LONDON: New immigration rules affecting marriage from overseas came into effect on Monday and it was clear that Pakistanis be the community hardest hit by these heavy-handed laws.
Every year, around 40,000 people come to the UK on marriages or spouse visas. The number of British Pakistanis going to Pakistan to get married has been increasing as the community here retains strong ties back home. Most of the spouses – men and women - from Pakistan come to the UK from Mirpur and Kotli districts in Azad Kashmir, followed by spouses from the Punjab province.
Of the average 40,000 who enter into the UK every year, the number of spouses coming from India tops every other nationality, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Pakistani communities live in the most deprived areas, have the highest number of unemployment in some areas and many of them work in sectors where the salaries are so low that they will not enable them to meet the new Home Office requirements.
The key changes in the immigration rules set minimum income threshold at £18,600 for those who wish to sponsor the settlement of a spouse or partner in the UK. A higher threshold will be required for the additional sponsorship of migrant children under the age of 18: £22,400 for one child and an additional £2,400 for each further child sponsored before the migrant parent reaches settlement.
The new rules will take into account £16,000 and above for the sponsor from the UK but in certain cases savings in excess of £90,000 may be required. In a dreadful move, for entry clearance purposes, only the income of the UK partner will be taken into account and it will not matter how much the person in Pakistan is making from his/her businesses or jobs.
