Rishi Sunak insisted his plans to make it harder to bring overseas family members to the UK will go ahead in full in 2025.
The Prime Minister faced a backlash from the Tory right after rowing back on reforms that would block migrants joining households earning under £38,700.
Ministers announced the minimum salary level will be raised from £18,600 to £29,000 in the spring instead.
Mr Sunak said levels of migration are “far too high and they have got to come down”.
The visa changes are part of his plan to reduce numbers by 300,000, which he said is “more than anyone’s ever done before”.
He added: “Regarding the salary for families, I think the principle here is absolutely right that if people are bringing dependents into this country as part of their family they must be able to support them.
“That’s why we have a salary threshold for that.
“Now we are increasing the salary threshold significantly and we are doing exactly as we said we were doing.
“We are just doing it in two stages. So, it will go up in a few months time, then it will go up again, the full amount, in 2025.”
The Tory right said lowering the earnings threshold for Britons bringing family members to the UK was a “regrettable sign of weakness”.
David Jones, deputy chairman of the right-wing European Research Group, said: “The latest net migration figures very starkly showed the extent of the crisis we face. Increasing the threshold was absolutely necessary to address that crisis.
“The Government should have stuck to its guns. Yesterday’s decision was a regrettable sign of weakness, made worse by the fact that Parliament was not sitting and therefore was unable to interrogate ministers on the reasons for the decision.”
Jonathan Gullis, a Conservative former minister, said: “This decision is deeply disappointing and undermines our efforts.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly set out the plans for a £38,700 threshold as part of a package of measures to curb legal migration.
It followed an outcry over record net migration figures of 745,000 in 2022.
Mr Cleverly said: “I have been clear that current levels of migration to the UK are far too high. The British people are, rightly, frustrated and want to see action. This is why the government announced a plan to decisively cut net migration and ensure the system is fair and works for the people of this country.
“It is vital that British workers are not undercut and that we ease the strain on our public services. The measures I have announced prioritise those who will contribute significantly to our economy, whilst cracking down on those who seek to take advantage of our kindness.”
