The minimum income necessary by the UK for British citizens and residents, including those of Indian descent, to sponsor their relatives on a Family Visa has increased by a substantial 55%. The increase, which went into effect on Thursday, came after the UK government's announcement last year of a gradual increase in salary criteria. A minimum annual wage of GBP 29,000, instead of GBP 18,600, is now required for someone to be sponsored to enter the UK on a family visa under the revised minimum income requirements.

UK Home Office in ‘final measure’ for package to reduce legal migration

By early next year, this will go up by two more times to match the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold of GBP 38,700, PTI reported. The UK Home Office said it marks the final measure in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly’s package to reduce legal migration and ensure those arriving here do not burden the taxpayer. “We have reached a tipping point with mass migration. There is no simple solution or easy decision which cuts numbers to levels acceptable to the British people,”Cleverly said The move had been criticisd by the Opposition when it was first tabled in the House of Commons in December 2023. It led the government to opt for a more staged approach to the salary threshold hike, rather than an immediate hike to GBP 38,700, as previously indicated. The Home Office said the staged approach to increasing the income requirement for the Family Visa gives predictability to families, enabling them to plan accordingly, whilst ensuring that anyone coming to the UK to be with their family or loved ones is supported financially. The sponsoring family member, or in combination with the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work, must now have an income of at least GBP 29,000 earned in the UK. The requirement can be met in several ways, including through savings exclusively or in addition to a lower income, the Home Office said. It follows the Sunak-led government’s steps to cut migration, current levels of which are seen as too high, putting pressure on public services, housing, and undercutting British workers. The latest measure is part of a wider package unveiled last year, which the Home Office says will mean approximately 300,000 people arriving in the UK last year would no longer be able to. Since the beginning of this year, several visa norms have been tightened as part of the package.