Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of whether the spouse visa income threshold should be reduced in the event that one of the spouses works in the NHS.
The Minimum Income Requirement is set at the level which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration. We remain committed to those aims but have made relevant adjustments to support those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes those who have worked for the NHS during the pandemic. Further details are available here:
Many NHS workers and their dependants are also eligible for free visa extensions as set out on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-health-worker-visa-extension.
The minimum income requirement has not increased since it was first introduced in July 2012 and there are no plans to reduce it.