If you or your partner want to apply for a Spouse Extension FLR M Visa then follow our step by step guide to processing your own visa written by our team of qualified immigration experts and ex Home Office caseworkers.
Still need help? Our “Do Your Own Partner Visa Pack” service provides you with a list of documents and template letters based on YOUR specific circumstances.
What is a FLR M application?
FLR M stands for Further Leave to Remain in the Marriage category.
You would apply for a FLR M visa to extend your stay in the UK as the partner of someone who is present and settled in UK or someone who has been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection.
The FLR M visa will allow you to REMAIN in the UK with your partner for 30 months. This can then lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and British Citizenship.
You can apply for a FLR M visa if:
- You previously applied outside the UK for a spouse visa and your spouse visa was granted by the Home Office (including those who applied as same-sex couples or unmarried partners)
- You came to the UK on a fiancé visa (or proposed civil partner visa)
- You are already in the UK but in a different immigration category and have now got married (or are now in a civil partnership)
- You have applied for a FLR M visa previously. You should check whether you would be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) before making an application for FLR M.
If you are unsure of which visa you should be applying for then take a look at our guide to “Which partner visa should I apply for?”.
The FLR M visa gives you the right to work in the UK. However, if you are currently in the UK on a Fiancee Visa you will have to wait until your FLR M visa is granted before you can begin working.
The suitability requirements will not apply to most people but it is vital that you check them to avoid an application refusal. We’ve put all the suitability requirements mentioned in Appendix FM into a chart below so you can quickly and easily check over them before moving onto the next step.
Will be refused
The applicant is currently the subject of a deportation order.
The presence of the applicant in the UK is not conducive to the public good because they have been convicted of an offence for which they have been sentenced to imprisonment for at least 12 months.
The presence of the applicant in the UK is not conducive to the public good because their offending has caused serious harm or they are a persistent offender who shows a particular disregard for the law.\
The presence of the applicant in the UK is not conducive to the public good because conduct, character, associations, or other reasons, make it undesirable to allow them to remain in the UK.
The applicant has failed without reasonable excuse to comply with a requirement to-
- attend an interview
- provide information
- provide physical data
- undergo a medical examination
- provide a medical report
Normally refused
Whether or not to the applicant’s knowledge –
- false information, representations or documents have been submitted in relation to the application
- there has been a failure to disclose material facts in relation to the application
A maintenance and accommodation undertaking has been requested and has not been provided.
The Secretary of State has given notice to the applicant and their partner under section 50(7)(b) of the Immigration Act 2014 that one or both of them have not complied with the investigation of their proposed marriage or civil partnership.
May be refused
The applicant has made false representations or failed to disclose any material fact in a previous application for entry clearance, leave to enter, leave to remain or a variation of leave, or in a previous human rights claim; or did so in order to obtain from the Secretary of State or a third party a document required to support such an application or claim (whether or not the application or claim was successful).
The applicant has previously made false representations or failed to disclose material facts for the purpose of obtaining a document from the Secretary of State that indicates that he or she has a right to reside in the United Kingdom.
The applicant has failed to pay litigation costs awarded to the Home Office.
One or more relevant NHS bodies has notified the Secretary of State that the applicant has failed to pay charges in accordance with the relevant NHS regulations on charges to overseas visitors and the outstanding charges have a total value of at least £500.
To apply for an FLR M Visa, the applicant and their UK Partner must both be 18 or over.
The UK Partner must also be either:
- a British citizen
- settled in the UK – meaning the UK Partner has indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
- a refugee or have humanitarian protection in the UK
The applicant will have to prove that any previous marriage or civil partnerships has permanently broken down.
The applicant and their UK partner must be in a relationship similar to marriage or a civil partnership for at least 2 years
To prove this, you must submit evidence that shows that you and your partner have cohabited for two years before your visa application was made.
Examples of what you should include:
- Letter from landlord’s/estate agents
- Items of correspondence addressed to both of you at the same address
- Title deeds to the relevant property
If you’re unsure of what to include, our “Do Your Own Partner Visa” service can provide you with a document checklist and template letters to help you complete the visa application yourself.
Other relationship requirements the applicant will have to prove include:
- intention to live together permanently in the UK after you apply.
