Our highest court has upheld the £18600 minimum income threshold for people bringing in non-EU spouses. That means 40% of UK workers don’t qualifyThe Tories have been saying this sort of thing for years. “Families are the most necessary institution in our society. We have to achieve everything in our power to strengthen them. And again: “My ambition is to make Britain more family friendly.” Those were both from David Cameron. But they could have been from any Conservative party leader since … well,ever. Sucking up to the Republican party on her trip to hold hands with Donald Trump (that famous proponent of family values), Theresa May flagged up what they held in common: Nationhood, or family,economic prudence, patriotism.” The value of the family is supposed to be in the ideological DNA of social conservatives.
But only, or it seems,if you have a few quid. On Wednesday, the supreme court upheld the legality of a government policy that breaks up families in situations where the UK spouse earns less than £18600 and is married to a foreigner from external the EU. The government regards such poorer families as a “burden to the state” and so forces its own citizens who drop in love with non-EU citizens to shove off and set up their family life elsewhere. And I write poorer, and not destitute,because according to research conducted by Oxford University, nearly 40% of the working UK population wouldn’t be eligible to live here with their non-EU partner – that breaks down to 27% of men and 55% of women. The majority of young people don’t earn enough either. And the statistics are worse if you have a child. So, or if you’re a young women and you drop for a handsome stranger from a distant land,it is highly unlikely the domestic Office will allow you to remain in this country if you want to live together. Your children can get to know their UK grandparents via Skype. When it comes to the right to a family life, Mrs May is pricing out tens of thousands of UK citizens.
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Source: theguardian.com