The UK government has postponed its plan to raise the family visa income requirement from £29,000 to £38,700 (approximately ₦80 million).
The new threshold, originally set to take effect in 2025, was introduced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as part of measures to address record immigration levels.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the increase will be delayed until the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) completes a comprehensive review of the family visa policy.
Until the review is finished, the current income threshold of £29,000 will remain in place.
Cooper confirmed that no additional policy changes will occur until the MAC’s review is finalized.
The committee has been tasked with assessing the impact of restricting migrant workers from bringing family members to the UK and the effects of raising income thresholds.
Under the new administration, the focus will shift towards improving the skills of the domestic workforce before depending on foreign labor. Cooper criticized the recent rise in legal migration, noting that non-EU long-term migration surged from 277,000 in the year ending December 2022 to 423,000 in the year ending December 2023.
“This is why we are adopting a different approach,” Cooper said. “We aim to link migration policy and visa controls to skills and labor market policies, ensuring immigration is not a substitute for addressing workforce issues domestically.”
