Your country or your family

[almostwitty]

UPDATE: The proposals have actually been announced, and the minimum income starts at £18,600 - and rises to £22,400 if you have a child. Thereafter, it’s £2,400 for every additional child.

However, the probation time between getting further leave to stay in the UK and indefinite leave to remain in the UK has been expanded from two to five years. We

Comments

[maitressep]

I don't think immigration is a bad thing. I think paying dole and benefits to immigrants is a bad thing. Ergo, either having enough dosh up front, or earning a certain amount before you can start bringing family etc over is a good thing. Other countries have being doing this since forever, ask Australia! I'm glad we're catching up and becoming less of a soft touch at last.

There is no set figure for having a wife and 3 kids financially, so anything anybody says is guesswork, but it needs to be a substantial figure. 3 kids and a wife ain't cheap.

Apparently there will also be tests on spoken English. About time!

[almostwitty]

But then what do you say to a hypothetical couple - one American, one British on disabled benefits?

[maitressep]

If they're already here, they won't be affected. If they're not, then they won't be let in unless they can generate the required income. Seems reasonable to me!

[almostwitty]

Not necessarily true. It takes at least six years from arrival in the country before a non-EU citizen gets to the point when the Government can't expel them at any time.

And how would one generate the required income if you're a disabled person on benefits? (But then this gets into the whole benefits debate, where I imagine you and I would differ significantly)

[maitressep]

£27,200 to support a wife and 3 kids? I barely think that's ample. It around the UK average wage, I don't see anything remotely exceptional in that??

[almostwitty]

I think she's referring to the originally speculated figure of £63k as a minimum to bring over a spouse and three kids. Which would put you at the top 15% of UK pay, and a figure barely achieveable outside of London...

[maitressep]

As I read it, it's £27,200. With a non-working wife and 3 kids, I would say a minimum of £40k reasonable.

[stac88]

Are they making any changes to the requirements for single people over here on a visa?

I do agree that immigrants shouldn't have access to the dole (I know I don't) but I do have access to healthcare, which is fair since I pay my NIH or whatever the acronym is. I think that is part if the problem with the US..we let anyone in, and anyone can get benefits..

Oh, and it is possible to make that salary outside of London...

[almostwitty]

Why does everyone presume that governments let anyone into their country?!

I was doing the research last night on immigrating to the US (with my American wife) and you can't even start the process without:
- the US citizen living/working in the USA
- said US citizen filing an affidavit that they can support the non-US citizen

There's an almighty bunch of hoops to go through - including medical screenings - so it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination.

[britgeekgrrl]

Do the hoops get any easier after you've been married for five years? (Ie, proof that it's not a "convenience" marriage?)

Alex married his first wife while he was stationed in the UK (still active duty in the USAF at the time). They had to go through all kinds of BS to bring her to the States when his tour in the UK ended and he was sent to Alabama.

What was *really* amazing was that some dipshit at the US embassy flat-out accused Sarah of marrying Sgt. Baker merely to get a way over to the US in order to divorce him and become a welfare queen.

Because the benefits in the US (and a Sgt's pay!) were *so* fantastic compared to the UK... (this was in the early '90s)

Unsurprisingly, Sarah had a few *very* tart words for the pencil pusher. Apparently his boss later apologized...

Sad thing is, the US *is* easy to migrate to, compared to other countries (the UK being a case in point, it seems...)

[almostwitty]

Mind you, as anyone who's tried to renounce their US citizenship to avoid paying taxes will tell you, you can never leave ;)

[maitressep]

This is getting quite time consuming now, and I need to work. The laws are being changed. Deal with it.

[radiantsoul]

Lots of nonsense in all of those comments!