Beyond the headline (2)
Today's headline is 'Significant changes to UK visas and immigration'.
The UK government announced the update on visas and immigration rules, coming into effect in March 2024.
This might significantly affect those who are working or considering getting a job in the UK as an expat.
Also, those moving into the UK as a partner of British citizens.
One of the biggest change intended is the rise of minimum salary requirement for Skilled Worker Visa / Family Visa.
To put it bluntly, those who don't earn more than £39k won't be able to stay in the UK.
As an expat like some of you, I'm pretty much concerned about what to do with it.
However, nothing is actually set in stone so we have to keep an eye on reliable sources so that we can follow what's happening exactly and see the news critically.
Let's have a close look together at what will change and what we can do.
Contents
- Background of the changes
- Minimum salary requirement for Skilled Worker Visa
- Minimum salary requirement for Family Visa
- How much does it cost to apply for UK Visa
- Summary
Background of the changes
Put it simply, the UK government has been craving to cut down the number of immigrants and prevent the visa 'abuse'.
Last year, the difference in the number of people who moved in and who left the UK, was recorded nearly 750,000.
After the new rules come into effect, it is estimated by the government that about 300,000 people won't be able to stay any longer, who were supposed to be able to.
Minimum salary requirement for Skilled Worker Visa
The salary threshold under the current scheme for Skilled Worker Visa (used to be 'Tier 2 Visa') is £26,200 a year.
From Mar 2024, it will become £38,700 as per the government's intention.
To get a sense of this amount, it might be worth looking into some data from Statistica (2023).
According to that, the median annual salary of full-time employees in the UK in 2023 was £34,963.
This at least means nearly 50% of full-time employee don't earn the new threshold.
One problem pertaining student visa is 'abuse' of the scheme.
For example, many international students considers bringing their family to the UK alongside their studies.
This might have amplified the effect on the UK government's policy.
Minimum salary requirement for Family Visa
Currently those who earn more than £18,600 can apply for Family/Spouse Visa to stay in the UK.
In the new rule intended by the UK government, the threshold will change to £38,700 as well.
I know for some of you (including) it sounds disappointing and daunting, so we have to keep an eye on the news and watch it critically.
How much does it cost to apply for UK Visa?
It really varies by visa types so I'll put the link to the government website here (gov.uk).
However, there's a big change as well to immigration health surcharge.
This is something you have to pay for you to use National Health Service (NHS) while you stay in the UK.
And the cost will change from £624/Year to £1,035/Year!
Summary
Even though we've seen a lot of possible changes in the UK visas and immigration rules, however, nothing is set in stone yet.
This is just something the government intends at this point so don't panic when you watch/read a piece of news that looks upsetting (I'm sure most of the time news appears worse than it actually is).
Pick up reliable sources and don't believe in SNS articles straight away on this!
This is what I want to tell you most in this article.
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Below links are the first articles of each topic:
- Food Waste (1): TooGoodToGo app
- Reflective Journal (1): Benefits of a part-time job for international students
- Beyond the headline (1): Israel vs Palestine - History and Background -
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