Petition · past parliament
Lower the wage requirement of British citizens with a non-EU spouse.
Closed
604 signatures
What the petition asks
Current minimum earning guideline is £18,600. This is unfair to young people starting out, particularly ex-military people.There are many hard working British people with good employment prospects that are being kept from their families because of this hard-fast rule. We propose a level of £14,000.
Consider that the government gives the guidelines as below:
Living wage is £7.20
Average annual working hours in the UK 1677* x 7.2 = £ 12,074.40
(* Source: 2014 OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). £14,000 is a fairer amount.
What also should be considered in the decision are the spouse’s future employment capabilities, e.g. employment and educational background. Another consideration that should be made is the British citizen’s family backing within the UK.
Living wage is £7.20
Average annual working hours in the UK 1677* x 7.2 = £ 12,074.40
(* Source: 2014 OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). £14,000 is a fairer amount.
What also should be considered in the decision are the spouse’s future employment capabilities, e.g. employment and educational background. Another consideration that should be made is the British citizen’s family backing within the UK.
Timeline
| 14 Jan 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 14 Jul 2016 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
604
Status
Closed
Opened
14 Jan 2016
Closed
14 Jul 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.