Really UKVI? In person appointment surprise

I can book my in person appointment for IL next week so created an account to sniff around today.

When did they start charging an extra £75 for Saturday and other desirable times?!?

I can't wait to be done!!

https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/book-an-appointment

When did they start charging an extra £75 for Saturday and other desirable times?!?

Another way of looking at it - who the hell wants to spend a Saturday in Croydon?

Another way of looking at it - who the hell wants to spend a Saturday in Croydon?

Not me but my husband begrudges using a day of holiday!

I can book my in person appointment for IL next week so created an account to sniff around today.

When did they start charging an extra £75 for Saturday and other desirable times?!?

I can't wait to be done!!

https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/book-an-appointment

Annoying (and unsurprising) about yet more added costs, but so exciting that you're nearly there! There is going have to be so much glitter cake consumed!

Well true.

"WHat did you do on your day off?"

"Croydon Home Office..."

Well true.

"WHat did you do on your day off?"

"Croydon Home Office..."

To be fair, we don't want to go ANY day.  I tried to convince to to do Birmingham or Cardiff last time!

I'll be paying them whatever they ask for without a second thought. Anything just to get it all over with! 

Is this for the final marriage visa after 2 years? Do you have to meet in person or can it be on line instead?

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Is this for the final marriage visa after 2 years? Do you have to meet in person or can it be on line instead?

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KFdancer is going for ILR after 5 years but you can have an in person appointment at 2.5 years too (FLR) Both can also be done by post.

Is this for the final marriage visa after 2 years? Do you have to meet in person or can it be on line instead?

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KFDancer is applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which is the 3rd visa after 5 years in the UK. It's basically permanent residence.

The timeline if you entered the UK on a spousal visa is:
Spousal visa for 2.5 years
FLR(M) visa for 2.5 years
ILR after 5 years in the UK

And if you entered the UK on a fiance visa:
Fiance visa for 6 months
FLR(M) visa for 2.5 years
FLR(M) visa for 2.5 years
ILR after 5 years on FLR(M)

Having said that, all applications made in the UK (so FLR(M) or ILR) can either be applied for by post or by an in-person appointment for a same-day decision. There is an online version of at least the FLR(M) application (not sure about ILR), but you still have to either mail it for processing or go to an in-person appointment. FLR(M) by post can take 8 weeks and ILR by post can take 6 months, so you can pay extra for the in-person appointment if you don't want to wait that long.

It currently costs £590 on top of the visa fee to apply in person... but what KFDancer is saying is that if you want to attend the appointment on a Saturday/desirable time, they are charging an extra £75 on top of the £590.

I am a bit confused. I will be applying for the fiancee visa in two weeks ( been gathering and planning for 2 years!) Yet I understand we must apply for the FLM visa within the 6 months  when we are married which includes the Healthcare fee and another visa fee. Then the final visa 2 yrs later. Do I have it right? Thanks for the help!x

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I am a bit confused. I will be applying for the fiancee visa in two weeks ( been gathering and planning for 2 years!) Yet I understand we must apply for the FLM visa within the 6 months  when we are married which includes the Healthcare fee and another visa fee. Then the final visa 2 yrs later. Do I have it right? Thanks for the help!x

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It used to be that after your fiance visa, your next visa (FLR(M)) was valid for 2 years and then you applied for Indefinite Leave to Remain. However, this route was abolished on July 9th 2012 and the rules were made tougher and more expensive.

Now, it takes 5 years to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain, under two 2.5-year FLR(M) visas.

So, you will need 4 visas in total and you will need to meet the £18,600 financial requirement for each one:
- Fiance visa for 6 months (currently £1,464)
- FLR(M) visa for 2.5 years (currently £993 + £500 IHS surcharge)
- FLR(M) visa for 2.5 years (currently £993 + £500 IHS surcharge)
- ILR after 5 years on FLR(M) (currently £2,297)

From the UKVI website:

How long you can stay
You’ll get permission to stay for 2.5 years, or for 6 months if you’re applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner.

After this you’ll need to apply to extend your stay.

When you can settle permanently
The earliest you can apply to settle in the UK (called ‘indefinite leave to remain’) is after you’ve lived in the country for 5 years continuously with permission to stay (‘leave to remain’) as a partner. You can’t count any permission to stay in the UK as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner.

The rules are different if you applied before 9 July 2012.

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/partner-spouse

And from the Indefinite Leave to Remain information:

Eligibility
You need to have been living in the UK with a ‘partner of a settled person’ visa for:

- 2 years if you applied for your visa before 9 July 2012
- 5 years or 10 years if you applied for your visa on or after 9 July 2012
Read the guidance for the 2-year route and the 5- and 10-year routes.

https://www.gov.uk/settle-in-the-uk/y/you-re-the-family-member-or-partner-of-a-british-citizen/no/partner/you-re-still-with-your-partner

I can book my in person appointment for IL next week so created an account to sniff around today.

When did they start charging an extra £75 for Saturday and other desirable times?!?

I can't wait to be done!!

https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/book-an-appointment

I think when they sprung the new fees on us in April. Another reason that I scrambled to book mine just before the price climbed. We didn't go on a Saturday anyways but it was my Wednesday off. Husband took a holiday day. Perhaps next time we will celebrate by going away for our application. I rather like Edinburgh...

I think when they sprung the new fees on us in April. Another reason that I scrambled to book mine just before the price climbed. We didn't go on a Saturday anyways but it was my Wednesday off. Husband took a holiday day. Perhaps next time we will celebrate by going away for our application. I rather like Edinburgh...

I like this idea for my FLR(M) (if this first visa is approved)! We were married in Edinburgh, would be worth another trip to stay in the country for another 2.5 years with no lengthy wait for a decision.