What's your opinion?

[kiara_silver]

Hi, copying and pasting what my SO's mother and my future mil wrote, along with a link to a petition, if you have the time to look it over and possibly sign would be nice.

18000 families in the uk are being affected by this law, around 41% of the uk do not earn the amount of money the uk government say that you need to earn before allowing your non-EU partner (married or unmarried) to live with you in this country. Yet it's ok to welcome hoards of EU nationals regardless of how much money they have in their bank account. I think every visa application should be based on individual merit and circumstance. My son is about to become the father of a child he is being denied a relationship with by our government. He worked his way through college and university, has paid his taxes, is not asking for any government handouts. All he wants is the chance to live with his fiancé and new baby but this has been denied by the new immigration law. Please sign this petition and force our government to reconsider this law. Thank you

https://www.change.org/petitions/the...hange-them-now

[squeeker]

Hi, thanks for sharing that. I'm not sure if my signature went through.. I got a bit anxious today about putting in my address and stuff so I'm not sure if they liked that but I agree with the premise of course seeing as it's a cause very close to my heart as well. It is crazy how expensive it is. I'll try signing again later in case it didn't go through and maybe I'll try signing with my address I'm not sure. I wasn't about to write a reason just because I know I might end up babbling or going off topic. I'm not even sure at this moment how my boyfriend and I are going to close the distance. But we both are in university again to try and gain degrees to try and get a better job of getting enough money to live with each other. Though we need more than that because we want to be able to live really comfortably but it still sucks because you should be able to join each other with less than than and work your way up to a liveable level together. I hope the petition gets enough signatures.

[Xanahtas]

Just signed it and shared it around. If Sud and I are to stay close distance, we really need this visa requirements to change. It's possible with how it stands, but it'll be bloody hard. This visa just isnt fair.

[kittyo9]

I am sorry about how fucking awful this stuff is and I feel for you. It pisses me off. I signed, and I really hope you guys are able to be together.

[summerkid]

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you guys, and for something to change. And I really do know how shitty visa policies can be. But, i don't think it's okay to contrast it with the UK letting in "hoards of EU nationals". Visa regulations should be fairer for citizens who want to be together with their loved ones, regardless of whether there are "hoards of EU nationals" invading the UK or not.

[Malaga]

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you guys, and for something to change. And I really do know how shitty visa policies can be. But, i don't think it's okay to contrast it with the UK letting in "hoards of EU nationals". Visa regulations should be fairer for citizens who want to be together with their loved ones, regardless of whether there are "hoards of EU nationals" invading the UK or not.

Word. I'm one of the new EU nationals who is treated as a non-EU when it comes to the British immigration policy, for the next 5 years at least - just as a measure of precaution (based on nothing specific). This is just their conservative government trying to suck up to the recession-hit public, and we took the blow. There is a strong bias in the UK about EU citizens from 'impoverished countries' using their status to supposedly come over and steal jobs or claim benefits. Yet the majority of immigrants are university educated and/or doing low paid jobs nobody else wants. They enrich the UK economy more than anything else. I support the call for a fairer visa process and for families to be together, and I sincerely hope for the best for the OP, but I think it's sad that the petition poster insists on this harmful bias and divide.

[Tooki]

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you guys, and for something to change. And I really do know how shitty visa policies can be. But, i don't think it's okay to contrast it with the UK letting in "hoards of EU nationals". Visa regulations should be fairer for citizens who want to be together with their loved ones, regardless of whether there are "hoards of EU nationals" invading the UK or not.

Thank you for saying this. I would have signed the petition but the author resorted to the EU excuse, which is no more than a populist excuse to get swing voters. The UK's visa policy has nothing to do with the EU.

[Moon]

Kiara, I honestly sympathize with you, and wish you the best with everything, but I can't sign that petition. If you get through the hyperbole of it, what it comes down to is that governments can't do the case-by-case basis as the petition demands. Can you imagine tens of thousands of hopefuls showing up at once to get residency? The government can't handle that influx of people, all wanting their specific cases investigated, without any ground rules first. They simply couldn't handle it. I'm not saying that maybe the UK's basic requirements aren't too strict perhaps, but immigration rules need to be there. I think the situation for those of us in international LDR's sucks, but unfortunately governments need to protect the country as a whole, not on individual basis'. For the basic premise of the EU, EU residents can travel freely and settle in other EU countries as desired, look at it like someone moving from Montana to New Jersey; you can just pick up and move to NJ, no worries. If someone in Canada wanted to move to New Jersey, they can't just do it without a long and lengthy process, even though they're our neighbors.

I am truly sorry, I know how difficult this has to be for you, and it makes me sad to hear. I hope you can find a way to be together as soon as possible.

[Ahava]

I signed because I'm a sympathetic silly old fool :P and because I could well be in the same situation. Life is hardly fair. I'm lucky in the sence that I could move to UK right away, but because of my children and other "ties" we are looking at about 10 years apart atleast. I agree on immigration laws etc but do think that the amount of money you have to have saved up is unfair though.

Can he not move to the US?

[Ahava]

Ignorant question regarding this. Is the requirement of £18 600 per year, what the person, whose spouse is immigrating to the UK, should earn?
Or should both be earning that per year?
Earlier I had understood that in order to be able to immigrate to the UK you/your spouse should have that amount saved in a bank.

[Dziubka]

Thank you for saying this. I would have signed the petition but the author resorted to the EU excuse, which is no more than a populist excuse to get swing voters. The UK's visa policy has nothing to do with the EU.

I have to agree with this.

I can't imagine how hard it must be to have to go through immigration or be denied entry or residence in your SO's country. My heart goes out to everyone who goes through that.

But contrasting that with hoards of EU immigrants is populistic. There's already enough hate against immigrants from poorer EU countries in the richer EU countries and mentioning them in such a context is only going to fuel that. Which isn't helping anyone.

[kiara_silver]

Hi sorry haven't posted, and didn't mean to offend. And I know her post she didn't mean to either, I believe it was in context to a personal situation that she knew about and a few others. And it's just upsetting and with time ticking for us (baby due in Nov )and stress of figuring out what were doing in the future, just puts everyone feeling frustrated about what to do. My SO works hard, and were doing things best we can. You have to have a certain amount in the bank and also make a certain annual amount. I can't remember the numbers at the moment. But we're working on it. I think it would just be nice if this helped possibly lower things a bit.

[Moon]

Hi sorry haven't posted, and didn't mean to offend. And I know her post she didn't mean to either, I believe it was in context to a personal situation that she knew about and a few others. And it's just upsetting and with time ticking for us (baby due in Nov )and stress of figuring out what were doing in the future, just puts everyone feeling frustrated about what to do. My SO works hard, and were doing things best we can. You have to have a certain amount in the bank and also make a certain annual amount. I can't remember the numbers at the moment. But we're working on it. I think it would just be nice if this helped possibly lower things a bit.

I don't think you offended anyone We all understand how difficult the situation is, this LDR stuff just ain't easy.

[digitalfever]

Just to clarify: is it earn or have saved $18,000 (can't find pounds symbol!)

[Malaga]

Just to clarify: is it earn or have saved $18,000 (can't find pounds symbol!)

BBC says it's 'earn'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22833136

Under rules that came into force a year ago only British citizens who can show they earn at least £18,600 a year can sponsor their non-European spouse's visa. This rises to £22,400 for families with a child, and a further £2,400 for each further child.

EDT:
It's also here:
https://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/v...ply/financial/