Anguish grows over 'effective ban' on most UK citizens marrying foreign nationals

"The whole thing has made me incredibly angry," said Katharine Ward. "These are the most private things in people's lives: Who you love, where you live... Then you have a government announcement pop up that removes all of those things from your control." 

"There's absolutely no justification for it." 

Like tens of thousands of Britons up and down the country, Katherine has been affected by new family visa rules announced by the government last Monday.   

From April 2024, British citizens or people already settled in the UK will need to show they earn £38,700 (€45,233) before their overseas partner can live here with them. 

Only 27% of the population earn this or more, according to figures from HM Revenue and Customs. 

Katharine and her partner from Jordan live in London together. They came following the COVID pandemic to be closer to Katharine's elderly parents, but now she fears their joint income will not meet the threshold. Making matters worse her job is under threat and the couple face the grim prospect of either separating or both returning to Jordan. 

She thanks herself lucky they do not have kids. 

"It's an enormous source of stress," she told Euronews, detailing how news of the changes had left her routinely breaking down in tears and unable to focus, with her mind "desperately" thinking about how she could make things work. 

"I can't imagine what it would be like if it goes on for months of just sort of waiting to see whether these huge changes in your life are all going to happen or not." 

For her partner, who she says made massive sacrifices to be with her in Britain, the new rules were a big blow, impacting how he felt in the country. 

"Politicians keep sending a message that if you are here as a migrant, you're not