BristolUK

And so could the people who have fought against deportation. But judges still ruled in their favour.

formula

It's not just about marriage of convenience though. Cameron said (many times) that the UK taxpayers should not have to continue to shoulder the costs of foreign nationals. Hence why he wants the UK national to show they have the income to support their foreign national partner and not be a burden to the UK taxpayer.

When they were talking about Australian and Canadian immigration rules,I did wonder if he would add medicals too to the new rules.

dunroving

Yes, duration of marriage seems to have been ignored in all this. I mean, who'd put up with you for 10 years, just to gain entry into the UK? (When I say "you" I mean it in the general sense of course )

BristolUK

Still, that makes life a bit easier doesn't it? Sorry mum, sorry dad, the government won't let us come back to be near you.

The spirit of Thatcher lives on.

iaink

"Shes not a foreign national, shes my wife"

Seriously though, having to find child care (tax decuctable) to watch my british kids while I go work would cost the tax payer more than letting her into the country as a stay at home mum.

And if shouldering the cost of foreign nationals is a concern, then why make it hard for her to work if she moved to the UK with her husband and kids. Makes no sense to me. by all means limit benefits, or require a guarantor, but preventing families from being together when 3 out of 4 are british makes absolutely no sense to me. There are better ways to deal with it.

Bob

NHS and education come out of general taxation, so it wouldn't be a extra burden, unless someone lived in a commune cut away from society.

BristolUK

But you do know full well that many will not be a "burden" and they still won't meet the income condition and there will be people who will draw upon the UK system precisely because they cannot bring their foreign spouse with them.

formula

Yes, I think the EU leaders have finally woken up to the fact that human rights laws do not not apply to citizens in their own countires.

Other western countries just throw those types out anyway and then pay a fine to the EU for going against EU law. It's cheaper than all the cost the UK racks up in court fees and keeping those type of people and their families.

Some EU countries even refuse EU fre worker movemnet rights to those who should have them as family of an EU citizen. The UK has got to stop being too fair. Each time it happens in the UK, it is just another nail in the coffin of the EU - perhaps that is the plan?

formula

It would be a burden if the UK citizen wasn't paying taxes.

Interesting to see that on immigration (to the UK) forums, some non-EUs will get visas to the Uk and then work 2 or 3 jobs to get enough money to stay here and bring over their non-EU family. Why don't Brits want to do that for their non-EU partners?

formula

Wasn't it you that said something along the lines - that it is damm right that you expect to up and retire to the UK with your foreign national wife and both be given free NHS (and welfare like bus passes, winter fuel, care homes etc). How is that not being a burden to the UK?

BristolUK

I think there's quite a difference between people from other countries wanting to MOVE to the UK and people wanting to return HOME to the UK.

Aside from which, what if they cannot work, but will still not NEED to claim anything?

robin1234

My wife now gets her British Old Age Pension. (Well, she would if she filled in the form and sent it back to the good folks in Newcastle.) So here is a person who receives a British Old Age Pension for life, but may not be eligible to live in the UK. (We lived & worked in the UK before 1991, but didn't get her citizenship when we left to live in the US. Obviously that was an error, but we didn't think the barriers would get so onerous for returning..)

Not a good time for trying to prove that you can get a certain income from a set amount of retirement savings, since investment & saving yields are historically low right now.

iaink

Er, cos we are living hapilly enough together overseas, paying our way. Why the hell should we have to split up a family in order to move back to the motherland?

robin1234

NHS -- bus passes -- if you return to retire in the UK, then of course you become a UK taxpayer, so no, you are not a burden.

My case, for instance. My wife & I lived in the UK from 1972-1976, and 1979-1991. We both worked & payed taxes all those years. We were eligible for NHS, but being young, hardly ever went to the doctor etc. Now we'll come back in 2013 (let's say) we become taxpayers again, so obviously become eligible for the NHS again. What's the problem?

formula

Another poster on immigration boards summed these immigration changes up. They said that because the last government (Blair) opened the immigration door wide with easy routes to the UK for virtually everyone, the new changes were going to have to be tough, much tougher than they even were before.

The things Blair did just to import more labour voters. Power hungry and money hungry is not a good combination.