Getting Ready for FLR(M) Application

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all your help with my first FLR(M) application during the first lockdown - it was such a stressful time, with marriages being put on hold and restricted, and then the Home Office confusion about my Category C application. My husband and I continue to appreciate all the support we received!

Somehow nearly 2.5 years have passed and we're thinking about my FLR(M) application, so I wanted to come back and see if someone could cast an eye on our materials and make sure all our ducks are in a row. My current visa expires on 27 May, so we're shooting for an early-May application. We'll likely use the super priority service if we can get a slot.

We'll be applying using Category A this time (my husband started a permanent role earning more than the requirement in September). I also earn more than the requirement and have been employed with the same employer since September 2021, but was only offered a permanent role recently after being on several different contracts, so it seems cleaner to use his income and just answer "no" to the question about if I work.

We've lived in the same flat since before my first FLR(M).

Here is what we are planning to submit:

Accommodation Requirements:

• current lease with both our names (dated August 2022)
• most recent council tax bill with both our names (March 2023)

Financial Requirements:

• husband's payslips October 2022-April 2023 (that last one is pending, obviously) - dated 21 each month, for noted pay period ending at the end of the month
• husband's bank statements showing the above deposits
• employment letter confirming the above are genuine, signed by his manager (dated within 28 days of the application)

Relationship Evidence

• April 2021: joint bank statement
• August 2021: joint bank statement (alternative - my bank statement, a water bill in his name)
• December 2021: joint bank statement
• April 2022: joint bank statement (alternative - joint letter from the National Trust)
• August 2022: joint bank statement (alternatives - new digital lease in both names; a council tax letter in my name, a water bill in his name)
• December 2022: joint bank statement (alternatives - NHS letter to me dated 3 January, energy bill in his name)
• April 2023: council tax bill dated mid-March (alternative - something that comes in April, likely a joint bank statement)

Questions we still have right now:

1. We've been asked to write the letter for his employer - could someone read it if I post a redacted version and make sure it ticks all the boxes?
2. Is it ok that his manager signs the letter, rather than someone in HR?
3. Is my January 3 letter from the NHS ok for the "December" evidence? We've been saving everything but none of the bills beyond council tax are in my name, so basically all I have are bank statements, and I know that isn't an extra source since we are planning to use joint statements as well.
4. We both hold PhDs, but on lots of things (including his payslips and my bank statements) we are referred to as "Mr" or "Ms" - is that a problem? I plan to address it in the employer letter since it's wrong on his payslips, but should I also just note it in a cover letter?

I think that's it - thanks in advance, anyone!

Hi everyone,

Here is a draft of the employer letter that we've written - does this look ok? And is it ok for his manager to sign it? Thanks!

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To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is to confirm that Dr [SPONSOR] is currently employed with [EMPLOYER] as [TITLE], having taken up his role on 1 September 2022. He is a salaried employee, currently earning [OVER £18,600] each year as a base salary.

I can confirm that the following payslips are genuine:

Document Date   Payment Date   Period Ending   Gross Pay
October 2022   21 October 2022   31 October 2022   £xxxx
November 2022   21 November 2022   31 November 2022   £xxxx
December 2022   21 December 2022   31 December 2022   £xxxx
January 2023   20 January 2023   31 January 2023   £xxxx
February 2023   21 February 2023   28 February 2023   £xxxx
March 2023   21 March 2023   31 March 2023   £xxxx
April 2023         

Dr [SPOSNOR]’s October payslip includes a recruitment bonus of £1000. His February and March payslips also include reimbursements for expenses incurred.

His payslips identify him as “Mr” SPONSOR, but I can confirm this is an error in his title.

Yours faithfully,

Hi everyone,

Just commenting again to give this a "bump" as my 28-day window to apply for my next visa is approaching very soon. Could anyone have a quick look and make sure things are ok, particularly with regard to the financial requirement?

I also realised I did not include our marriage certificate in the above list, but will include it in my application. We have no children and neither of us have been married before, so there's no documents there to provide.

Thanks for any feedback you can offer!

Hi, apologies for the repeated requests for assistance but if anyone has any time to look at this, we’d really appreciate it!

My husband gets paid next week - we’d like to have his boss sign the letter (drafted, above) on that date so we can submit my application as soon as I’m 28 days from expiry.

Any feedback would be really helpful. Thanks again, and I apologize if I’ve broken some forum rules or norms in my posts!

Ok, so I’m not an expert but… you need 3 different sources for proof of living together. Also, usually you need 7 months of payslips and bank statements to cover every single day of six months….not even a day short. Employer’s letter needs to detail wage, what type of employment, how long your sponsor has been earning the wage, and any discrepancies in payslips versus bank statements. If you have any doubts about relationship evidence add an extra period. You need a full two years. I assume his payslips are electronic?


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Hi, apologies for the repeated requests for assistance but if anyone has any time to look at this, we’d really appreciate it!

My husband gets paid next week - we’d like to have his boss sign the letter (drafted, above) on that date so we can submit my application as soon as I’m 28 days from expiry.

Any feedback would be really helpful. Thanks again, and I apologize if I’ve broken some forum rules or norms in my posts!

I applied earlier this month w/ march pay so we used September-March + relevant bank statements and a partial, so you should be okay with the months you've chosen (I can't read the dates you listed, the formatting is weird on the app). The employer letter has to confirm the paystubs as genuine so it needs to be dated after the payment goes in.

For mail, it has to be minimum 3 different official sources for each of you (so if you can't use joint for everything, a mix of joint and not is fine)

If you want super priority they only release a few slots and they're right at 1am, but biometrics may be a few weeks away (you're covered by section 3c while waiting).

