Removing The Poor? Immigrants Must Earn Court-Approved Income To Bring Families Into The UK

The United States hasn't been the only nation curtailing its immigration opportunities for families around the world. The British Supreme Court ruled Wednesday an income-test for all immigrant already living in the United Kingdom with arriving spouses was legal and could be instated. The ruling followed a years-long battle after Prime Minister Theresa May introduced the policy in 2012 as interior minister.

Immigrants whose spouses are traveling into Britain to live with their loved ones must earn at least $23,170 (18,600 pounds) annually in order to gain legal entrance, according to the ruling. The Supreme Court included a caveat in its decision, however: The judgment stated current policy did not appropriately protect the welfare of children whose parents were separated due to their income levels.

The Supreme Court defended its decision in its ruling Wednesday, writing "the fact that a rule causes hardship to many, including some who are in no way to blame for the situation in which they now find themselves, does not mean that it is incompatible with the Convention rights or otherwise unlawful at common law."

Though it may divide spouses and even families until new additions can be made, the approved order was "part of an overall strategy aimed at reducing net migration" and "no doubt entirely legitimate," the court added.

The ruling also noted spouses can earn joint-incomes not tied to the immigrant already living in the U.K., as well as other sources of funding besides a standard British income. Such alternatives were not included in the current policy.

The wording of the Supreme Court’s decision allowed for immigration activists and progressives across the region to continue the battle for families and spouses moving to the U.K., according to Saira Grant, chief executive at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.

"These are significant victories for families up and down the country," Grant told U.S. News and World Report Wednesday. "This judgment confirms that the government's position is now untenable and they must now take immediate steps to protect the welfare of children in accordance with their legal duty."

May and U.S. President Donald Trump, two hardliners on migration, trade and restoring their government’s global identity and strength, have taken different tones publicly when addressing immigrants. While Trump has denounced Mexican immigrants as "criminals" and "rapists," as well as vowing to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. throughout his successful 2016 presidential campaign, the U.K.’s prime minister has rejected his rhetoric and stance on Muslim immigration, calling his travel restrictions from seven Muslim-majority nations "divisive and wrong."