Following changes made to the immigration rules last July 2012, the UK has seen a dramatic decrease in the number of spousal visas being issued.
Under the new rules British Citizens have to earn a minimum of £18,600 before they can sponsor a non-EU spouse to come to the UK. This amount rises to £22,400 for families with a child and a further £2,400 for each further child.
The Home Office said the changes were made in order to ease the burden of migration on the tax payer.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group looked at more than 175 cases which were affected by the rule change. They found that 45 of the cases lead to families with children being separated. In one case they found, a woman from outside Europe had been separated from her British husband and two sons, including a five-month-old baby she had been breastfeeding.
Renaissance Chambers report that following a Freedom of Information request, it has been revealed British women have been disproportionately affected by the rule change. Since the change came into effect there has been a 20% drop in the number of British female sponsor applications.
The report also revealed that the number of refused applications in this category has dramatically doubled since the rule change last July.
You can find further statistics by following the link below.
These new statistics highlight the importance of ensuring you submit an application correctly to avoid the risk of refusal.
If you would like us to professionally manage your application to the Home Office please get in touch. We offer free initial assessments to outline the best course of action to take on each case. Following this we would manage the whole application process from beginning to end, giving your application the best chance of success.
You can contact one of our caseworkers on 01793 836 010.