Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for the Home Department of the potential impact of changes to (a) minimum income thresholds and (b) other legal migration rules for family and work visas on armed forces personnel with foreign spouses.

All Armed Forces personnel, regardless of their nationality, are subject to the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) if they wish to sponsor a visa for a non-UK family member to enter and later settle in the UK. The Secretary of State has met with the Home Secretary, and the two departments are working together to mitigate potential impacts on the recruitment and retention of our Armed Forces that the increased MIR may have.