Do you think the new £38K income visa threshold for UK spouse visas is fair?

[zendeveloper]

It is set at the same level as for work visas.

Feels completely crazy to me, but then, I am also an immigrant (although the changes don't affect me), so probably too sensitive to the topic. Would be interesting to hear MN opinion.

This will also have a massive impact on families who experience an unexpected change in circumstances. Redundancy. Maternity leave. Sickness. Bereavement.
Remember that these rules are coming in soon. People don't have time to retrain. They can't put their kids back or get unmarried. People have planned, spent money on and worked within current rules and it's all changing enormously, very quickly.

Isn’t the average length of time in a car wash place 2 weeks? Where do the people go? They are literally staring us in the face and yet we seemingly do nothing about it. Those people aren’t paying tax and are working illegally

I think it's fair. If you bring someone over, you need to have enough funds to support yourself as well as your other half without relying on state help.
If anything, I believe the threshold should be even higher

All doctors are technically 'junior' doctors until they're consultants. But yes, aside from foundation years, doctors do earn more.

STEM PhD graduates are a daft comparator as well because academia is not well paid whether you're STEM or something else, STEM PhDs who go into industry probably will earn 38k+. It's really not an especially high salary.

I'm amazed that doctors earn less than truckers nowadays. All the big supermarkets are paying well over £50k for Class 1.

I would say 40k

Honestly, what relevance does this have to the thread topic? Or are all these people just generic "immigrunts", a single and faceless blob?

We are discussing your university postdoc researcher's wife and children, for example. Are they disappearing from an illegal car wash after two weeks? Where? Why?

But there's already an absolute bar for spouses to claim public funds. Why is this not sufficient?

But truckers (and train drivers) get topped out at around £65k, whereas a consultant with a parallel private practice can make £150k or more, especially in opthalmology. I am told that fixing cataracts in retirement areas is immensely lucrative.

No doubt, but £50k+ isn't bad for a job you can get qualified for in four days.

Why £40K, any specific justification for the level? Just curious.

@Simonjt my Aunt brought her ex husband here and he abused her until she finally got away. He's still here, still abusing woman. He is utter scum

My BIL has recently married a lively lady from Thailand, he doesn't want a wife. He wants a maid that won't answer back

Depends on how many children they have. The funding for a state school place is approx £7k per child per year.

HRWT and NC for this. I avoid commenting on contentious issues such as this, however, I will make some comments (yes, I have many comments to make on this, but that's for another day0.

1.I live in central London and I am in the 10% (although some might insist is the 1%).
2.As you can see, I have paid lots of taxes to this country.
3.I didn't vote, however, I supported Brexit not because 'to make our own laws' etc etc, but because of the unfair treatment the Commonwealth citizens who share same values as the Brits were scandalously subjected to. (Sorry, I was appalled by the inconsiderate manners (litter everywhere, jumping queues etc) of a lot of people from EU who besieged London .) So, the level playing field in that respect is very much welcome. I not talking of Canada or Australia, but mainly African countries.

So, on that front, I am happy.

On the £38K
Well, it will only work when the majority of UK citizens who are on benefits who can work, or who can work longer hours and get off of benefits etc but choose not to, can fill those jobs. Otherwise, my taxes will continue to pay for those UK citizens who are on benefits as a lifestyle choice, whilst watching the elderly go without care as care workers from abroad can now not come in with ease. As another poster upthread stated, this will be a mess. The effect will not be where the public most want it to be, some of whom are ironically on benefits but harping on about immigration. But Cleverly can afford private care for his elderly parents, so why does it matter?

If you pay attention to this gov, it will go like George Osborne's landlord tax which led to LL selling up, with the unintended consequences of merely putting up rent to unaffordable levels, to most of those needing to rent. No, I am not a LL.

It’s about in line with the average full-time salary of someone in their 30s and lower than the average full time salary of someone in their 40s. People in London and the SE earn more on average. The gender pay gap will mean it’s likely more men would be able to bring in a partner than women.

All doctors are classed as "junior doctors" until they reach consultant level

Medicine graduates starting work as a doctor earn £28,808

And tbf my mate is taking home £1300 a week after tax working as a contractor for people like DPD. That's £97k a year.

He's doing 65 hours a week so pretty heavy but he's happy with £60-£65k as he rents his old flat out. He's smashing the hours now and will have the whole of Jan-Feb off. It's not a bad lifestyle IMO.

Driving for DPD, that is. £27 p/h and £33.75 after 8 hours. Some of his clients pay 2x hourly rate on weekends, so £54 p/h.

Has anyone figured out what is the right amount in OP’s opinion. Since she had been dodging the question, but disputing anything that anyone else says.

I mean this is our country we're talking about, not a charity scheme.

It doesn't have to be fair.

Can anyone answer this?

if someone is granted the spouse visa now before the rules change to the increased wages, when it comes time for renewal after 2 and 5 years, will the new rules now apply or will the “old” minimum wage rules still apply?

Well, I just looked on Indeed for the northern town I'd return to - where family are and I'd have rent-free accommodation and I can't find any jobs that I think I'd qualify for and have a decent chance of getting, as someone in their 50s who has been out of the traditional work place living abroad for 20 years, that are above 30K.

Agree it doesn't have to be fair but it also is quite fair anyway. 38k means no unskilled/low skilled jobs or most entry level, would have to be pretty experienced or specialist if healthcare/academia/research - seems fair that to get into another country you've got to have something decent to offer

Well, no one asked me. I don't think there should be any financial threshold regarding the income at all for spousal visas, but I agree with the (already existing) ban on the benefits entitlement. Before anyone jumps, I am comfortably above the discussed threshold and not planning to, but could import a harem. I am just despairing at how ill thought through and unfair this policy is.

The UK needs rather urgently to be a higher wage economy. I am not a supporter of the Conservatives; but I do approve of this, and I hope if a Labour government come in, they build on this regarding training and investment for young people. We've been bumping along on a low wage economy based on immigration for 15 years at least.