Supreme Court upholds minimum income immigration requirement

I don't know if anyone on here was waiting for this court ruling, but Sky just reporting that -

The Government's "minimum income" immigration requirement does not breach human rights legislation, the Supreme Court has ruled.
http://news.sky.com/story/supreme-court-upholds-minimum-income-immigration-requirement-10777407

TBH, I never could see how this would be changed under "human rights" as human rights laws do not allow you to choose the country you want to live in.

Honestly, I feel like it's the same appeal/petition every year.  It hasn't been overturned in nearly 5 years - it's not going to be anytime soon...

In real terms the amount has dropped as the 18,600 hasn't risen since 2012, The UK hourly minimum wage has risen at least once a year over that same period.

This is a double thread and the mods might want to remove this. I have just realised Ben had already posted this under News. Sorry Ben.

In real terms the amount has dropped as the 18,600 hasn't risen since 2012, The UK hourly minimum wage has risen at least once a year over that same period.

Yeah, my thoughts as well.  Technically £18,600 shouldn't be as painful now as it would have been 5 years ago.  But easy for me to say, as it's not a concern for me.

But even I think the fees are absolutely astronomical!  But I know you'll say I'm paying for all the other people who didn't pay.  Yeah, yeah, I get that.  I'd prefer to just pay my own way though.   

This is a double thread and the mods might want to remove this. I have just realised Ben had already posted this under News. Sorry Ben.

No worries. Mods - remove mine as it has no responses 

Petition to lower application prices?

Does anybody know where the £18,600 figure came from? Was an independent study done to get to this figure? Or do we think it was a finger in the air type of calculation?

Petition to lower application prices?

Does anybody know where the £18,600 figure came from? Was an independent study done to get to this figure? Or do we think it was a finger in the air type of calculation?

£18,600 is the income required to NOT qualify for benefits.

I can understand the government's position on the minimum income, even though it's not realistic for lower-income places like Wales, for example. But you're right KFdancer, the fees are absolutely outrageous. In some cases 3x the cost of processing. It's just such a blatant piss-take. The government shouldn't profit off immigration, particularly when they condemn it with such inflammatory rhetoric.

Does anybody know where the £18,600 figure came from? Was an independent study done to get to this figure? Or do we think it was a finger in the air type of calculation?

From the fairly new (at that time) welfare payment called Tax Credits. The poverty level for a couple on that is about 18k and the 18,600 was set just above that to stop a spouse claiming that throught their Brit/ILR spouse

Orignally they talked about making this finanacial requirement just over 26k, the Tax Credit poverty level for a parent/s with one child, but settled on the lower couple amount.

The Tax Credits income based benefit was badly thought out and is getting replaced with the new one welfare payment called Universal Credits, under the Welfare Reform Acts. This will also correct the many anomalies of Tax Credits to bring all income benefits under the new, stricter rules.

With these changes and other benefit changes set to be in fully by about 2022, together with the two child limit for welfare claims that will make other countries like Germany, France and Sweden more attractive to welfare claimants (planned long before the EU Leave vote), I was wondering if this 18,600 will needed then?

£18,600 is the income required to NOT qualify for benefits.

16k for income based benefits. But for some weird reason, they can claim the income based benefit Tax Credits (which the financial requirment was based on) if they have tens of thousands in the bank; have a spouse who was a Brit or had ILR (changed to those with a child); were able bodied parents who choose not to work/work many hours; have lots of propety and other caplital; have a good accountant, pretended to be self employed etc??? While the worker who lost their job and took anything until they could until they found a better paying job, had to pay all their Tax Credits back. Thankfully all this is changing under the Welfare Reform Bill as Tax Credits are being replaced.