Reunite My Family! - UK Visa Financial Increase!

WHO AM I?

My name is Benjamin Rudman. I'm a British-American, professional voice actor known for works such as Eddsworld, Team Fortress 2 and for working on and in various modding scenes such as Battlefront II, Source titles and Jedi: Fallen Order.

You may have heard me as various announcers in Team Fortress 2 and Open Fortress, The Civilian in Team Fortress 2: Classic, along with Mark in Eddsworld and I was a founding staff member of the Official Team Fortress 2 Wiki.

WHAT IS A "VISA"?

A "visa" is essentially a legal document that grants you entry and the right to stay (and sometimes work) in a foreign country. It is the legal path to entering a country you are not currently a native holder of citizenship. A "Family Visa" is required to connect families in one country that may not all share native citizenship.

WHAT IS THE "FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT"?

In the UK, all visas carry a "financial requirement" at the time of visa application (as of 2012). The requirement can be met either by an annual salary of a certain amount, or, alternatively, savings of a certain amount. Either of which must be documented via 6 months of bank statements, showing the amount is stable.

From 2012 until an announcement at the end of 2023, this amount was £18,600 annually or £62,000 in savings. The former of which being attainable with any minimum wage job.

In late 2023, it was announced this would be increasing to a whopping £38,700 annually, or £112,000 in savings in Spring of 2024. A salary that less than 25% of the country make, threatened to separate families all across the country, or leaving those currently living abroad with family, unable to return home in the near future.

After a lot of pushback, the government responded by declaring that the full amount would instead be moved to an unspecified time in 2025, but that the originally planned increase date would instead stagger the increase to £29,000 annually or £88,500 in savings. A still largely unattainable amount for most.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT ME?

I am part of one such family affected by this change. The government threatens to separate us by oceans and allow some of us no realistic path back to our families. £112,000 is an unfathomable amount for most people. We're rapidly running out of time before we don't have enough months left in the year to collate 6 months of statements, and I cannot see any way we could ever collect together £112,000.

There are many things in life I had assumed I would have achieved in my 20s, but waited until I was financial stable with a secure home. I am now in my 30s and feel like my life and youth is being frittered away by bureaucratic busywork. I'd really just like to be free from it all.

HOW LONG DO I HAVE?

The full increase of £38,700 annually / £112,000 savings occurs in 2025, but beyond that we don't know when exactly it will occur.

If we assume the worst case scenario, that they pick January of 2025, and that we need 6 months of statements prior to the application date, that leaves the absolute latest time we could start collecting our statements of the full amount would be around June/July (to allow some time to get the application through).

If we fail to meet that, we may never reunite as a family long term, and our entire future and our goals will be up for debate.

I never wanted to feel forced to throw myself to the internet and beg. But we are rapidly running out of options and I miss my family, I miss my friends and I miss having a clear future that feels attainable.

I am a very private person, so this has been a very difficult and last resort...

Anything at all is appreciated, but please help reunite my family before 2025!

SUMMARY

• We need a total of £88,500.
• Our family is stuck in two countries.
• We need this before late Summer.
• Any help is appreciated!