Why do we need to earn £18,600? Or be loaded with savings?

[songz777]

Hi guys, I have always wondered why it is we have to earn £18,600 or have £27,000 ish if we are on a minimum wage? Does anyone know the reason behind it? Because there is no way I would need to spend that kind of money ever on my family.

Thanks,
John

[Dedworth]

In a nutshell, because of previous abuse of immigration regulations by people from places like Nigeria and the Indian Sub Continent

[andy222]

Well John, £18,600 was the figure put on by this government. Personally I asked the same question, why? Yes, it is partly because of people abusing the system (and still are). I don't think it has anything to do with claiming benefits, because you can still claim some of them. Obviously the benefits you claim do not go towards the £18,600 you require.

[Trefor]

Because the government created one rule for the whole of the UK. It is hard to police a rule per region, and I bet everyone would move to Devon while they imported their spouses :-)

If you live in deepest Devon it is probably much cheaper to live and support a spouse than the South East and this income level looks a lot more unfair than in other parts of the country.

[songz777]

So guys your saying that this £18,600 rule, etc, is just some figure drawn out of a hat? Or is there a theory/formula of how this figure was decided upon?

[fred]

So guys your saying that this £18,600 rule, etc, is just some figure drawn out of a hat? Or is there a theory/formula of how this figure was decided upon?

I think it's based on what Southerners earn every 6 months or so and then averaged out.

[stevewool]

Yes there is a theory: Squeeze as much as they can from the silly buggers who fall in love with someone not from these shores.

[Terpe]

So guys your saying that this £18,600 rule, etc, is just some figure drawn out of a hat? Or is there a theory/formula of how this figure was decided upon?

No John, it's not just some figure drawn out of a hat.

Following the usual consultations processes there was a review made by MAC (Migration Advisory Committee)

It went under the heading "Review of the Income Requirement for Sponsorship under the Family Migration Route"

If you have an interest here's a link to the document:-


Review of the Income Requirement for Sponsorship under the Family Migration Route

It's quite a long read. Over 80 pages.

[Terpe]

From page 75 of the above report:-

....

5.18. Earlier in this chapter we recommended that the income threshold to sponsor a spouse/partner be set within a range of £18,600 to £25,700. According to Figure 3.10, at the lower bound of this range, 45 per cent of applicants would not meet this level of income threshold, while

64 per cent would not be able to meet the upper bound of this range.....

[songz777]

No John, it's not just some figure drawn out of hat.

Following the usual consultations processes there was a review made by MAC (Migration Advisory Committee)

It went under the heading "Review of the Income Requirement for Sponsorship under the Family Migration Route"

If you have an interest here's a link to the document:-


Review of the Income Requirement for Sponsorship under the Family Migration Route

It's quite a long read. Over 80 pages.

Thank you Terpe, and yes, I am interested in these matters

[Iani]

For what it's worth, I've heard the Conservatives wanted to impose the upper limit of £24k, but the LibDems in the coalition insisted if they were going to do this at all, it had to be the lower limit.

Whether or not you believe that is another debate, and as this was told to me by a LibDem councillor trying to get my vote, well - go figure!

There was a story that the Conservatives were originally proposing an income requirement of over £40,000, but the story goes this was blocked by Baroness Warsi - who was on the Cabinet at the time - as it would amount to a "whites only" immigration system.

Again that could be urban legend, but I did read it somewhere.