Couple's marriage dream at risk over visa rule change

A charity worker from Sheffield says he may have to leave the UK if visa rules announced this week are not overturned.

Daniel Neath got engaged to his fiancée Jenni, from Argentina, two weeks ago, but new migration rules mean she will not be able to stay in the country.

From April 2024, the minimum salary requirement for people who want to bring a foreign family member or partner to the UK will rise to £38,700.

Mr Neath said the jump from the current threshold of £18,600 was "unjust".

Ministers hope the move will cut immigration levels, which have reached record highs in recent years, and ensure families can support themselves.

Mr Neath, who works for Yorkshire Sport Foundation, said the new rules would "penalise British people in legitimate relationships".

He told BBC Radio Sheffield: "I recognise that for any government you have to make some very difficult decisions.

"But this particular proposal of raising the spouse visa from under £20,000 to nearly £40,000, to a level that many people in the UK can't afford, I feel that is unjust and unfair."

The couple, who met last year, had been "very excited" about living together and starting married life in the UK.

However, Mr Neath said the government's announcement on Monday had left him "sleepless".

He said: "I know it's not just me, there are several other stories of young people who are absolutely distraught, realising they wouldn't be able to live in their own country with the person they love."

Mr Neath said if the government does not reverse this decision, he would have to look at potentially leaving the UK.

"I've worked for a number of charities where we've made a real impact across the country, in some of the most deprived areas, to give children and young people opportunities," he said.

"I'd feel disappointed that I would then not be able to live with my fiancée in this country, having given so much."

Mr Neath is now hoping for support from others in similar situations, adding: "This hasn't gone through in law yet, it doesn't have to go through.

"There is an opportunity for the government to reconsider and for different parties to come together against this."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].