The Supreme Court has ruled the Government's “minimum income” immigration requirement does not breach human rights legislation. In other words, the ban on British citizens earning less than £18,600 from bringing their foreign spouse to the UK does not breach human rights legislation.
The mandatory measure requires UK sponsors to have a minimum gross annual income of £18,600, before they can apply for spouses or partners from non-EEA (European Economic Area) states to join them.
The Home Office said the income rule was introduced to “ensure that family migrants do not become reliant on the taxpayer for financial support and are able to integrate effectively”.
Seven justices at the top court announced their decision last Wednesday.
Previous rules only required a couple to demonstrate that they could maintain themselves without recourse to public funds.
However, the court did acknowledge that amendments were required in relation to the “rules and instructions” around the duty towards children, and other funding sources available to the couple.
