Rishi Sunak visited Lincolnshire Ambulance Service headquarters on Friday
Rishi Sunak faced backlash from Conservatives on Friday over refusal Government to back down on spousal visas as he admitted the crackdown will not be fully implemented until after the election.
The Prime Minister said he plans to increase the minimum income required for a foreign partner or spouse to come to the UK to pounds. 38,700 will come into force no earlier than spring 2025.
It follows Thursday's announcement that the introduction of the new threshold will be phased in, rising from £18,600 to £29,000 in spring 2024, rather than the previous £38,700. announced earlier this month.
Sources said the government was forced to take the step due to criticism from left-wing MPs and legal advice that the Home Office would lose a legal challenge under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the right to a family life. .
Jonathan Gallis, a former minister, said the decision was “deeply disappointing” and “undermining” efforts to reduce net migration, which reached a record high of 745,000 last year and tripled pre-Brexit levels. < /p>
“Voters will be deeply disappointed that they have heard the rhetoric but not seen it implemented. I'm getting more and more upset. All I want us to do is demonstrate that we are taking back control of our borders, as we promised,” he said.
The Tories promised in their 2019 manifesto to cut net migration below its then level. 226,000, but at the next election, according to official forecasts of the Office for Budget Responsibility, their number will exceed 400,000.
James Cleverley, the home secretary, predicts his five-point plan to crack down on students and dependents of care workers, raising the wage threshold and tightening family visas will reduce net migration by 300,000.
“Immigration into the UK is too much.” is high.»
Mr Sunak said on Friday that the principle of requiring families to be able to support dependents brought into the country was «absolutely correct».
“That’s why we have a salary threshold for this. Now we are significantly raising the salary threshold and doing exactly what we said. We just do it in two steps. So it will rise in a few months and then rise again by the full amount in 2025.”
However, MPs warned that delaying some changes could undermine efforts to reduce migration ahead of elections expected next fall or winter.
Miriam Cates, co-chair of the New Conservative group of MPs, said: “Lowering the threshold for spousal visas so soon after promising a crackdown does not bode well. Immigration into the UK is too high. The government must take decisive action to limit the number of visas issued to foreign workers, students and dependents.
“We have very little time left before the next election to show voters that we are committed to reducing immigration. Phased changes to visa requirements will not achieve this goal.»
Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense group of MPs, said a phased increase in the family visa threshold to £38,700 was «essential» it won't take long.»
“I say it needs to be done very quickly because you need confidence. We need certainty for individuals and of course for employers. This needs to be done quickly so that people know where they are,” he said.
European Research Group Deputy Chairman David Jones said the decision to delay the introduction of the threshold for family visas was “worrying” and “It’s a shame that this announcement was not made during the meeting of the House of Representatives.»
A source close to Robert Jenrick, the former immigration secretary, said the entire package “needs to be implemented now, not delayed until the spring or watered down.” More measures are needed, not less.”
The delay in the spousal visa follows criticism that it would split families and force foreigners to leave the UK. Reunite Families, which campaigns on behalf of families affected by immigration rules, has appointed lawyers to challenge the changes.
Experts from the Migration Advisory Committee said the change threatens to ruin wedding plans as many UK residents intending to marry with foreigners will no longer meet the minimum wage threshold required for their spouses to move here.
The policy means that UK Residents who want to live in the UK with a foreign partner or spouse will need to earn at least £29,000 or have a similar amount of savings. The threshold, designed to ensure foreign partners do not become a burden on the state, has not been raised from £18,600 since it was introduced in 2012.
The Home Office estimates it is between 50 and 60 per cent of the population . reach the £29,000 threshold and noted that savings and non-work income are also taken into account.
Officials acknowledged there was likely to be an increase in the number of people making successful claims under their entitlement . to family life, as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The Home Office document states: “Although only a few hundred such applications are currently made per year, it is likely that a large proportion of people will not meet the earnings-only threshold and will rely on their Article 8 rights.”
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