The UK has raised the minimum income requirement for family visas to £29,000 pounds.
Residents earning below will no longer be able to bring families into the UK.
The UK Home Office made the announcement Thursday stating that the salary threshold for a family visa is expected to increase incrementally to £38,700 by early 2025.
The government says the decision “will ensure people only bring dependants to the UK they can financially support.”
The increase, which marks a 61 percent rise from the former threshold of £18,000 is part of the UK’s overarching goal of slashing migration numbers which hit record levels last year.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that net migration to the UK was 745,000 in 2022, up from 184,000 in 2019 before the pandemic, mainly driven by an increase in non-EU citizens.
James Cleverly, UK home secretary says it is a firm but fair approach.
This decision, which was initially made in December 2023 is the final stage in what the UK considers the biggest-ever cut in legal migration and an immigration system.
Since then, the UK has banned international students and care workers from bringing in dependants, and increased the skilled worker visa salary threshold by 48 percent