‘Cruel and callous’: Families face years living apart if government changes visa rules

‘Families are already being separated with devastating consequences’

Emanoel, five, and Jaime, six, have not seen their father in over three years (Raquel Roberts De Santos)

Britons living apart from their partners and children fear further hardship under new Home Office proposals that could make it tougher to bring foreign spouses to the UK.

Currently, citizens applying to bring a non-EU spouse or child to the UK need to have an income of at least £18,600 and this increases to £22,400 if you want to bring over a step-child.

But families struggling to meet the minimum income threshold could be even harder hit under plans reportedly drawn up by home secretary Suella Braverman to increase the required figure. The apparent plans have prompted a significant backlash, with 44 MPs and nearly 100 family members signing a letter to Downing Street calling on the government to stop the changes.