FLR(M) checklist questions (including Cat B)

Hi All,

It's hard to believe I've been in the UK for over 2 years, now, and time to apply for FLR(M) has snuck up on us! Since the forum was so helpful for our last visa, we're hoping for a bit of help again 

My current visa expires on the 22nd of August, and we're planning to apply the first week of August after I've been paid for July. Due to my partner and I both changing jobs, we need to apply under Category B, which has added a little confusion.

Below is our checklist (with questions in red)

We'd be really grateful for any input you have for us, and thanks so much in advance!

Application Documents
- Applicant's current US passport
- Declarations

Proof of Identity/Travel History
- Spouse's UK Passport
- Applicant's BRP

Finances (Category B)
- Letter from current employer dated within 28 days of submitting the application
- Letter from former employer - also needs to be dated within 28 days of submitting the application? does this ONLY need to confirm payslip date, gross pay, net pay, and date of deposit, not any employment confirmation or pay rise information?
- 13 months of payslips covering 27th July 2021 - 27th July 2022
- 13 months of bank statements covering 27th July 2021 - 27th July 2022 - my bank statements are issued on the 25th of every month, so my July pay (which will be on the 27th) will not be on my July bank statement, is it acceptable to get a partial statement printed in-branch for July and submit this? Not sure how else to make the 28 day mark with the current setup! Also, my December pay was early and therefore is on my December 25th bank statement, with no deposits on my 25th Jan bank statement. Do I still include my January bank statement? Or do all these factors mean I have to go to the bank and have all 13 statements reprinted for different dates?
- 2021 P60
- Job contract - do I need both my former and current job contracts?

Residence in the UK
Accommodation
- Tenancy agreement
- Letter from the landlord stating I'm permitted to live in the flat (I'm not on the tenancy agreement) - does this also need to be dated within 28 days of application or can we get this out of the way now?
- Council tax bill - Do we need this? I've seen it mentioned in other posts, but we didn't submit this before and only my spouse (UK citizen) is on the council tax bill.
Correspondence
- July 2020 - Joint electricity bill
- November 2020 - Joint electricity bill
- March 2021 - Joint electricity bill
- July 2021 - Joint electricity bill
- November 2021 - Joint electricity bill
- March 2021 - Sponsor's council tax bill & Applicant letter from the IRS
- July 2021 - Joint electricity bill
For the sake of volume of paperwork, we're using a joint bill as much as possible, is this ok or should we have more sources represented across the months? We've done a lot of mail collecting so can update if needed!

Other
- Marriage certificate
- Applicant's divorce certificate

- Letter from former employer - also needs to be dated within 28 days of submitting the application? does this ONLY need to confirm payslip date, gross pay, net pay, and date of deposit, not any employment confirmation or pay rise information?

Yes, you only need a letter from the former employer if your payslips were issued electronically and need to be verified.

Employment details do not need to be confirmed because they are not your current employer.

- 13 months of bank statements covering 27th July 2021 - 27th July 2022 - my bank statements are issued on the 25th of every month, so my July pay (which will be on the 27th) will not be on my July bank statement, is it acceptable to get a partial statement printed in-branch for July and submit this? Not sure how else to make the 28 day mark with the current setup!

Yes. This is what the majority of people do.

Also, my December pay was early and therefore is on my December 25th bank statement, with no deposits on my 25th Jan bank statement. Do I still include my January bank statement?[/color]

Yes, because the bank statements must explicitly cover every single day of the 12 months - it’s not about what’s on the individual statements, it’s about the time period the statements cover.  If any bank statements are missing, the visa can be refused.

Also, the employer letter must explain the reason for the early deposit of the December payslip.

Or do all these factors mean I have to go to the bank and have all 13 statements reprinted for different dates?

No, you just include all the statements as they are.

- Job contract - do I need both my former and current job contracts?

No, only the current contract as that is the only one that will show your future income.

The only documents you need from your previous place of employment are:
- payslips
- letter confirming payslips

- Letter from the landlord stating I'm permitted to live in the flat (I'm not on the tenancy agreement) - does this also need to be dated within 28 days of application or can we get this out of the way now?

No, it’s only the financial documents (payslips, bank statements, employer letter) that need to be dated within 28 days.

Though ideally, other letters should be dated as close to the application date as possible.

- Council tax bill - Do we need this? I've seen it mentioned in other posts, but we didn't submit this before and only my spouse (UK citizen) is on the council tax bill.

The name on it doesn’t matter… you need to submit the council tax bill to prove how much you pay in housing costs for the property each month.

Correspondence
- July 2020 - Joint electricity bill
- November 2020 - Joint electricity bill
- March 2021 - Joint electricity bill
- July 2021 - Joint electricity bill
- November 2021 - Joint electricity bill
- March 2021 - Sponsor's council tax bill & Applicant letter from the IRS
- July 2021 - Joint electricity bill
For the sake of volume of paperwork, we're using a joint bill as much as possible, is this ok or should we have more sources represented across the months? We've done a lot of mail collecting so can update if needed!

It’s fine to use what you have listed, because you need at least 3 sources and you have 3 sources (electricity bill, council tax bill and IRS letter).

If you want to mix it up a bit and use more sources, you can, but what you currently have meets the requirements. It’s really up to you.


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Apologies for the delayed reply, time really gets away from me, just wanted to say thank you so much for the response @ksand24 , it really put our minds at ease!

Just one clarification:

Also, the employer letter must explain the reason for the early deposit of the December payslip.

I know they need to explain any discrepancies between the payslip and deposit date, but if my payslip and deposit date match up, do they still need to explain it because it was earlier in the month than usual? My previous employer generally paid me on the last working day of the month aside from December, so it was unusual in that sense, but the date on my bank statement will align with the date on the payslip.

Thank you again for your help, it's good to know we're ready for renewal!

Apologies for the delayed reply, time really gets away from me, just wanted to say thank you so much for the response @ksand24 , it really put our minds at ease!

Just one clarification:
I know they need to explain any discrepancies between the payslip and deposit date, but if my payslip and deposit date match up, do they still need to explain it because it was earlier in the month than usual? My previous employer generally paid me on the last working day of the month aside from December, so it was unusual in that sense, but the date on my bank statement will align with the date on the payslip.

Thank you again for your help, it's good to know we're ready for renewal!

No, if the dates are the same, then there’s no discrepancy to explain.


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