Andrew Bean is doing one of the most prestigious doctorates in artificial intelligence in the UK but changes to Britain’s migration system have forced the 28-year-old American citizen to consider returning to the US.
His wife Stephanie, 28, who is British and works at a church in Oxfordshire, was able to sponsor his entry into the UK on a spousal visa as her salary met the criteria when they moved to England two years ago to both take up PhDs at Oxford university.
The Beans are among tens of thousands of people living in Britain who would no longer be eligible for a family visa this spring, after the government announced this week that the salary threshold will more than double.