Editha

Sign Petition: Allow British families to stay together by removing minimum income req
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Petition requires 100,000 signatures before the government will debate it and 10k to respond. So far, there's just under 7,000 - let's spread the word in case it helps improve visibility for some of us!

If any of you are active on social media, this would be a great thing to promote and sharing options are available on the petition page.


https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/107958

Deadline is 11 March, 2016 - let's do this!

not2old

from the other thread below, will this thread also get closed ?

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...me-req-866299/

My opinion on the OP is that the UK government will not change anything pertaining to the income requirement for family of a settled person visa category.

I for one would leave it as 'it is', I would even endorse raising the limit to 100k

Remember the [fight for] an indexed state pension for those living in the colonies, which was squashed by the European Parliament - so, fat chance the UK government will reverse the high income requirement for 'family of a settled person'

So we have the Surinder Singh for now

robin1234

Surely you don't mean the INCOME limit should be raised to 100k - do you? Savings limit, maybe?

BristolUK

Really?

You may not have seen me commenting on this issue before.

My income in retirement is way above UK means tested levels. I have two modestly priced houses in Canada, as you know, and the money raised from selling would easily pay for a suitable home in the UK.

My wife died earlier this year but when this legislation was introduced it was obvious that although I could have provided a UK home, still had a tidy sum in the bank and have an income high enough to rule out any need for benefits, I would have been unable to live in the UK with my Canadian wife of many years because the threshold was too high.

And you want to raise it further?

Of course I could have sold up here and then kept the money in the bank and qualified under the savings exception.

But then there's that small matter of where we'd live and how to pay for it. I know, rent somewhere.

Oh hang on though, that means I'd have to start using the capital to pay for rent.

Guess what. When that capital is significantly reduced and I'm no longer in a position to buy a home because it's been going on rent, I then become due Housing Benefit.

So the system to discourage benefit reliance would have prevented me coming back with my wife even though there would have been no need for benefits except for the exception that would have created a need for benefits where none need have existed.

That's really screwed up.

mikelincs

I posted on the other thread, and the fact is that the oly way the threshold will be reduced is by it being taken through the supreme court and the government ordeered to lower it. With the current debate in the UK over immigration and the fact that the figures are far too high according to the government, then it's unlikely that any thing will get done.
I fully sympathise with those unable to return to the UK, but they are stuck between a rock and a hard place in the current climate.

BristolUK

It shouldn't be viewed as an immigration issue though. It's about Brits returning to their country and being able to do so with their loved ones.

It would have been easy to exempt those married for a minimum period or even to look at the reasons for return.

I mean, supposing someone was returning to care for an ageing or sick parent? And the fact they are prevented from returning means they can't care for their parent who then needs residential or nursing care at a far greater cost to the country.

spouse of scouse

Great post, and one I fully agree with

spouse of scouse

Can't sign yet as I'm still in Australia, but the minute I arrive in the UK (4 November!) I'll sign

michali

I LOVE this post! And totally agree.

curleytops

But don't forget Scouse can sign now

spouse of scouse

I didn't know that curleytops, I thought you had to physically in the UK and our ISP address would give us away! I'll get Scouse onto it in the morning

He's fast asleep dreaming good British dreams, while I've just finished the nightmare also known as UK online spouse visa application

not2old

oops, that's correct - savings limit 100K, income limit 25k

spouse of scouse

What's your justification for those amounts? Just asking

not2old

on the OP, why was it the government changed the rules in 2012 & introduced what is now in place?

Someone, somewhere must have done this for a reason & purpose?

Of course as Bristol mentioned there could have been other options or provisions made for particular circumstance - then again, where do you draw the line.

I stick with savings limit increase as well as income increase from where it is now.

You can have a go at me, re-write the legislation... but you know what, IMO the UK doesn't want non EU spouses coming in & will IMO continue to make it tougher.

At some point, should the UK get its way, they will abolish the 'Surinder Singh' route.

An EU exit vote will fix everything

spouse of scouse

I wasn't having a go at you, I was interested in why/how you came up with those particular amounts. Otherwise it just looks like an arbitrary figure you pulled out of mid-air.