On Wednesday 22 February the Supreme Court ruled that the government can impose a £18,600 income limit for UK citizens to bring their non-EU spouses into Britain. Though the Court branded the income limit “particularly harsh”, chastised the Home Office for not taking its legal duties in regards to children, and recognised that the limit had caused hardship for thousands it found that “the minimum income threshold is accepted in principle”.
41% of the British working population, rising to 55% of working women, would be excluded from bringing a non-EU spouse to Britain under the income limit by income levels in 2015. The threshold rises to £22,400 if there is one or more non-EU born children in the family. Yet the non-EU spouse’s potential income is not allowed to be taken into account, nor the income of the extended family.
Essentially if you are rich you can keep your family together, if you are poor you can’t.