According to the news, Reunite Families UK applied for judicial review to challenge minimum income requirement for UK spouse/family visas.
The Home Office increased the minimum income requirement (MIR) to £29,000 per year, which will rise to £38,700 the next year, for anyone requesting a visa to bring a loved one from abroad.
The pressure organisation Reunite Families UK (RFUK) filed an appeal for court review this week, claiming that the policy violates the UN convention on the rights of the child. The claim will challenge the validity of the increase’s legal justification and the decision’s adherence to official Whitehall advice.
Article 3 of the UN convention on the rights of the child is one of the legal obligations that the secretary of state is bound to uphold, according to court documents. Lawyers will argue that many children will be separated from an overseas parent as a result of the proposed increase to the MIR because the British sponsor can no longer demonstrate the necessary level of savings or income.
This development follows an argument between Sunak and Keir Starmer during Tuesday’s ITV discussion regarding net migration figures. Both sides pledge to implement even more stringent policies to reduce legal immigration, which was estimated to be 685,000 in 2023.
If a British citizen or settled resident wants to live in the UK with a foreign partner or spouse and possibly children, they must apply for a family visa.
The minimum income was £18,600 until April 2024. It is currently £29,000, but by 2025, there is a plan, as revealed earlier this year, to raise it to £34,500 and eventually £38,700. Labour has stated that, in general, it approves of the modifications.
