Back Again For Advice on Next Stage FLR(m) I think (ongoing)

Hi all Happy New Year, everyone was so great when me and my now wife applied for our Fiance Visa, so now it is time for us to apply for the 2.5 years FLR(m). The wedding was great and fun, but now looking to the next step and have a few questions, probably simple ones tho lol. The questions are:

1) Is it the extend family visa form we got to fill out now?

2) Before we apply for the BRP we want to change the name on my wife passport so that we can avoid paying the fee for the change of the BRP after, so do we just follow the process over here to change her passport and pay the £76 fee or does she have to go back to the US and change it as it was issued out there?

3) As it was a 6 month fiance visa we got married on, am I right in assuming that we don't have to provide the required amount of mail as we are living with my parents at the moment and other than a letter from the GP with her name and my address and from the registrar office in both our names, that is the only proof of address we have and no way we can get the required amount over a few months (2 months so far together)

4) I applied down the benefit route for the fiance visa so we were exempt from the financial requirement, so I was looking at the fee waiver form, but read something about they take into account the income of everyone in the household, even though my parents are not supporting us and they are retired and I am supporting me and my wife?

Thanks for reading, probably will have a few more as we fill out the form but all for now. Thanks for any great advice that you can give us again.

Anthony

Welcome back and congratulations 

1) Is it the extend family visa form we got to fill out now?

The next visa is FLR(M) and the online application is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-extend-stay-in-the-uk-as-a-partner-or-dependent-child-form-flrm/apply-online-form-flr-m

2)Before we apply for the BRP we want to change the name on my wife passport so that we can avoid paying the fee for the change of the BRP after, so do we just follow the process over here to change her passport and pay the £76 fee or does she have to go back to the US and change it as it was issued out there?

She will do it by mail through the US Embassy in London. It costs $110 but you can now pay in GBP which is £91.

I believe it takes about 3 weeks or so to get the new passport.

See here:
https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/u-s-passports/renew-an-adult-passport/

3) As it was a 6 month fiance visa we got married on, am I right in assuming that we don't have to provide the required amount of mail as we are living with my parents at the moment and other than a letter from the GP with her name and my address and from the registrar office in both our names, that is the only proof of address we have and no way we can get the required amount over a few months (2 months so far together)

You need to provide as much mail as you can, ideally this will be the required 6 documents but as it has only been 6 months, it’s normal if you don’t have that many. You will need to write a letter explaining why you are unable to provide all the required documents and your parents will need to write a letter explaining that you have been living with them.

4) I applied down the benefit route for the fiance visa so we were exempt from the financial requirement, so I was looking at the fee waiver form, but read something about they take into account the income of everyone in the household, even though my parents are not supporting us and they are retired and I am supporting me and my wife?

It’s very rare that someone will apply for a fee waiver so I don’t know how it works.

I only know of a couple of people who applied for it - one of them had it granted a few months ago but then ended up not applying until several months later, by which time the fee waiver had expired and because they were now working, they didn’t qualify for it anymore so it was refused when they applied for another waiver.



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Hi again and thanks for that advice. We have the passport sorted, but now filling out the FLR(m) and confused about some questions.

1) The form mentions about 2 years living together, etc but having arrived here a Fiance visa only 3 months ago we haven't lived together that long. Do we submit a letter saying that we only had the Fiance visa and lived together since November 1st? And send what mail we have here to show living together?

2) Do you have to provide a divorce paper for every marriage you declare? My wife first marriage was 26 years ago and she haven't got it. She got her last marriage divorce paper, and we can provide that like we did on the first visa. Do we declare her 1st husband and write.a letter explaining or leave it off the form?

3) it asks the type of Visa twice, I answered the first as marriage as shown on the Visa, but I answered Family for the 2nd one as it said Work, Visior, Family something about EEA and other.

Thanks for the advice, hoping to get it sent off this week as I think it is ok to do it after 3 of the 6 months?

Thanks again, Anthony

1) The form mentions about 2 years living together, etc but having arrived here a Fiance visa only 3 months ago we haven't lived together that long. Do we submit a letter saying that we only had the Fiance visa and lived together since November 1st? And send what mail we have here to show living together?

Yes, you do. The FLR(M) form is for various different situations, from people who are switching from a fiance visa or to FLR(M) from a work or student visa, to people who have lived together for several years and are renewing their current FLR(M).

So, in your case, you provide as much mail as you can in both names from the last 3 months, and then write a letter explaining why you don't have 6 in each name (i.e. because you have only been here for 3 months and have not had time to collect 6 items each yet).

2) Do you have to provide a divorce paper for every marriage you declare? My wife first marriage was 26 years ago and she haven't got it. She got her last marriage divorce paper, and we can provide that like we did on the first visa. Do we declare her 1st husband and write.a letter explaining or leave it off the form?

Yes, you declare ALL previous marriages on EVERY visa application you make, and provide the divorce decree for each marriage, each time. If she no longer has the first divorce decree, she should be able to request an official copy from the county where she filed for divorce. This should also have been provided for the previous visa as well.

3) it asks the type of Visa twice, I answered the first as marriage as shown on the Visa, but I answered Family for the 2nd one as it said Work, Visior, Family something about EEA and other.

Yes, it's Family visa (or Settlement - they are both the same type of visa, so I don't think it matters which you put here)

Thanks for the advice, hoping to get it sent off this week as I think it is ok to do it after 3 of the 6 months?

As long as you have all the documents (and the marriage certificate), you can apply at any time between getting married and the visa expiry date. Of course, the earlier you apply, the quicker you get the FLR(M) and the sooner you can qualify for ILR in 5 years' time.

Thanks for you help. On the Fiance visa, they only wanted the divorce paper of the most recent marriage, even though she declared her first marriage. This time they want the divorce paper from the first as well, we didn't even get asked for that when we give notice of intent to marry. Guess she will have to see what she can do as she can't remember what county she got married or divorced in as it was so long ago. This is a pain lol. Thanks again

Thanks for you help. On the Fiance visa, they only wanted the divorce paper of the most recent marriage, even though she declared her first marriage. This time they want the divorce paper from the first as well, we didn't even get asked for that when we give notice of intent to marry. Guess she will have to see what she can do as she can't remember what county she got married or divorced in as it was so long ago. This is a pain lol. Thanks again

That's interesting, because I've never heard of anyone not being required to provide all divorce decrees before... because they need to be sure that you were legally able to get married and are now legally married (and that she is no longer married to any of her previous spouses).

However, we have seen someone refused for not providing a divorce decree.

If she can get hold of it, that would be best, as she really should provide it.

No the fiance application only required the recent divorce paper, I even check over the printed copy of that and it shows the checklist only asked for the recent divorce paper, and the office to register the intent of marriage only wanted the most recent one.

One more question lol. On the form it says that they require an ID document of the owner of the property? We are living with my parents, who rent the house from the council so they are not the property owners. Do we still need to provide an ID document or just the proof from the council about the property and a letter from my parents saying we are allowed to stay there?

Thanks and sorry for the questions.

One more question lol. On the form it says that they require an ID document of the owner of the property? We are living with my parents, who rent the house from the council so they are not the property owners. Do we still need to provide an ID document or just the proof from the council about the property and a letter from my parents saying we are allowed to stay there?

Thanks and sorry for the questions.

Honestly, I’m not convinced that an ID document is actually a requirement for the visa. It never was required before the online application was introduced and the official guidance for the accommodation has not changed since 2012.

Since it’s a council property, I would probably just provide the letter from the council and the letter from your parents.


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