>

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of immigration solicitors and can advise couples in international marriages on spousal visas, marriage in the UK, British citizenship and right to work in the UK.

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can also advise on illegal entry to the UK and detention pending deportation from the UK – as well as asylum applications and asylum appeals.

For expert legal advice on immigration law in the UK – including marriage in the UK, spousal visas and British citizenship – contact Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.