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Migrants seeking a family visa can breathe a tentative sigh of relief as a Home Office issued report has suggested making it easier for families to move over to the UK.

The minimum income requirement (MIR) for family visas is currently set at £29,000 ($39,170) but could be lowered by several thousand pounds per the Migration Advisory Committee's (MAC) report released on Tuesday.

In it, the MAC suggested that a lowered MIR range between £21,000 to £28,000 ($28,364 to $37819) would be more reasonable, and that potential options based on their methodology 'cluster around the region of £23,000 to £25,000 ($31,065 to $33,767).'

'A threshold at this level would allow most British workers in full-time minimum-wage jobs to qualify,' they added.

Family visas have been a key focus of Keir Starmer's crackdown on net migration, yet they only make up 5% of total UK visa applications. The MAC report comes just weeks after Starmer said the UK is at risk of becoming an 'island of strangers.'

Report Contradicts Conservatives Previous Plans To Greatly Increase MIR

The MAC's suggestion goes against the Conservative Party's plans to dramatically raise the MIR when they were last in government.

The MIR applies primarily to British citizens and settled residents in the UK, and dictates how much they need to earn in order to bring their non-British partners over to live in the UK.

Up until last year, the MIR had been set at £18,600 ($25,122) for the past decade. However, the Conservative's announced plans to raise it to £38,700 ($52,271). Public backlash caused them to reroute slightly and they set the current MIR of £29,000 ($39,170) in April 2024.

The Conservative's planned on raising the MIR in three gradual stages but Starmer froze it temporarily when Labour took office.

Migrants can apply for a family visa to live with their partner, parent, relative who will provide long term care for them, or child who is a British citizen or settled resident in the UK.

Lowering The Visa Salary Threshold Could Hugely Impact Migrant Families

As reported by The Guardian, many families like Camille Auclair and Moisés Álvarez Jiménez have been drastically affected by last year's MIR increase.

The young couple who married two years after meeting in Mexico in 2017 were robbed of having a child because Moisés was unable to afford the family visa.

Their plan was always to eventually move to the UK but Camille's sudden severe health issues sped up their timeline.

After two hospitalisations within six months due to a damaged immune system from undiagnosed pelvic actinomycosis, Camille was then diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency. Her plans of having children could end at 28 years old unless she had it facilitated with fertility care.

Originally from the UK, Camille spoke to an NHS doctor who said she'd be eligible for fertility treatment, but that she'd need to get a sperm donor since Moisés was ineligible for NHS treatment unless he gained residency.

Reaching the £18,600 ($25,122) minimum requirement would be tough for Moisés as a small artist from Mexico, but he was on track to make it until the Conservative's suddenly raised it to £29,000 ($39,170). The couple's plans of having children were instantly ended. By the time Moisés earned enough money, their chance to conceive would be over.

'Can you imagine someone saying to me in 20 years' time: "You never had children – why?" And I say: 'Well, because I didn't make enough money for the UK government to approve my husband coming to my country with me,"' Camille told The Guardian.

Lowering the MIR for family visas could help couples like Camille and Moisés start a family, and help reunite families separated by last year's extreme increase.

However, it's currently up to Labour as to whether they follow the MAC's suggestions.

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