UK income threshold up to £18600 for marriage is it legal ?

[neil123]

Just been having a lok at the UK govermnets decision to increase the income threshold to £18,600 before you can bring a partner or spouse to the UK. Under the European Rights Act, Artticle 12 says everyone as the right to get married, and Article 14 states everyone as the right to be protected from Discrimination. I phoned the European Commission and asked them for thier understanding, and they explained that the Government could be challenged as they the Governmnet had to prove benefit to the state. I have just taken it a bit further my MP is shadow Home Office Minister so I have emailed her the question if the increase or in fact any amount contravenes the Human Rights Act, explaining that it discriminates against the poor, from loving and marrying a non eec citizen.

 

Will keep you updated on the reply

[neil123]

I had reply from my MP that she will look into the question I asked, regarding the ruling being a breach of the Human Rights Act, However for anyone that does not understand the new ruling I will try and simplify it lol.

 

Anyone after July 2012, will have to earn a minimum of £18,600 to apply for a fiancée visa or marriage visa to settle in the UK. This rises to £22,400 if your partner as on child, and by £2,400 per extra child – so

 

No children £18,600

1 Child £ 22,400

2 Children £ 24,800

3 Children £ 27,600

 

If you claim any carers allowance, such as Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Severe Disability Allowance or Industrial Injuries Allowance , then you don’t need to meet these requirements.

 

Any saving you have over £16,000 ( this is maximum amount you can have before entitled to any state benefits) can count towards your yearly income. So example

 

If you earn £15,000 per year you need to have £25,000 in savings to qualify, this is worked out as - £15,000 is £3,600 below the minimum of £18,600. so this works out as 2.5 x £3,600 = £9,000 + £16,000 = £25,000

 

The 2.5 is the number of years, the new rules also now extend the number of years you can have to remain in the UK for a settlement visa, from 2 years to 5 years. Example

 

Income (£)

Leave to enter/remain:

Savings required

Further leave to remain:

Savings required

Indefinite leave to remain:

Savings required

No income

£62,500

(16k+ (18,600 x 2.5))

£62,500

(16k+ (18,600 x 2.5))

£34,600

(16k+ 18,600)

Income of £15,000

£25,000

(16k+ (3,600 x 2.5))

£25,000

(16k+ (3,600 x 2.5))

£19,600

(16k+ 3,600)

Income of £18,000

£17,500

(16k+ (600 x 2.5))

£17,500

(16k+ (600 x 2.5))

£16,600

(16k+ 600)

 

After you get married you now get a visa for 2.5 years, then you have to apply for a further 2.5 year, then after 5 years you can apply for indefinite stay.

 

You have to prove you have had the income and savings for 6 months before you can apply, and have to prove where the savings have come form, it cant be a loan from a bank, friend or relative, unless it’s a gift and you can prove you have full control of it

 

If anyone needs any help just PM me

[welshmale60]

Hey mate I'd like to have your number for a chat thanks

[M.C.H.]

IMO the UK has to many low/no income people all ready, thanks to the Human Rights Act

[td5855]

IMO the UK has to many low/no income people all ready, thanks to the Human Rights Act

 

Agree 100%

 

One of the reasons I left, no longer pay UK tax. Were the amount of Non-English speaking people claiming benefits.

 

This is where we should be a bit more like the Thais.

You want live here?? You bring benefit to the country, not take.

You want live here?? You support yourself.

You want live here?? Show us proof you can support yourself??

 

To be honest.............. Cannot see anything wrong with the above being applied at our borders??

Have some friends who have Thai wifes back in the UK who have said " Forget benefits if you are saving for a deposit to buy a house ... Then you should be okay regarding the rules"

[jerry]

IMO the UK has to many low/no income people all ready, thanks to the Human Rights Act

 

I agree 100% , that's one of the reasons i'm living in Thailand . I was a little fed up with paying

absurd amounts of tax every year to keep things going (same same in Holland where i'm from) .

 

Besides that , taking a Thai girl to the UK isn't gonna make her (and you) happy in 99% of the cases .

[mpm]

 

 

I agree 100% , that's one of the reasons i'm living in Thailand . I was a little fed up with paying

absurd amounts of tax every year to keep things going (same same in Holland where i'm from) .

 

Besides that , taking a Thai girl to the UK isn't gonna make her (and you) happy in 99% of the cases .

agree, I took my lady to uk a few times while I was living there and to be honest she couldn't wait for the day she was coming home, same as me. the only Thai women who like it there are those who are working, usually on the black market.

[neil123]

I totally agree we are over taxed on everything, and the minimum wage is £12,000 a year, the torys are killing everything, even our love lives now lol,

[Stillearly]

I totally agree we are over taxed on everything, and the minimum wage is £12,000 a year, the torys are killing everything, even our love lives now lol,

 

Surely if you are going to bring someone to the UK you should be able to support them without assistance from the Govt. - the policy seems reasonable to me

 

The coalition are still trying to clean up the mess left by the last bunch of clowns

[neil123]

i agree with you, but how many people here are on minimum wage and how many couples live on that, i agree with that, you should be able to support them with relying on benefits, but a better policy would have been , to allow them in with a threshold of £12,000 and allow them a year, to find work which would take them above the £18,600 as a couple.

