Visas: Families

Home Office written question – answered am ar 11 Rhagfyr 2023.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Stuart McDonald Stuart McDonald Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Statement of 4 November 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report column 42, what the evidential basis was for setting the income threshold for spouse and family visas at £38,700; and whether he sought (a) advice from the Migration Advisory Committee and (b) other independent advice before setting that threshold.

Photo of Stuart McDonald Stuart McDonald Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement to the House on 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, on what evidential basis his Department decided to set a minimum income threshold for family visas at £38,700; whether his Department held discussions with (a) Migration Advisory Committee and (b) stakeholders before changing the minimum income threshold for family visas; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting a lower threshold.

Photo of Stuart McDonald Stuart McDonald Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date he plans to bring into force the increase in financial threshold for family visas to £38,700; and whether people who apply before the new threshold comes into force will have the existing threshold applied to them if their application has not been decided before the date of the threshold increase.

Photo of Tom Pursglove Tom Pursglove Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The government will publish an impact assessment on these changes in due course. The Migration Advisory Committee was not asked to provide further advice related to this change as previous advice and evidence provided by the Migration Advisory Committee was already available and considered.

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