When to Apply for visa extension - FLR-M

Good morning,

I've looked through some of the threads within the forum and the answer is rather unclear on when I should apply for my spousal visa extension.

One thread I came across in here advised I am able to apply 30 months after entering the UK on my spousal visa, which in my case 30 months would have been June 24, 2019. However, other information I have come across advises not to apply for it until I am within 28 days of it expiring, which in my case it would be Sept 19, 2019.

A secondary query regarding the FLR-M, my husband and I have filled out the form, paid the fees but I have not gone down to the Croydon office to get finger printed, photographed and have my documents checked yet. As we have paid all the fees at this point, uploaded all our documents, have we technically applied already? Or would my application actually be submitted the day I go down to Croydon? I found this rather confusing as I was unable to tell this from the UKHO website.

A third question, my husband travels internationally for work on occasion and he will be traveling a few days after my Croydon visit is scheduled. I understand he needs to be in the country the day i submit my application but does he have to remain in the country the whole of the time it is in process? As we are unable to change his work travel schedule which is part of the reason we went through the website application process in mid-july as he will be away starting at the end of August.

Your guidance is greatly appreciated.

One thread I came across in here advised I am able to apply 30 months after entering the UK on my spousal visa, which in my case 30 months would have been June 24, 2019. However, other information I have come across advises not to apply for it until I am within 28 days of it expiring, which in my case it would be Sept 19, 2019.

The earliest you should apply is within 28 days before reaching 30 months residence on a spouse visa (not including a fiance visa) OR before your visa expires.

A secondary query regarding the FLR-M, my husband and I have filled out the form, paid the fees but I have not gone down to the Croydon office to get finger printed, photographed and have my documents checked yet. As we have paid all the fees at this point, uploaded all our documents, have we technically applied already? Or would my application actually be submitted the day I go down to Croydon? I found this rather confusing as I was unable to tell this from the UKHO website.

Date of application is the date you submit and pay online and NOT the date of your appointment for biometrics.

A third question, my husband travels internationally for work on occasion and he will be traveling a few days after my Croydon visit is scheduled. I understand he needs to be in the country the day i submit my application but does he have to remain in the country the whole of the time it is in process? As we are unable to change his work travel schedule which is part of the reason we went through the website application process in mid-july as he will be away starting at the end of August.

Where exactly does it says he has to be in the country when you submit your application or that he has to remain in the country???

Hi CR001,

Thank you for your below responses.

Concerning the 3rd question, HR at my office (who is not sponsoring me so they are unable to provide me w/ any legal help) said they strictly advise for the sponsor spouse to remain in the UK while the application is in process. We just didn't see this anywhere on the website saying he needed to be here 100% of the time until I get a response. Just received mixed messaging.

We submitted our application on July 28th and paid the fee to go to a Croydon appointment on Aug 1st, however upon speaking with HR at work they advised that I shouldn't even apply until my expiration date was 28 days within sight so i cancelled the Croydon appointment and rescheduled for Aug 23 which is within 28 days of my visa expiration. Considering the UKHO website says it can take up to 8 weeks for a decision it just seemed rather ludicrous. We paid the additional £800 for the super speedy service as we would like to sort out my extension ASAP. We perceive my application is fairly straight forward, husband makes more than the needed £18k+ to be my sponsor, we've submitted all evidence of co-habitation, all evidence of our finances being tied together, even photos and plane tickets to make sure we are really stamping it that we are in fact the real deal in a relationship. We even added cover letters. Hopefully it isn't overkill.

Concerning the 3rd question, HR at my office (who is not sponsoring me so they are unable to provide me w/ any legal help) said they strictly advise for the sponsor spouse to remain in the UK while the application is in process. We just didn't see this anywhere on the website saying he needed to be here 100% of the time until I get a response. Just received mixed messaging.

Stop listening to others who have no idea and simply follow the HO guidance notes. There is NO requirement that your spouse has to remain in the UK for the whole time. Note however though that HO might still contact your spouse, but it is unlikely.

We submitted our application on July 28th and paid the fee to go to a Croydon appointment on Aug 1st, however upon speaking with HR at work they advised that I shouldn't even apply until my expiration date was 28 days within sight so i cancelled the Croydon appointment and rescheduled for Aug 23 which is within 28 days of my visa expiration. Considering the UKHO website says it can take up to 8 weeks for a decision it just seemed rather ludicrous. We paid the additional £800 for the super speedy service as we would like to sort out my extension ASAP. We perceive my application is fairly straight forward, husband makes more than the needed £18k+ to be my sponsor, we've submitted all evidence of co-habitation, all evidence of our finances being tied together, even photos and plane tickets to make sure we are really stamping it that we are in fact the real deal in a relationship. We even added cover letters. Hopefully it isn't overkill.

You really should not be taking advice from HR if they have no clue on your visa category.

Photos and planet tickets are NOT required for an extension. You ONLY need the evidence of cohabitation to prove relationship. Sending unnecessary documents creates confusion and causes delays.

An additional question :

Regarding the financial documentation, such as payslips. Our understanding is the newest payslip cannot be more than 28 days old as of the day we submit the application, is our understanding correct? From what I can see on the UKHO i can still upload documents so i could get my latest payslip from July 31st stamped by my payroll dept and upload, would that matter? or is that too late and what we submitted on July 28th is it?

Regarding the financial documentation, such as payslips. Our understanding is the newest payslip cannot be more than 28 days old as of the day we submit the application, is our understanding correct?

Correct, and the same applies to the employer letter and bank statements.

From what I can see on the UKHO i can still upload documents so i could get my latest payslip from July 31st stamped by my payroll dept and upload, would that matter? or is that too late and what we submitted on July 28th is it?

Date of application is the date you submit and pay online and your documents must be dated on or before this date and not after.

Hi CR001, Thank you for all your guidance!

Regarding the Croydon visit does my husband need to attend with me to show his passport in person? Or is this just for me to show up at Croydon, get fingerprinted, get photographed and they look only at my passport?

bleutrinitty wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 08, 2019 2:15 pm

Hi CR001, Thank you for all your guidance!

Regarding the Croydon visit does my husband need to attend with me to show his passport in person? Or is this just for me to show up at Croydon, get fingerprinted, get photographed and they look only at my passport?

The latter, only you need to go but you should take all your originals, including his passport, just in case they have to rescan something.