Immigration policies brought in by the UK Government which prevent foreign spouses of UK citizens from residing in the country have been termed “inhumane” by the archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nicholas.
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales said that the legislation – which was implemented in 2012 – would serve to “blight the lives” of many British children. The rules ensure that people from countries which are outside the European Union are prevented from moving to and settling in the UK with their British husband or wife unless they are able to prove a yearly income of at least £18,600.
“Anyone truly concerned for the family as the building block of society, and realistic about the mobility of British people today, must see both the folly of this policy and how it is an affront to the status of British citizenship,” Mr Nicholas told The Guardian newspaper.
“The Government’s intention with these new regulations is to cut the number of immigrants from outside the European Union. But in doing so, is it the Government’s intention to penalise British citizens?...Other EU citizens are free to come and live in the UK with spouses from outside the EU. And yet British citizens do not enjoy the same rights,” he added.
The final details of the Immigration Bill are currently under discussion by MPs. It aims to roll out
measures including curbs on entitlement to benefits, which are designed to crackdown on illegal immigrants and so-called ‘welfare tourists’.
As many as 17,800 families could be affected by the legislation, data from the Home Office confirmed. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said that the measures were “necessary to prevent a family becoming a burden on the taxpayer and to promote integration”.