In an unexpected move, British home secretary James Cleverly has partially climbed down over his plan to raise the minimum annual salary level of UK-based sponsors from 18,600 pounds to 38,700 pounds. Most family visas are issued to the foreign wives of British nationals wishing to settle in Britain, but can also cover children or other close relatives. Mr Cleverly had earlier claimed that the huge increase was necessary both to cut immigration levels into the UK and because the income floor had not been raised for over a decade.
In the compromise move, the minimum salary level for sponsors will now be 29,000 pounds from next spring, with later increases reserved for an indefinite future. Critics had said the earlier huge increase in the salary level of sponsors was a tax on love or created Skype families as the spouses of British nationals would not be able to live in UK. Family visas, which allow immigrants the right to work legally in UK, are the normal route to apply for permanent residence. However, that process cannot start until five years have elapsed from initial entry.
Thai nationals are not a major group in the applications for UK family visas and are thought to number only several dozen annually. The visa is expensive to process as there are application submission fees plus health and insurance charges as well as an English-language competency examination to pass. The majority of applications for the family visa are from the Indian sub-continent. In cases of refusal, there is an appeal process to the UK immigration tribunal which can take up to a year to process.
