UK family visa rules should be eased, says government review

A new report from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommends relaxing the UK’s family visa income threshold, currently set at £29,000 per year, imposed by the Conservative government under Rishi Sunak. Labour, which had pledged a review after pledging to oppose a proposed increase to £38,700, welcomed the intervention.

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💰 Proposed new income threshold

The MAC suggests a minimum income requirement (MIR) in the range of £23,000–£25,000, with a broader acceptable band of £21,000–£28,000, based on detailed modeling. This change would benefit families on full-time minimum wage jobs who currently fall short.

Although higher than the pre-2024 baseline of £18,600, it marks a step towards reuniting working-class families.

Reducing the threshold to around £24,000 per year could increase net migration by approximately 8,000 people per year, accounting for 1–3% of anticipated future net migration figures.

Rachel Roberts/Dos Santos

Rachel Roberts Dos Santos and her two sons, Emanoel and Jaime, have been separated from her Brazilian husband, Manoel, due to the current income rules. Rachel initially believed she could reunite with her husband after earning a qualifying wage, but lost her job during COVID, delaying the reunion.
For a brief period in 2023, one of their children’s modeling income allowed them to travel to see Manoel for the first time in four years. He later returned on a six-month tourist visa, only to leave again. Rachel is currently training to earn above the £29,000 threshold.

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The MAC also suggests allowing income from partner job offers to be counted toward the requirement.

Reunite Families UK, led by Caroline Coombs, stresses that even a reduced MIR continues to be a “tax on love” and advocates for removing the requirement entirely.

Green MP Carla Denyer agreed, calling the current policy “cruel and impractical,” and describing it as a barrier that “tears families apart.”

Conservative politician and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp defended existing controls, urging a return to proposals for a £38,000 threshold, coupled with stricter immigration caps and a push to override the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The MAC recommends lowering the family visa income threshold to around £23,000–£25,000—a middle ground between past and present levels. While this could help many families reunite, campaigners continue to push for the complete abolition of income rules, calling them an unfair burden on loved ones.