- the relationship is genuine and subsisting
- the applicant and their UK Partner have met each other
- the relationship is not within the list of prohibited relationships
Read our guide to the Relationship Requirement to find out more about what each of these mean and what evidence can be provided to show the relationship requirement has been met.
It is a Home Office requirement that anyone applying for a Spouse Extension FLR M Visa must speak basic English. In order to meet the English Language requirement of your Visa application you will have to provide evidence. The evidence that you submit could be any of the following:
- by passing an approved English language test in speaking and listening at CEFR Level ‘A2’
- by being a national of a majority English speaking country
- by having obtained an academic qualification at degree level or above taught in English
If the degree was not awarded in the UK:
- the qualification must be recognised by UK NARIC as being equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher; and
- UK NARIC has provided you with a certificate confirming the degree was taught or researched in English at or above the required level.
The applicant will be exempt from the English Language Requirement if:
- they are 65 years old or over when the application is made; or
- they have a physical or mental condition which prevents them from meeting the requirement; or
- there are exceptional circumstances preventing them from meeting this requirement
If you cannot demonstrate how you meet the English Language requirement or that you are exempt, your visa application will be refused.
Read our English Language Requirement guide to get detailed information on approved English language tests and test providers.
For a FLR M visa, both the applicant and the UK partners income can be counted towards the financial requirement.
The applicant does not have to meet the financial requirement, if the UK partner meets the financial requirement alone then this will be enough.
The financial requirement will be met if:
- The UK partner and/or the applicant has an annual income of at least £18,600; or
- cash savings of £62,500 (cash savings under £62,500 can also be used to counteract the annual income requirement)
To learn more about cash savings and the rules on combining income and savings please read our “Cash Savings” guide.
When the applicant has dependent children that are not a UK or EEA citizen, an additional gross annual income of £3,800 is required for the first child sponsored in addition to the partner and £2,400 for each further child.
| Children applying with the Partner | Minimum Income Threshold |
| 0 | £18,600 |
| 1 | £22,400 |
| 2 | £24,800 |
| 3 | £27,200 |
Sources of income that can be used to meet the financial requirement include:
- employment income
- non-employment income such as property rental income
- cash savings above £16,000
- pension income
- self-employment income or as a director of a limited company in the UK
We recommend reading our Financial Requirement guide which breaks down all the different sources of income, how to calculate your annual income and what evidence needs to be provided for your visa application.
You do not need to meet the financial requirement if the UK partner receives any of the following benefits;
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme;
- Attendance Allowance;
- Carer’s Allowance;
- Constant Attendance Allowance,
- Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme;
- Disability Living Allowance;
- Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit;
- Personal Independence Payment; or
- Severe Disablement Allowance.
You will still need to show self-sufficiency i.e. that you and your partner can survive without having to apply for more benefits due to the partner obtaining a visa. Read our guide on Adequate Maintenance and Benefits for detailed instructions on how to meet the financial requirement.
You will need to provide evidence that the accommodation you and your partner will live in is ‘adequate’.
First, you must show how you have ‘adequate’ accommodation from the options below:
The applicant and their UK partner will be living in rented accommodation
- signed and dated letter from the landlord or estate agent
The applicant and/or their UK partner owns the accommodation
- copy of the title deeds which can be ordered from the UK Land Registry
- letter from the mortgage provider confirming who owns the property (if the property is mortgaged)
- Housing Report to prove that the accommodation is not overcrowded
The applicant and their UK partner will be living in a family or friend’s home
- family or friends should write you a letter stating that they are happy and willing to allow you to live with your partner in their home
- copy of the title deeds or mortgage letter if they own the accommodation
- letter from their landlord if they rent the accommodation
- Housing Report to prove that the accommodation is not overcrowded
Then you must show the following:
Six items of correspondence addressed to you and the UK partner at the same address
Examples of acceptable items are listed below. Photocopies are not acceptable.
- Bank Statements
- Utility Bills / TV Licence
- Council Tax Statement
- NHS/GP Letters
- HMRC Letters
Read our guide to the Accommodation Requirement to understand the rules around adequate accommodation and how to meet this requirement.
If you are not sure what to include in these letters, then why not take a look at our “Do Your Own Partner Visa Pack” service where we provide you with a list of documents and template letters to help you save time.
