As you know the U.K. government changed the MIR (minimum income requirements) for a spouse visa from £18,000 to £29,000 in April 2024, one month before our wedding day. This now meant that Anna would no longer be able to apply for a spouse visa to come to the U.K. after our wedding because I did not hit this new figure.
The consecutive government also announced that this figure would be increasing from £29,000 to £38,000 in the spring of 2025, a figure I didn’t have a hope in hell of meeting, this increase would also come before April.. before the time we could try and get to the £29,000.
Well as you know, In July of 2024 we had a general election and the Conservative party was no longer in power. The new labour government announced in September 2024 that it would ask the MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) for a report in to the £29,000 MIR and would be putting the £38,000 increase on hold.
Although this was sort of good news it was also frustrating because I could have tried to get to the £29,000 before April.
In June 2025 the Migration Advisory Committee released the report stating that the threshold should not be increased and even lowered to around £23,000.
Well here we are in February of 2026, The government have not followed up with anything from the MAC report.
I am trying to get to the £29,000 before April.
This time of year is always the worst for me, no one has money so work is thin. I do my tax returns in January and have to pay the government.
My clients are trying to save money so achieving the £29,000 is looking difficult. If I don’t do this by this April then our life in the U.K. could never happen.
Once I leave I would still need to hit the MIR if I ever wanted to return with Anna.
If I don’t make the £29,000 then we have to find a country we can call home.
This is why is April so important.