Harry and Meghan

So we now have another lovey-dovey fairy tale royal wedding to distract us from our own misery.

Harry, an unemployed ex-soldier, will marry an American citizen but unlike so many others who have married foreign partners, he will be permitted to bring her to live in the UK. Immigration rules introduced in 2012 under then-Home Secretary Theresa May set a minimum earnings threshold of £18,600 for UK citizens to bring a European Economic Area (EEA)spouse or partner to live here with them so to keep immigration down at all costs by focussing upon soft targets.

The Migration Observatory in Oxford estimates that 40 per cent of Britons in full or part-time employment don't earn enough to meet this threshold. The £18,600 figure was calculated as the minimum income amount necessary to avoid a migrant becoming a “burden on the state”.  And the required income goes up if you intend to also bring your children into the country. The threshold rises by £3,800 for one child and £2,400 for each additional child. In 2015, the Children's Commissioner reported that up to 15,000 children were affected by this exclusion rule, most of whom are British citizens. 

 Applicants cannot rely on offers of support from other family members, for instance, parents or grandparents or brothers and sisters (Charly, Betty and Willy can't help out) nor can any other third parties such as employers. The non-EEA partner’s earnings cannot be taken into account if they are working abroad or if they have a job offer in the UK but do not already have work authorisation.

It is highly doubtful that the UK Border Force will be demanding to see Harry's financial statements and the media will continue to ignore the heart-break many other couples and families endure because of where they were born rather than the family they were born into.