Tens of thousands more families are expected to be separated in proposals contained in the White Paper this week. Image: George Hodan/www.publicdomainpictures.net. Some rights reserved/CC0.
As a white British man, I never expected to find myself at the wrong end of the UK government’s immigration policies. But then I fell in love - with somebody from outside the EU. I didn’t know before then that love had a price, let alone that it would be so high; £18,600 a year to be precise.
Since 2012, British citizens have been required to demonstrate an income of at least that amount in order to live in the UK with a partner from outside the EU. That figure rises by £3,800 if you have a child and by £2,400 for every additional child. The income of a foreign spouse is not considered, even if the spouse carries a firm offer of employment in the UK. Support from parents or relatives is not recognised.
