‘Tax on love’: UK families urge Home Office to scrap family visa income threshold

British citizens are urging the government to reform family visa rules that risk splitting families apart, following new research that shows the UK’s steep income requirements are preventing reunification for many. The findings, published by charities Reunite Families UK and Coram, have reignited debate over the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR), which campaigners say disproportionately affects women, low earners, and ethnic minorities.

The UK government raised the MIR from £18,600 to £29,000 in 2024, with further increases to £38,700 being considered, a figure equal to the current salary threshold for skilled workers. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has warned against such a move, saying it could severely limit families’ ability to live together.

David Todd, a 33-year-old British citizen currently living in Germany, shared how the rules could force him to return to the UK without his American wife, Claire, and their soon-to-be-born child. “It’s like we’re second-class citizens because we married someone who fell in love with someone who wasn’t British,” he said, according to a report by the Independent.

The couple, both classical musicians, had hoped to settle in the UK to raise their child near family. But under current rules, only the British partner’s income is counted, and Todd’s earnings fall below the £29,000 mark. Unless the couple can show savings of at least £88,500, Claire is not eligible for a visa.

The Reunite Families UK–Coram report found that the visa rules were not just financially exclusionary but also emotionally harmful, leading to long-term family separation and potential psychological harm to children.

Caroline Coombs, Executive Director of Reunite Families UK, called for urgent action, “Simple and practical changes from the Home Office could make significant differences to families, starting with scrapping the MIR and simplifying the rules and application process.”

She added: “These rules have become the tax on love. People are suffering and want to be heard.”

The report also noted that the policy disproportionately affects women, ethnic minorities, and the working class, who are statistically less likely to earn above the threshold.