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1715018

registered interest
date	30/04/2024
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, pursuant to his answer of 30 April 2024 to Question 23225 on Visas: Families, how many staff have been (a) recruited and (b) re-deployed to his Department's Family and Human Rights Unit.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
uin	24252
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>Whilst this information is recorded on our systems, it is not in a reportable format.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 09/05/2024 16:51:24 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1713202

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
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, whether he plans to (a) review and (b) increase the number of staff recruited to his Department's Family and Human Rights Unit in the context of trends in the proportion of people relying on their rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in applications for family visas.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
uin	23225
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2024 answer text <p>Yes, we have both recruited new staff and redeployed existing staff to this area of work.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 30/04/2024 15:32:56 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

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

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

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

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

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

1686371

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 he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed increases in the minimum income threshold for family visas on people in each region.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	12319
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 12314 12315 question first answered 07/02/2024 15:51:28 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson