FLR(M) - First application to extend correspondence documents (Fiancee route)

[CaptainJack]

Hello all. This is my first post here but I'm a long time lurker, I would like to say a big thank you to all that contribute on this forum. I hope to do my bit for future applicants too!

I brought my partner to the UK on the Family Visa (Fiance) route, where you are granted 6 months leave to remain, and then within the 6 months you get married, apply for an extension at the end of the term, and then the newly married partner is granted 2 years further leave to remain, along with the right to work.

So we have gotten married, the visa expires some time in August so we are just beginning to gather all of the pre-requisites, so we are ready to apply when the time comes. Oh the joy... the fun never ends!

One part of the application asks for items of documentary evidence, to show proof that you and your partner have lived at the same address. It can be 6 items where you are jointly named, 12 items where you are separately named or a mixture of the two. This is so they can see some documentary evidence that you are cohabiting. Fine. The problem is as you know, my fiancee is new to the UK and has been here less than 3 months, she is now signed up for a bank account, she is signed on the tenancy agreement, however there isn't a lot else!

Of course we will try our best to make amends, we do plan to move into a new place in July, and with that I hope we can get a set of fresh utilities signed up with our joint names, in our current place it is not possible to get our names both on the utilities for reasons I won't bore you with.

In the application form it keeps referring to showing proof we have been living with each other for the past 2 years, and this is what the documentary evidence is for. So this really does look like it is not aimed at people on the 6 month fiance conversion route. Can anyone confirm that this is true, that it is really aimed at the people who have been in the country for over 2 years and are extending? If so, do you have any idea why they still insist on this wording, as it is a little worrying for me!!

Anyway thanks a lot for reading guys. I look forward to hearing from you, and see you around on here.

Edit: Here is the list, I hope you like my tester names when I ran through the application today

[Casa]

The proof of co-habitation isn't required for FLR(M) following a fiance visa, only evidence that you are living together at the time of application.

[TanJL]

The FLR(M) form is a 'one size fits all' application that covers several different situations. Which is why some questions and requirements don't relate to the fiance - FLR(M) route. It's best to try not to worry too much & to look at the whole application with this in mind.

The online application is a beta version & won't allow you to complete the application without ticking the box to say you will bring all the required 2 year cohabitation proof. Just tick the box & provide whatever proof you have. For the fiance - FLR(M) route you are not expected to show any proof of cohabitation when you apply. (When my husband applied, he only had an NHS registration letter)

[bigtonya]

Hi I wanted to post some reassurance on a thread that gave me some.

We changed my Brazilian partner's fiance visa to our first Flrm in early October 2018 at the Cardiff premium centre. I want to stress that cohabitation evidence is NOT required when doing this switch. The case worker who took the documents from us told us they would not expect us to have been able to generate this kind of evidence within a few months (my partner had been here for 4 and a half months at that point).

All he was really interested in was my partners passport, the financial and accommodation evidence and the completed forms obviously. We had a massive pile of documents all in order but he just asked us for this. I told him that the checklist stated what we needed and he just kept asking if there was anything else we wanted to submit. I said we wanted to submit as much as possible, but, I know he was not interested in it because he made two piles of paper. One for what he was interested in, and the other for what we wanted to submit.

The takeaway is that the premium service was fine, it was not intimidating and they were all very friendly. It was not my impression that they were there looking for something to trip you up, my partner was very nervous and they were incredibly kind. Get you core key documents in order (they dont want photos and whatsapp at this point, he even told me that they never look at that unless you were invited to an interview) presumably because they were suspicious about something. I wish we had posted our stuff and saved the money because I think if you have stuff in order you are cool, I think the premium centre just makes you feel you have more control over a messy process.

Good luck to everyone going through this, its not fun.