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1676897

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to this Oral Statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 41, if he will publish the evidential basis that increasing the salary threshold for family visas will achieve its policy objectives.
	tabling member constituency	North Down
	tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
	uin	6331
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2023 answer text <p>Investigative work has been undertaken across Government to support decision making in this process; analysis will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 20/12/2023 12:56:58 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1678661

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 42, when he plans to publish details of transition arrangements for couples who have already set a date for their wedding.
	tabling member constituency	Llanelli
	tabling member printed	Dame Nia Griffith
	uin	7300
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2024 answer text <p>Those who already have a family visa within the five-year partner route, or who apply before the minimum income threshold is raised, will continue to have their applications assessed against the current income requirement and will not be required to meet the increased threshold. This will also be the case for children seeking to join or accompany parents.</p><p>Anyone granted a fiancé visa before the minimum income threshold is raised will also be assessed against the current income requirement when they apply for a family visa within the five year partner route.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 10/01/2024 17:40:24 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

1679136

	registered interest
	date	19/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing third party support from the (a) parents and (b) siblings of the (i) applicant and (ii) their partner to contribute towards the minimum income requirement for family visas.
	tabling member constituency	Cynon Valley
	tabling member printed	Beth Winter
	uin	7700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2024 answer text <p>The announcements made on 4 December relate solely to the level of the minimum income requirement (MIR). There are no current plans to make any changes to the rules regarding job offers or third-party support, although we keep all our rules under review.<strong> </strong></p><p>British citizens and those settled in the UK are free to enter into a genuine relationship with whomever they choose, but if they wish to establish their family life in the UK, it is appropriate they should do so on a basis which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration. This is fair to migrants and to the wider community.</p><p>Support from a third party cannot<strong> </strong>generally be counted towards the MIR. The applicant and their partner must generally have the required resources under their own control, not somebody else’s.</p><p>Under the Immigration Rules, consideration of other credible and reliable sources of income, financial support, or funds available to the couple, may be taken into account where an applicant is unable to meet the MIR and refusal of an application for a partner visa could otherwise breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This may include credible prospective earnings from employment based on a confirmed job offer in the UK. Full details of the circumstances of when such a confirmed job offer or third party support may be considered as counting toward the MIR can be found in the published guidance at Gov.UK.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 7698 7699 question first answered 11/01/2024 12:28:55 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4809 label Biography information for Beth Winter

1695401

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 41, whether the joining family member of a person who (a) would have met the former threshold for family visas in force until 10 of April 2024 and (b) does not qualify under the new threshold will be placed on the 10-year route to settlement.
	tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
	tabling member printed	Tim Farron
	uin	18098
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government engages regularly with interested stakeholders including through a number of its advisory groups, when developing its policies. We did not invite representations from stakeholders specifically on the MIR prior to the announcement of 4 December 2023.</p><p>The decision to raise the MIR was taken to ensure that migration policy is supportive of the wider ambition for the UK to be a high-wage, high-productivity, high-skill economy, and help to ensure that migrants make a net positive contribution to the public finances in addition to ensuring that families would not need to have recourse to welfare and had sufficient resources to participate in British life.</p><p>Previous advice and evidence provided by the Migration Advisory Committee regarding net-fiscal contributions and access to benefits was considered when making this decision. We did not seek further advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) before making the decision to increase the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) element of the family Immigration Rules.</p><p>A child who is applying for permission after 11 April 2024 to join their parent who, prior to 11 April met the lower threshold and was granted permission, will be subject to transitional arrangements and must meet the same threshold as their parent (£18,600 plus the child component, capped at £29,000). Where they meet the threshold alongside the other requirements of the 5-year route, they will be granted on the 5-year route to settlement.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 18096 18097 question first answered 20/03/2024 11:21:59 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1695400

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 41, whether his Department invited representations from stakeholders prior to announcing an increase to the Minimum Income Requirement for family visas.
	tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
	tabling member printed	Tim Farron
	uin	18097
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government engages regularly with interested stakeholders including through a number of its advisory groups, when developing its policies. We did not invite representations from stakeholders specifically on the MIR prior to the announcement of 4 December 2023.</p><p>The decision to raise the MIR was taken to ensure that migration policy is supportive of the wider ambition for the UK to be a high-wage, high-productivity, high-skill economy, and help to ensure that migrants make a net positive contribution to the public finances in addition to ensuring that families would not need to have recourse to welfare and had sufficient resources to participate in British life.</p><p>Previous advice and evidence provided by the Migration Advisory Committee regarding net-fiscal contributions and access to benefits was considered when making this decision. We did not seek further advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) before making the decision to increase the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) element of the family Immigration Rules.</p><p>A child who is applying for permission after 11 April 2024 to join their parent who, prior to 11 April met the lower threshold and was granted permission, will be subject to transitional arrangements and must meet the same threshold as their parent (£18,600 plus the child component, capped at £29,000). Where they meet the threshold alongside the other requirements of the 5-year route, they will be granted on the 5-year route to settlement.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 18096 18098 question first answered 20/03/2024 11:21:59 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1678663

