Applying for FLR(M) for my wife + other options

[psyche]

Hi folks,

Great source of information here. I'm hoping you can give me some advice.

My wife came here on a spouse VISA at the start of Feb 2008. Her visa is due to expire at the end of January 2010 and we are planning to apply for an extension - FLR(M) to be exact - however as has been discussed many times on this board, it's not easy to get an premium appointment at Croydon. I'm trying every day by phone and the online booking system but no luck yet.

We could of course apply by post before the end of Jan 2010, however the waiting times (been told 4 - 14 weeks by PEO Croydon) concern me especially as she is desperate to go back to her home country of Indonesia to see her father as he is very sick (she won't be able to go back until mid-Jan at the earliest).

Does anyone know whether it would it be possible for her to leave the UK before her Visa expires, spend a few months with her family, before reapplying for a spouse VISA again? Would the UK Border Agency look at her application unfavourably if we took this option?

Really hope someone can give us some advice.

Many thanks,

Ed

[Wanderer]

Y r u not applying for ILR?

[psyche]

Y r u not applying for ILR?

Wow - fast reply!

We did discuss applying for ILR and have bought the Life in the UK book, however we've just had a baby and he's requiring all our time and energy at the moment. Once he settles down a bit she'll do the test but at the moment she simply doesn't have time to do much else other than look after him.