Key Issue

Rights of British citizens with foreign spouses for visas and UK residence

Issue

Despite the international world we increasingly live in, the current system for granting visas and citizenship unjustly penalizes British citizens who marry foreigners while living overseas or who then move overseas. The UK government should be obliged to respect the ‘right to family life’ guaranteed to British citizens under ECHR Article 8 by allowing all citizens to enjoy this right in the UK - rather than, as at present, requiring British citizens with foreign spouses to show that there is an ‘insurmountable obstacle’ to their enjoying family life outside the UK.

Indeed, only just recently, the UK Government has substantially increased (almost doubled) the income threshold for those wanting to bring a spouse with them to live in the United Kingdom

What the Forum says

The Forum is committed to helping the UK government understand the issues that British citizens face and understand what has been driving government policy in this area and ultimately push for fairer and more sensible processes but also make sure the processes are not open for abuse.