Since 2012, the UK has introduced a series of new laws whose sole purpose seems to be to keep people away from their loved ones. All UK citizens married to non-EU citizens will have to pay a hefty cash price if they want to keep their families together. In order for a foreign partner to qualify for a visa, the UK spouse’s annual income must exceed £18,600. That’s just over $23,000. That wouldn’t be a problem, except that more than half of the country’s working population earns less than that amount.
Immigration is such a contentious issue in the UK that the government tends not to talk about it. The Home Office issued a statement that was as controversial as the issue. They declare: ‘Family life here cannot be at the expense of taxpayers. That’s why we have clear rules for UK citizens wishing to bring their non-EU spouses into this country…’ The implication is that non-EU spouses are becoming A burden on British society. But how does it help the country when a mother with young children has to take benefits because the main breadwinner can’t live in the same country to support them?
If the law was meant to target people who marry out of convenience in order to be able to stay in the country, maybe it should be worded differently. In fact, some of those most affected have been married for a long time and lived abroad. Then they decide that their children should be raised and educated in the UK, and then the problems start as they realize that the salary they earn in the UK is not enough to get the spouse a visa. Few cannot find enough work to bring their spouse to the country to live with them.
The film chronicles the stories of four couples who had to deal with this subtle form of discrimination. Only one of the three got a positive response. In the words of a former Prime Minister, “If people’s love is divided by the law, then the law must change.” Now look.
