FLR-M questions

Hi everyone,
I haven't been on here since my last FLR-M 2.5 years ago and I'm seeing some differences in a few things. I was under the impression that the earliest I could apply was 28 days before my visa expired (Aug 19th) but now I'm reading something about 28 days before 30 months? I entered on Jul 17th, 2017 on a fiance visa and got my FLR-M in Jan 2018. Would that change things in my case?

Also can someone please give me some advice for the question below.

For the financial requirement, my husband gets extra monthly for working on call, but he has taken a temporary reduction in pay during COVID (still plenty to cover the minimum), but I'm just not sure what to put on what he makes yearly? Do I include the extra? There's not a set amount. Do I put his salary before the pay cut or after? I realize that we will need to get a letter from his boss confirming all of this.  I'm guessing I would need to put the "Not the same amount continuously, above the financial requirement amount" option?

If we moved house during this time do we need to provide documentation for both houses or just the one we currently own?

I think that's it for now. Thanks for the help 

Hi everyone,
I haven't been on here since my last FLR-M 2.5 years ago and I'm seeing some differences in a few things. I was under the impression that the earliest I could apply was 28 days before my visa expired (Aug 19th) but now I'm reading something about 28 days before 30 months? I entered on Jul 17th, 2017 on a fiance visa and got my FLR-M in Jan 2018. Would that change things in my case?

It depends what visa you entered the UK on as to when you can apply.

You have to spend 30 months on either a spousal visa or your first FLR(M) before you can apply for the next FLR(M).

If you entered the UK on a fiance visa and then switched to FLR(M), your 30 months started when your FLR(M) was issued, and as the FLR(M) is valid for exactly 30 months, in your case, the earliest date you can apply is 28 days before August 19th (which is 22nd July).

However, if you had married in the US and entered the UK on a spousal visa, your 30 months would start on the day you arrived in the UK... and, as a spousal visa is valid 33 months, depending on when you arrived in the UK, your 30 months may be reached up to 3 months before the spousal visa expires.

For the financial requirement, my husband gets extra monthly for working on call, but he has taken a temporary reduction in pay during COVID (still plenty to cover the minimum), but I'm just not sure what to put on what he makes yearly? Do I include the extra? There's not a set amount. Do I put his salary before the pay cut or after? I realize that we will need to get a letter from his boss confirming all of this.  I'm guessing I would need to put the "Not the same amount continuously, above the financial requirement amount" option?

You put his base salary before Covid, as listed on his job contract, not including the on-call amount (this should be the same base salary as listed in the employer letter - the on-call amount can be listed as extra income on top of the base salary).

See here for the guidelines for how they will calculate the financial requirement and the allowances they will make for you if you have been furloughed or lost pay due to Covid:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents#if-youre-applying-to-enter-the-uk-or-remain-on-the-basis-of-family-or-private-life

If we moved house during this time do we need to provide documentation for both houses or just the one we currently own?

For the accommodation requirement, you only provide evidence of your CURRENT address.

For the 2 years of correspondence for the relationship requirement, you provide 1 document in each name from whichever address you were living at in each of the 4-monthly intervals over the last 2 years.

For example, you would need 1 official document in each name, showing you both lived at the same address as each other, from each of the following months:
July 2018
November 2018
March 2019
July 2019
November 2019
March 2020
Optional extra: July 2020

So, say you moved house in May 2019, your July 2018, Nov 2018 and Mar 2019 documents will have your old address on them and the rest will have the new address on them.

Thanks Ksand---you're a rockstar as per usual.

As far as my husband's salary---he got a 5k/year raise since he started so it is different than his job contract states. Can I just have that be something included in the employer letter?

As far as my husband's salary---he got a 5k/year raise since he started so it is different than his job contract states. Can I just have that be something included in the employer letter?

When was the raise?

If it was more than 6 months ago, then it does not need to be explicitly mentioned in the employer letter, and they state his current contracted salary instead (since the raise).

If it was less than 6 months ago, then it MUST be mentioned, because it will affect which salary can be considered for the requirement.

In regards to the salary you put on the application form, you put the salary you are relying on to meet the requirement (his new salary after the raise if the raise was more than 6 months ago).

Hi Ksand,
Sorry for the delay in response.
He got his raise in Feb, so probably March would have been the first month.
So yes, less than 6 months ago.

So we include the bit about the raise in the letter, but on the application form I have to put what he made before the raise since it was less than 6 months ago?

Thank you

Hi Ksand,
Sorry for the delay in response.
He got his raise in Feb, so probably March would have been the first month.
So yes, less than 6 months ago.

So we include the bit about the raise in the letter, but on the application form I have to put what he made before the raise since it was less than 6 months ago?

No, what I would do is put his CURRENT salary on the application form, which will be shown on his latest payslips and will be stated in his employer letter as his current salary.

However, because the raise was less than 6 months ago, when UKVI actually calculate the income that can be counted for the requirement, they will use his old salary (his lowest payslip), not the current one.

So, what the employer letter will need to confirm is:
- current position and salary
- date he joined the company
- date he started earning his current salary (date of his raise)
- his previous salary before the raise because he hasn't been earning the current salary for 6 months yet (which will be used for the income calculation)
- type of employment (full or part time, permanent or temporary)

Plus, if his payslips are electronic and not official ones printed by the company, the letter should verify each payslip to confirm they are authentic (pay date, gross payslip amount, amount paid into bank account, date it was paid in, and an explanation for any payslips where the payment date into the bank account was different to the payslip date - i.e. if the pay was deposited early due to a bank holiday or a weekend)

Ok, that's fantastic. We can do that. Thank you for all the advice!