When applying for an FLR M Visa, your application will generally include the following sections:
- Application forms
- Applicants documents
- UK Sponsors documents
- Financial information
- Evidence of adequate accommodation
- Relationship documents
Applicant’s documents
- Passport / Travel Documents
- English Language evidence such as degree certificate or English language test certificate
UK Sponsors documents
- UK Partners letter of support
- UK Partners Passport or Travel Documents
UK Sponsors financial documents
Here, you will include all the required evidence demonstrating how you meet the financial requirement of a FLR M Visa application.
The financial requirement is often the most complicated part of the application. Read our guide to the Financial Requirement to identify what evidence should be included here.
Alternatively, we offer a “Do Your Own Partner Visa Pack” which is a document checklist AND professionally written template letters based on YOUR specific circumstances to help you complete the application by yourself.
Evidence of adequate accommodation
The FLR M Visa rules state that you must intend to live permanently with your UK partner and that the property where you (and any children coming with you) has enough space.
The documents you need to provide will depend on whether you are renting, staying with family/friends or you and/or your partner own the property.
You will need to include six items of correspondence addressed to you and your UK partner at the same address. If you cannot include this you must explain why you cannot provide six items of correspondence.
Go back to Step 5 to see what you would need to include here or read our guide to the Accommodation Requirement.
Relationship Documents
Examples of what you can include are:
- Chat logs from Facebook/WhatsApp etc
- Photographs of you and your partner at different times throughout your relationship
- Letters from friends, family or someone like your Doctor confirming your relationship is genuine.
- Marriage certificate (if applicable)
- Divorce certificate (if applicable)
Supporting Letters
A cover letter should be included in your FLR M Visa application. Supporting letters from the applicant and the UK partner should also be included.
These letters help to strengthen your FLR M Visa application and you can include details on the following points in these letters:
- The relationship between you and your partner and your wedding plans/intention to get married (if applicable)
- How you meet the relationship requirement
- How you meet the financial requirement
- How you meet the accommodation requirement.
To give yourself the best chance of success with your FLR M Visa we highly recommend our “Do Your Own Partner Visa Pack” service. VisaHelpUK will provide you with a complete document checklist and template letters created to suit YOUR circumstances.
You must complete the FLR M form online here.
You should only use the paper forms if you will be requesting a fee waiver for any children applying with you or for yourself.
Click here for a complete guide on making a visa application from inside the UK.
When applying for a FLR M visa, you must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1000.
To pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, go to the Home Office website and click “Pay Now”.
After making payment you will be provided with a reference number. Make sure that you take note of the reference number as you will need this for the application form.
For more information, read our guide on the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Once you have completed payment, you will be required to make an appointment at a visa centre where you will provide your biometric information.
You can either upload your documents online or scan the documents at the visa centre.
The advantage of doing this is that you can keep your original documents whilst you are waiting for a decision on your visa application.
Click here for a complete guide on making a visa application from inside the UK.
Once you have submitted the online application and attended your appointment you will have to wait before you receive a decision on your visa application. How long you will have to wait will depend on which service you decided to go for.
There are three types of services that you can pay for:
- Standard Service: you can expect to get a decision on your visa application within 6 months based on the visa type you have applied for.
- Priority Service: you can expect to get a decision on your visa application within 5 working days.
- Super Priority Service: you can expect to get a decision on your visa application the next working day.
It is recommended not to travel whilst you are awaiting the outcome of your visa application. Even though you are now able to keep your passport after applying, if you travel whilst your visa application is being decided then the Home Office may consider your visa application to be withdrawn.
With Home Office statistics showing an increasing number of visa refusals due to “technicalities” or “administrative errors” and the rising costs of UK Visa applications, it is crucial you get the visa application right the first time.
At VisaHelpUK, we think immigration advice should be uncomplicated and easy to access – so that’s exactly what we provide.
No fuss, no expensive fees, no long waits; just a straightforward, easy to use “Do Your Own Partner Visa Pack” based specifically on YOUR circumstances so you can get on with what’s important to you – submitting your visa application.
If you require assistance with completing the application, we provide you with a document checklist and template letters compiled by our OISC regulated Immigration Advisers.
For a fraction of the cost of instructing an Immigration Adviser you can get all the help you need to complete the application yourself.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this guide is for general information purposes only and is not legal advice. The information is provided by VisaHelpUK and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we can accept no responsibility for its accuracy or for any loss or damages arising from the use of this guide.