[neil123]

This change will have significant impacts on British people or those settled here who want

to bring their foreign partner into the UK. According to the Migration Observatory, this will

prevent 47% of the working population of the UK from sponsoring a foreign partner from 9th

July 2012 (Migration Observatory, 2012).

Because of differences in earnings across different social groups, the new income

requirement will disadvantage women (who are paid, on average, 15.5% less than men in

the UK6). It will disadvantage people who live outside the South East of England, where

the median gross wage stands at 116 compared to the national figure of 100. 48% of

people in Scotland, and 51% of people in Wales, for example, will not qualify to bring in a

family member (Migration Observatory 2012). Some ethnic minority communities will find

it particularly difficult to meet the requirement - over 40% of people in the Bangladesh

Pakistani communities in the UK earn less than £7 per hour (£14,500 p.a.) compared to the

white British rate of 25% (The Poverty Site, 2012). This rule change will also particularly

disadvantage young couples who are likely to be lower earners.

 

Human rights act, states everyone has the right to get married and everyone has the right not to be discriminated against, this is pure discrimination against the poorest workers

[tt2008]

There is no minimum income requirement for you to marry someone who is already a UK citizen.

 

Most people who have replied so far and most people I talk to support the Governments view on minimum income. So do I.

 

Its rediculous to try to use the Human Rights Act everytime you hit a law you don't like. Compared with 75% of the countries in the World we have fantastic laws and rights, that why so many people want to come here - even from other EU countries !!

 

As a over-taxed tax payer I'm fed up with supporting the rest of the world. If people want to come here under the rules I've no problem with that, but they must support themselves.

[hays.joe]

Some Policy decisions are taken by "Bunch of Jokers" . Though its shall be legally challenged in coming times

[Dr.Winston]

IMO it makes no difference it it is "illegal" or not...in the sense that It won't stop them enforcing it. Just like when they used to seize peoples cars for bringing in too many cigarettes from the continent when the law was supposed to be any amount for personal use. Just like banks and financial intitutions (including debt collection agencies) can get away with prosecuting somebody for debt without having all the documentation tecnically required to bring court action (while bailing out the banks of course). Recent UK governments seem to make glaring and costly errors which they then try to remedy with legislation that takes it out on people who might be resposnible for just a small part of the real problems.

[neil123]

I live on a estate, where 40% are unemployed, no foriegners here, but families dont want to work, some are in the third generation of unemployment, because they see there parents, live of benefits, they would rather stop in bed all day, close by is a an ASDA factory who employ 80% of foreign workers, mainly polish. There are may jobs available around this area, but the people here just dont want work. I know 12 thai women here all work, 40 hours aweek receive no benefits and want to work the only people we are suporting is our own. Lets introduce the same policy here, dont allow weddings to people who are in receipt of benefit and only earn over £18,600, there would be a reveloution. The goverment realise its a easy target like everything else, Why should my mate be discriminated against because he only earns £17,000. yet some fat idiot who as not worked since he was born, marry another fat idle twat have 6 kids and recieve benefits the most illegal immigrants are the ones that come in on student visas,why are we not targeting them, what about the 100,000 a year from other EU countries, Bulgaria, Poland and other ex eastern countries, why because they work for the minimum wages and dont complain and do the work that our own idle people dont want to do. Why should someone who earns £18,600 have the right to marry and someone who earns under not have the same rights,

[M.C.H.]

We all know signing up to the EU has been a nightmare for the UK (thank you Mr Tony Blair) but I thought this topic was about being able to afford the support of a non EU Wife/GF who has to be granted a visa to enter the country, not one that just jumps on a cross channel ferry or hop on the back of a UK bound lorry

[Marcus Antonius]

It's discrimination, I think it's going to really damage peoples lives. If you have children with a Thai girl the kids can get a UK passport so can come to stay in the UK but the mother can't come unless you have the 'right' amount of money. Terrible. Someone should challenge this, the UK government is just hoping that nobody will have the balls / money to go to the EU. I for one would be happy to donate to a fund to challenge this.

Best of luck.

[Soi Six Snatch Sniffer]

Why should my mate be discriminated against because he only earns £17,000. yet some fat idiot who as not worked since he was born, marry another fat idle twat have 6 kids and recieve benefits

absolutely made me piss myself lol....but I totally agree with everything you have said here. So true. Its about time this fucking government woke up and stopped giving these idol bastards my money to live on. English or foreigners. But we all know its never gonna happen, as always in England, if you work and pay your way, you are always gonna be shat on. Hence my 7 year plan to get the fuck out of this shithole.