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an estimate of the number of couples who will be impacted by the planned increase in the minimum income threshold for family visas.
	tabling member constituency	Llanelli
	tabling member printed	Dame Nia Griffith
	uin	7301
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2024 answer text <p>Analytical work has been undertaken across Government to support decision making in this process. The Home Secretary has made a commitment to place an assessment of the impact of these announcements in the House of Commons Library.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 10/01/2024 17:39:22 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

1691531

	registered interest
	date	20/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his timetable is for announcing further dates on which the minimum income threshold for family visas will increase.
	tabling member constituency	North Norfolk
	tabling member printed	Duncan Baker
	uin	901626
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>Net Migration is simply too high. This is why we have set out a package of measures to reduce net migration including bring the Minimum Income Requirement for family visas is in line with the new minimum general salary threshold for Skilled Workers, which is £38,700.</p><p>We will raise the minimum income for family visas incrementally, in stages. We intend to lay the family Immigration Rules we intend to lay on 14 March which will set out that from 11 April, we will raise the threshold to £29,000, that is the 25th percentile of earnings for jobs which are eligible for Skilled Worker visas.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 26/02/2024 15:44:13 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4784 label Biography information for Duncan Baker

1682000

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the threshold for family visas will be raised to £34,500.
	tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
	tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
	uin	9397
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2024 answer text <p>We will raise the minimum income for family visas incrementally in stages to give predictability to families. Further details will be set out in due course.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 22/01/2024 17:17:42 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1686364

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will issue guidance on exemptions to meeting the minimum income requirement threshold for family visas.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
	tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
	uin	12314
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>On 4 December 2023 the Home Secretary announced his intention to raise the MIR to £38,700, aligned to the level at which the General Skilled Worker threshold is set. On 21 December 2023 we set out further details on how we would implement this through a staged implementation.</p><p>On 30 January 2024, we confirmed the Immigration Rules we intend to lay on 14 March will set out that from 11 April we will raise the threshold to £29,000 - that is the 25th percentile of earnings for jobs which are eligible for Skilled Worker visas.</p><p>We will incrementally increase the threshold to the 40th percentile (currently £34,500), and finally to the 50th percentile (currently £38,700, and the level at which the General Skilled Worker threshold (GSWT) is set) by early 2025.</p><p>It is important that the changes are delivered in a sensible and pragmatic way that gives families time to adapt, but ensures they deliver the reduction in numbers the British people expect.</p><p>Whilst the level of the minimum income requirement (MIR) is being raised, other aspects of the MIR will remain unchanged including exceptions.</p><p>For example, where the applicant’s partner is in receipt of specified benefits or allowances in the UK, such as Disability Living Allowance, the applicant will be able to meet the financial requirement by providing evidence of “adequate maintenance”, rather than meeting an income threshold.</p><p>The family Immigration Rules also contain provisions to allow for a person to be granted a Family visa even where they do not meet the MIR, where they show that their case raises exceptional circumstances, and a refusal of family leave would lead to unjustifiably harsh consequences for them or their family.</p><p>The published guidance on the current MIR is contained in the link below: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapter-8-appendix-fm-family-members" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapter-8-appendix-fm-family-members</a>.</p><p>Analytical work has been undertaken across Government to support decision making in this process, and an Impact Assessment will be developed in due course.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 12315 12319 question first answered 07/02/2024 15:51:27 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1689247

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Reunite Families UK's report entitled UK family migration rules: spouse / partner migration rules: an initial findings report examining the mental health impact of the rules on children and families, published on 18 December 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
	tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
	uin	14173
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>From 11 April 2024, we will raise the minimum income threshold for family visas to £29,000, that is the 25<sup>th</sup> percentile of earnings for jobs which are eligible for Skilled Worker visas. We will incrementally increase the threshold, moving to the 40<sup>th</sup> percentile (currently £34,500), and finally to the 50<sup>th</sup> percentile (currently £38,700, and the level at which the General Skilled Worker threshold is set) by early 2025. The dates of these changes will be set out in due course.</p><p> </p><p>We have reviewed the Reunite Families Report published on 18 December 2023. We will add the findings to our evidence base when formulating future reviews into family immigration policies, including the Minimum Income Requirement.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 14161 question first answered 26/02/2024 17:17:25 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock