So my wife’s in person FLM(m) visa application at Croydon was a success. I am a UK resident and she is a U.S citizen who first came over to live with me on a spousal visa in Jan 2013. Thanks to everyone that has given advise on this forum.
It was a surprisingly pleasant experience from start to finish. Our appointment was at 12:10pm on Saturday and we arrived by train at East Croydon station, a little 7 minute walk from the Home Office building. West Croydon station is a little closer but East Croydon was quicker for us to get to from Watford Junction.
We arrived at the building at 11:15am, a little early but we made time for any delays or out of the ordinary circumstances, which seem to happen to me fairly regularly, especially when rail travel is involved.
Anyway, once at the building we went through security and up the stairs to a reception desk at which time we were asked for our appointment/IHS payment confirmation and passports for ID. We were then assigned a case number and were told to wait in the main waiting area, which has a café although it was not open on weekends. There are various screens around this area that display your case number and at what stage of the process you are in and when you are being called up.
We were called for registration at 12:00pm which took around 15mins with a friendly lady at the desk who checked over our documents and bundled them together for the caseworker. Then she handed back our documents and told us to wait in another area for my wife’s biometric enrolment. After a 15minute wait our number was called and I joined her in the biometrics area for fingerprint scanning, photos ect and handed over our bundle of documents. This part of the process probably took no more than 10mins and when done we were told to go back to the main waiting area or out of the building if we wish as they would contact us by phone when the application had been processed by the caseworker. We decided to wait around in the café area and at 2:30pm our number was called saying that we needed to go to a designated desk.
“Your application has been successful” were the words we were greeted with and then we signed a document confirming that all information was correct (name, address ect) and out the door by 2:40pm on our way into London to celebrate.
Here is a list of the supporting documents we supplied with our FLR(m) application in case they can help anybody with their applications. Some of which may not have been necessary but I am the cautious type.
Completed application form
IHS payment confirmation email with confirmation reference
Appointment booking confirmation email with booking reference number
Our passports
Passport sized photos - 1 of me and 2 of her with our names written on the back
Cover letters from both of us explaining our plans and current living/work situation.
Images of us as a couple.
Marriage certificate
Her birth certificate
Our original tenancy agreement
Letter from estate agent confirming our tenancy
2 years of addressed correspondence to our home with both our names on.
My 6 months of official bank statements (sent to me in the post each month from the bank)
My 12 months (I think only 6 months are needed) of E-payslips printed, signed and stamped by our payroll manager
Letter from payroll manager confirming my salary and that the payslips are only offered to us in electronic form so hard copies are printouts.
Letter from HR confirming my full time employment, how long I have been employed and how long my salary has been at the current amount.
My p60 for this year (also a printout which I had signed and stamped by my employer)
Her P60, work contract, payslips, letter from employer and 6 months of bank statements (all of which I don’t think were needed as we were only using my wage to support the application)
Our travel documents from when she first arrived here (flight confirmation, boarding passes ect)
