The Home Office's visa-restrictive policies have meant thousands of children are spending Christmas without one of their parents overseas, with charities calling the UK “one of the worst countries in the world for family reunification”. There is.
Under the Family Immigration Rules, a UK-based spouse must: earn the minimum A payment of £29,000 is required before a non-British spouse can apply for a visa to live here.
The previous government had planned to increase the minimum income threshold for these visas from £18,600 to £38,700 by spring 2025, but this is being considered by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). For now, the increase is fixed at £29,000.
The group Reunite Families UK carried out research into the negative impact of minimum income requirements on children who they say are hidden victims of what they describe as “cruel immigration policies”. They are submitting their findings to the MAC.
Working with children's charity Coram, they analyzed surveys from 745 families in this situation and interviewed children individually in small groups. The study found that 67% of children in separated families are able to see their parents who are forced to live abroad less than once a year, and 85% of these families have minimum income requirements for their families. He says that it is a barrier to reunion.
The study found that the policy left families more likely to fall into poverty, faced isolation and mental health problems, and left children feeling angry, confused and distressed.
One child told researchers that other children had things around him that he did not have. [the child’s mother] I was trying to save money to meet my father. ”
According to the study, one child was told in court by a Home Office official that his mother would look after him via Skype.
Leighton Allen, 29, a British national, met his partner Sophie Nyenza, 31, a Tanzanian national, during a trip to Tanzania two and a half years ago. The couple fell in love and Nyenza became pregnant. They have been separated since then, except for a brief trip to Tanzania where Allen visited Nyanza and baby Miles, as Allen's £12 an hour retail job prevented him from meeting the minimum income requirements for Nyanza to apply for a visa. I am doing it.
“This policy is honestly going to destroy us. It says only the wealthy can fall in love with someone overseas,” Allen said.
South African national Sean (who did not want his last name used) is forcibly separated from his British wife Jane. Jayne moved to South Africa with her family when she was five years old and grew up there. They have been together for 18 years and have two children, ages 10 and 16. They decide to move to the UK, but Jayne is here alone trying to earn enough money to reach the minimum income requirements that her husband and children can apply for. visa.
“It's like being held to ransom by your family,” Sean said. “I'm trying to make it the best Christmas for my kids in South Africa, but my wife will have to eat Christmas lunch alone in the UK without me or the kids. I'll wake up at 2am and say 40 I am concerned about the visa requirements which are over a page.”
Caroline Coombes, director of Reunite Families UK, said: “The UK remains one of the worst countries in the world for family reunification. We have asked the Immigration Advisory Committee to listen to these shared experiences and provide support for UK nationals, long-term residents and their We urge you to help ensure that children are no longer devastated by cruel policies.”
Carol Homden, chief executive of Coram, said: “For over 12 years, strict financial checks on British and settled partners when sponsoring partners from abroad have meant that infants and children have been separated from their parents. I've been separated,” he said. It is time to properly consider the impact of this policy on children. ”
The interior minister has asked the MAC to consider the issue, which is expected to take about nine months, a ministry official said. During that period, the minimum income threshold will remain at £29,000.
