There are fears that more people will be separated by the introduction of a minimum salary level for those wanting UK family visas.

Families living in the UK and abroad have raised concerns about what new rules will mean for them as they try to reunite with foreign spouses.

In December, the Home Office, which says migration to the UK is too high, announced a package of measures to reduce net migration, following a spike in arrival numbers.

As of 11 April this year, anyone applying for a visa to bring a loved one from overseas must earn at least £29,000 per year.

A family visa is required for a British citizen or settled resident wanting to bring a foreign partner or spouse, and potentially children, to live in the UK together.

The minimum income required to sponsor a foreign spouse coming to the UK via the Family Visa scheme has now increased from £18,600 to £29,000.

The Government plans to increase this further, in stages, to £38,700 by next spring.

The minimum income requirement applies to the spouse already living in the UK.

In 2020, the UK was placed second from bottom among 56 countries for ease of family reunion, ranking only above Denmark, according to the Migrant Integration Policy Index.

Caroline Coombs, who lives in Bristol, co-founded Reunite Families UK - a non-profit organisation supporting families navigating the visa process.

The group started on Facebook in 2017 and has grown to almost 4,500 members.

Ms Coombs` husband, who is from Ecuador, faced being deported to his home country shortly after the couple - already married at the time - welcomed their first child.

Eight years on, Caroline`s husband Carlos is still in the process of gaining indefinite leave to remain, which would secure his future in the UK.

Another family struggling to come to terms with the new rules are Gary Pepperd and `the love of [his] life`, Shayenne.

Mr Pepperd was living in

Bristol when he met Shayenne. She is Brazilian and was living in Brazil when they connected through social media.

`After a while, we started developing feelings until it got to a point where we wanted to be together,` said Mr Pepperd.

Shayenne came to the UK on a visitor visa and the couple`s relationship flourished. They got married in December 2017.

The pair had planned to live together in the city, but the option to apply for a family visa wasn`t available to them, as Mr Pepperd earned below the previous minimum income requirement of £18,600.

As a result, Mr Pepperd said he decided to move to Brazil so the couple could be together.

`I still have a house in Bristol that I would love to live in with my wife,` he said.

`But the [visa] application process is very expensive and it would mean being separated for a long time.

`I would need to leave my wife, find a job there, collect six months of payslips before I`d be allowed to apply and potentially wait another six months to get an answer.

`Now, it just got even harder,` he added.
Migration `too high`

As highlighted in a recent BBC Panorama episode `Immigration - the UK`s Record High`, last year, the Government issued 1.44 million visas. Only around 5.6% of those were family-related.

In response, a Home Office spokesperson said in a statement: `The current levels of migration to the UK are far too high.

`That is why the government announced a plan to cut the number of migrants coming to the UK by 300,000 a year â€` the largest reduction ever.

“By tethering the minimum income requirement to the general salary threshold for skilled workers, it ensures migration policy is supportive of the wider ambition for the UK to be a high-wage, high-productivity, high-skill economy.” V.5318

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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