Around half of British workers do not earn the salary required to bring partners from overseas to the UK under new Home Office family visa changes, research suggests.As part of the Government's bid to curb net migration, an increase in the minimum salary required for those arriving on a Skilled Worker Visa, from £26,200 to £38,700, will start from April 4.
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00:00 Around 300,000 fewer people will be eligible to come to the UK
00:04 than were coming last year.
00:06 This is the largest reduction on record.
00:09 The government has announced a new set of reforms
00:12 in a bid to curb net migration.
00:13 So what are they and when will they come into effect?
00:17 The newest reforms are largely centred on family visas.
00:21 From the 11th of March,
00:22 rules allowing care workers to bring family members to the UK will be tightened.
00:27 Care providers will be required to register with the Care Quality Commission
00:30 if they want to sponsor migrants.
00:32 The Minister for Social Care has said that immigration is not the long-term answer
00:37 and that alongside these restrictions,
00:38 they will introduce reforms to boost our homegrown care workforce.
00:42 From the 4th of April, there will also be an increase in the minimum salary
00:46 required for those arriving on a skilled worker visa by almost 50%.
00:50 From £26,200 a year to £38,700,
00:57 along with this, the minimum threshold for those bringing dependents on family visas
01:01 will increase in stages from April 11th.
01:04 Workers will need to be earning at least £29,000 a year
01:08 to bring a family member from abroad,
01:11 a huge jump from the existing £18,600 minimum.
01:15 Research from Oxford University has found that around half of all British workers
01:19 earn less than this proposed rate.
01:21 Those most likely to be affected are women, people aged under 30 and above 50,
01:26 and those living outside the South East.
01:29 The government is looking to bring migration to what James cleverly called 'sustainable levels'.
01:34 This comes after data released in November showed net migration was at a record high in 2022.
01:41 But academics have cast doubt over whether the changes to family visas
01:45 will make much impact on net migration,
01:47 since they make up only 5% of all entry visas granted.
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