And now the other shoe drops...

I kinda think it is fair enough that they want to make sure that you can afford to live here until you get paid.

Also, I think it is better that they have the figures set out rather than leaving it up to the discretion of the ECO's.  We are likely to see fewer bad decisions (hopefully).

Vicky

I agree with this statement.  Something needs to be set as a limit, because we've seen some really poor decisions by ECO's because of the discretion they had before.  This makes it more cut and dry, and gives those applying the info needed, rather than freaking out because they do not know what the sort of minimum amount of start up cash is. 

I'm really worried about this, as my DB and I have talked about me coming to the UK. This would cause me to leave my 12yo son with his father, as there's no way he'll let me take him out of the country...

We're neither of us well off, the money hurdle to settlement is a concern for us...how would I ever come up with a bond like that, so I could see my son?

Are there links where I can keep track of this bit of legislation? I tried following the one Garry put up with his reaction but it just led back to the same thread.

Thanks

I think that I would rather they are just up front about the requirements, instead of leaving you to worry about whether you have enough money or not.  If I were applying for something that fell into this category, I'd much rather know in advance that I had to save an extra £800 rather than having an application denied without really knowing why.

As for the £1000 bond thing, does this mean that in theory someone who is getting married in the UK would have to put up, say, £15,000 in bonds so that their relatives could come to the ceremony?  Disgusting.  I really think it's time to get some sort of immigration awareness campaign off the ground, or start supporting an existing one. 

Forgive me if I'm being thick here, but I've read through all the posts on this thread and I'm still confused on a few points. Namely:
1) This bond idea is just being floated in Parliament now, right? If, and when, would a vote take place to make this into law?

2) I know that it states the bond is intended for relatives from non-EU countries, but how likely is it that this will affect the US/visa waiver countries?

If I'm wrong here, please correct me.

In answer to your questions:
1) It is part of a current consulatation that is due to close in March. Right now it is just being proposed, but it is possible it will become a reality.

2) As far as the Visa Waiver countries go, for most it will not affect them, but if someone needed a family member to come for a longer time than was financially possible and they feared being bounced at immigration, they might try to sponsor their visa application, in this instance I would imagine this would come into play

Thank you Tritessa! That definitely helps.