I hope that helps
 

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Ok, so I’m not an expert but… you need 3 different sources for proof of living together. Also, usually you need 7 months of payslips and bank statements to cover every single day of six months….not even a day short. Employer’s letter needs to detail wage, what type of employment, how long your sponsor has been earning the wage, and any discrepancies in payslips versus bank statements. If you have any doubts about relationship evidence add an extra period. You need a full two years. I assume his payslips are electronic?


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We have the 7 months of payslips - they’re from October to April, issued on the 21st of each month. I hadn’t flagged that I was using the joint account for each month in my spreadsheet (whoops), so thanks for flagging that. We have plenty of sources if I use the “alternative” evidence, and the dates should be ok based on what I’ve picked up from reading here.

Does the employer letter look ok, do you think? Should we be specific about what the reimbursement amount for each month is, and what it is for? And is it ok for his boss to sign, or should he approach someone in HR?

Yes, his payslips are electronic but all the bank statements came through the post.

I applied earlier this month w/ march pay so we used September-March + relevant bank statements and a partial, so you should be okay with the months you've chosen (I can't read the dates you listed, the formatting is weird on the app). The employer letter has to confirm the paystubs as genuine so it needs to be dated after the payment goes in.

For mail, it has to be minimum 3 different official sources for each of you (so if you can't use joint for everything, a mix of joint and not is fine)

If you want super priority they only release a few slots and they're right at 1am, but biometrics may be a few weeks away (you're covered by section 3c while waiting).

I hope that helps
 

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Great, thanks! For the employer letter, is it ok for his boss to sign or should it be someone in HR? And should it detail how much reimbursement he gets or is it fine to just say the total he was paid that month? Some months he’s had a bonus, other months it’s been various reimbursements for things like travel or trainings.

Great, thanks! For the employer letter, is it ok for his boss to sign or should it be someone in HR? And should it detail how much reimbursement he gets or is it fine to just say the total he was paid that month? Some months he’s had a bonus, other months it’s been various reimbursements for things like travel or trainings.

It has to match the paystubs, whatever that is, for the confirmation of each paystub. I apologise, my brain fog is too severe to find the document to reference today.

For who can sign it, it depends on the company whether the manager would have the authority to. I would contact HR and go from there? They might have a set policy.



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It has to match the paystubs, whatever that is, for the confirmation of each paystub. I apologise, my brain fog is too severe to find the document to reference today.

For who can sign it, it depends on the company whether the manager would have the authority to. I would contact HR and go from there? They might have a set policy.



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It’s a massive organization, so going to HR is kind of the worst option - we may have been able to do that if he asked a few weeks ago (around when I first posted) but I worry it will be cutting it too fine now…

It’s a massive organization, so going to HR is kind of the worst option - we may have been able to do that if he asked a few weeks ago (around when I first posted) but I worry it will be cutting it too fine now…

My partner works for a giant company, their HR responded the same day because they have policies and procedures for this type of thing. Try not to panic, but start there. They know there are time frames to meet.

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HR has not been responsive, so we're going to go ahead and get his boss (who manages the service, within the broader governmental organisation for which he works) to sign the letter. My husband gets paid on Friday, so he'll print the letter and have it signed then.

So, does the letter (posted above) look ok, and should it detail the amount and reason for each reimbursement or is simply saying that these are included enough?

Hi again, just trying to 'bump' this again.

I've added a note to the letter draft (above) to indicate that he is permanent in his role. We'll also make sure that every month isn't a joint statement - we'd been saving them as a benchmark document and hadn't realised that it seemed like they were all we would use - thanks to those who pointed it out!

We're still not sure about answers to the following questions:

1. Is my January 3 letter from the NHS ok for the "December" evidence? We've been saving everything but none of the bills beyond council tax are in my name, so basically all I have are bank statements, and I know that isn't an extra source since we are planning to use joint statements as well for some months.
2. We both hold PhDs, but on lots of things (including his payslips and my bank statements) we are referred to as "Mr" or "Ms" - is that a problem? I plan to address it in the employer letter since it's wrong on his payslips, but should I also just note it in a cover letter?
3. Would the March council tax bill be ok if we're applying at the end of April/first week of May (depending on when the partial bank statement arrives)? It has both our names, which is useful.

I think that's it - thanks in advance, anyone!

Apologies for the spam of me bumping my thread, and if I've inadvertently broken any rules and that's why I'm not getting any further responses, but I'm hoping to apply this weekend when I reach 28 days before expiry, so if anyone has any advice on the situation surrounding my husband's employment letter or these remaining questions that would be really helpful!

Apologies for the spam of me bumping my thread, and if I've inadvertently broken any rules and that's why I'm not getting any further responses, but I'm hoping to apply this weekend when I reach 28 days before expiry, so if anyone has any advice on the situation surrounding my husband's employment letter or these remaining questions that would be really helpful!

You're good. It's ok.  . It's been a bit quiet here lately so not as many people are seeing your questions.

1. Is my January 3 letter from the NHS ok for the "December" evidence? We've been saving everything but none of the bills beyond council tax are in my name, so basically all I have are bank statements, and I know that isn't an extra source since we are planning to use joint statements as well for some months.
2. We both hold PhDs, but on lots of things (including his payslips and my bank statements) we are referred to as "Mr" or "Ms" - is that a problem? I plan to address it in the employer letter since it's wrong on his payslips, but should I also just note it in a cover letter?
3. Would the March council tax bill be ok if we're applying at the end of April/first week of May (depending on when the partial bank statement arrives)? It has both our names, which is useful.
 

1- It's pretty close so shouldn't be a problem. Do make sure you have at least 3 sources though.

2-This should not be a problem either. It's fine to address it in your cover letter though.

3- Yes. You need this for the accommodation evidence anyway.