Stop35K Campaign urges everyone to 'Send stories to Parliament' before the deadline tonight

"How will the £35,000 income threshold for non-EU citizens settling in the UK affect you? Is the introduction of the income threshold affecting your future plans? How will the introduction of the income threshold affect your business, workplace and/or community?" [1]

Today Stop35K, a campaign that began in response to the UK government's plans to raise the threshold for Tier 2 Skilled Workers, is urging everyone to tell their story on Parliament's facebook page before the 35K debate goes to parliament.

On the front of their campaign website, Stop35K explains:

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"Tier 2 General Skilled Workers who do not make £35,000 salary or who have been in the UK for 6 years, will need to leave or be deported.

"The Home Office estimates this will cost taxpayers between £181million and £575million"

The plans have naturally caused great concern for many individuals and families who have or are related to migrants who fail to meet this narrow criteria and who have already been long settled in the UK.

"If you are a skilled worker in the UK, your legal status depends on your Tier 2 Skilled Worker visa. This work visa usually expires after 5 years, after which you must either leave the UK or apply for settlement (known as Indefinite Leave to Remain or ILR). From this April, if you apply for settlement then you need to earn over £35,000. If you earn less than this, you will not be allowed to remain in the UK even if you have lived here for years, contributing to the UK culture and economy."

WHO WILL THIS AFFECT?

The law affects anyone who is on a Tier 2 visa and:
•Does not make an annual wage of £35,000
•Is not on the shortage occupation list
•Obtained their first Tier 2 visa after April 2011
•Does not already have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
If the above applies to you, a friend, or a family member then the £35,000 settlement threshold will affect you.
If you intend to move to the UK at any time in the future, this affects you.
If you employ or intend to employ a non-EU skilled worker, this affects you.
If your children are in school, this affects you.
If you rely on a professional carer or the NHS, this affects you. [1]

There has already been a huge turn out on the UK Parliament facebook page which has been designated for the public to share their stories on before the debate goes to parliament. Some of the most recent examples include:

"This is really amazing, I am an immigrant and have been working in the NHS for the past 14years, till date my salary as a band 7 nurse is £32,000. So please tell me how you expect this people to earn £35,000 within a year, when a government organisation is paying this low. This is indirect discrimination in a developed country. And it's an unfair way of dealing with migrants who are willing to contribute to the economy of UK as these people are not entitled to any social benefits and also restricted in what they can do earn more" - Bukky Omopariola

"NHS pharmacists are not on the protected list and do not earn that sort of money until many years into their careers. We can't recruit enough as it is and now the government are going to deport my colleague?" - Sarah Reed

"I am currently teaching at a university in China and met my American boyfriend - a teacher - here two years ago. I'd like to one day move back home with him but although we of course both plan to find full-time jobs; the realities of the sort of salary he could expect to make as a full time teacher and the fact that my salary is not even included in the £35k calculations means that even if I have a job with a significantly higher salary this policy would make it almost impossible for me to move long-term back to the UK." - Rachel Ashe

"What about Non-EU university students? They're one of the biggest sources of revenue for British Universities with extremely restricted after-graduation working rights. That's preposterous! Great Britain's progress is BECAUSE OF IMMIGRANTS not DESPITE  them." - Neel Deshpande

"I have three university degrees and work in the international development sector, where very few jobs pay over £35 000. I support myself comfortably and present no burden whatsoever to the UK system, but this rule means that soon I will be forced to leave my home, my partner and my job. This £35k threshold determines the worth of an individual based solely on income rather than contribution to society, which is not just inhumane -- it's shortsighted." - Megan Daigle

The Petition Committee has scheduled a debate on a petition about this issue on Monday 7 March. Tell Parliament how this would affect you by commenting on their facebook page by midnight on Thursday 3 March.

Your comments will then be shared with MPs and used to help inform the debate.