No 10 'calms concerns'

BRITONS earning less than £38,700 could still live with their foreign spouses in the UK in "exceptional circumstances", Downing Street said, as it sought to calm fears over the new family visas rules.

The change to the minimum income for family visas was part of a package of measures unveiled by the Home Secretary James Cleverly aimed at cutting the number of people coming to the UK after levels soared to a record high.

UK citizens must be earning at least £38,700 to sponsor foreign family members wishing to gain a visa under the new rules.

The sharp raising of the threshold - more than double the previous limit of £18,600 to above the median income for full-time employees has prompted criticism for barring the loved ones of lessrich Britons from the country.