John Buckley
- Registered: 6 Oct 2013
- Posts: 615
You are completely right TTWD!
This was yet another desperate ploy brought in by Mrs May in another futile attempt to keep the numbers down to the " tens of thousands " , but of which didn't apply of course if you were from any EU country.
The main result being heartache for thousands of couples who could not live together in the UK due to the arbitrary Income cut off point. In these circumstances for example, if you wished your foreign wife to be able to live with you then you must have an annual income of at least £18,600. If children are involved then that figure rises to £22,400. This is figure is based on your income, any income from your spouse I believe is not taken into account.
That figure admittedly doesn't sound a great deal if you perhaps have an average job and live in London. However, compare that for example with an average wage or income for someone living in say South Wales then a lot of people would fail to meet the criteria, simply because general wages and expenses are presumably lower in that neck of the woods.
Alternatively, you could have the situation where a guy is retired and living off a pension(s) and just falls below that limit. He may well own the property that he resides in, has little expenses and no debt, yet his life is turned upside down by this poorly thought out restriction. " Human Rights " of course doesn't apply to people like this, but apparently you don't get slung out of the country if you're here illegally but can demonstrate that you have a cat to look after!
The other Brits that can be affected are those that have lived or worked abroad in countries where wages are low due to living costs also being fairly cheap compared with the UK. In the main, those guys have got no chance of being able to return here if they also want to be with their spouse and in many cases children as well of course.
I can see the thinking behind this regulation and sometimes life isn't fair, but it could certainly have been better thought out and applied in order not to deprive so many of our own people of being able to live with the person they love.
Of course, on the other hand, if you fall for a Roma gippo with five kids for example then you're welcomed with open arms and pointed straight to the benefits office.
Sorry if that last sentence offends anyone but that's the way I feel I'm afraid.
TheThinWhiteDuke likes this