[neil123]

absolutely made me piss myself lol....but I totally agree with everything you have said here. So true. Its about time this fucking government woke up and stopped giving these idol bastards my money to live on. English or foreigners. But we all know its never gonna happen, as always in England, if you work and pay your way, you are always gonna be shat on. Hence my 7 year plan to get the fuck out of this shithole.

 

Well I wont be far behind you lol, 8 years my goal, I am 52 now and will not be here when I am 60, If they think I am stopping here to retire at 67, they can think again , lol probably in 15 years time, retirement age will be 75, or it will be a case till you work till you die

[spider0064]

Well I wont be far behind you lol, 8 years my goal, I am 52 now and will not be here when I am 60, If they think I am stopping here to retire at 67, they can think again , lol probably in 15 years time, retirement age will be 75, or it will be a case till you work till you die

 

+1

 

48 now, have lot's of plans, But who knows what the next 8 years will bring, still the UK is FKD for sure

[shagwell]

Well I wont be far behind you lol, 8 years my goal, I am 52 now and will not be here when I am 60, If they think I am stopping here to retire at 67, they can think again , lol probably in 15 years time, retirement age will be 75, or it will be a case till you work till you die

A bit of topic but...That was pretty much the idea when the original pension at 65 was brought in, at the time the average life expectancy was 66, you were given a years retirement to get your affairs/estate in order before you went to meet your maker. The life male expectancy has since risen to 77. People live longer, the population is aging, and the government can't afford the pension crisis that results (this problem is affecting developed countries across the world).

 

Of course we all want to enjoy a long retirement and the cheap cost of living in countries such as Thailand make this a possibility. The annoying thing is though your state pension is frozen if you retire to a country such as Thailand - WHY IS THAT! when you have contributed to the pot the same as the next man? If you retire at 50 and live to 77 you better have made provisions for inflation. Think what your income was 27 years ago and imagine living on that now - I couldn't do it, even in Thailand.

 

To the OPs problem, I agree to some extent, the rules should be you can marry who you want regardless of your income - but with the caveat that neither you nor your spouse will have access to state funds. In my experience though having bought 2 different Thai girls to the UK for holidays in the past, once they get here they see it's not the land of milk and honey and can't wait to return home.

 

I agree also that part of the problem is home grown in that many young people don't want to work, and many immigrants (at least from Europe) work hard in jobs that many Brits refuse to do and are prepared to pay their own way.

[geezerrb]

I hate political posts as they turn into arguements about things we cannot control. I am going to get political though, a person who was not born in this country but is from the eu has more rights and safeguards than someone who actually was born in the UK, there is more legislation and finacial support for anyone within the eu in britain than there is if you were born here in uk.

I think bringing a girl from LOS is a difficult thing but why is there a finacial constrait on a guy bringing a girl if all the other requirements have been met, some work out some do not.

 

Is it getting close to a £1B being sent to eu countries for support of children of eu workers here both male and female even though have been living apart longer than the migration period?

[The Kid Kabugle]

absolutely made me piss myself lol....but I totally agree with everything you have said here. So true. Its about time this fucking government woke up and stopped giving these idol bastards my money to live on. English or foreigners. But we all know its never gonna happen, as always in England, if you work and pay your way, you are always gonna be shat on. Hence my 7 year plan to get the fuck out of this shithole.

 

Once again one of your posts stands out and gets my attention, can you tell us a little about the 7 year plan? I'm trying to get one together myself but am really just depending on another 2006 style Northern Irish property boom. . .

[Soi Six Snatch Sniffer]

Once again one of your posts stands interests me, can you tell us a little about the 7 year plan? I'm trying to get one together myself but am really just depending on another 2006 style property boom. . .

7 years left in the navy, saving like hell to pay my house off. paying it off on a 4 year plan..1500 quid a month paying out should be off in 4 years. then gonna save and save for 3 more years, buy another (50 thousand pound) house.....have around 50 thousand pound in the bank with my navy pay off. so i will have a navy pension, 2 houses to rent out and 50 k in the bank. should be do able i hope. its not easy scrimping and scraping eveyr month thoughh

[geezerrb]

7 years left in the navy, saving like hell to pay my house off. paying it off on a 4 year plan..1500 quid a month paying out should be off in 4 years. then gonna save and save for 3 more years, buy another (50 thousand pound) house.....have around 50 thousand pound in the bank with my navy pay off. so i will have a navy pension, 2 houses to rent out and 50 k in the bank. should be do able i hope. its not easy scrimping and scraping eveyr month thoughh

As is said in the post you were replying to, although I am living for today having never recovered from a divorce after 21 years of marriage that decimated my finances and pensions based on values at 65 not the date of seperation or divorce I actually now am from being worth £2.4M actually owe money and have a mortgage on the house I live in. If I had not found LOS I would be dead by now and if I had realised what was out there the bitch would never have got in my wallet.