Help with my next visa? Work Visa vs FLR(M)?

I've not registered his birth with US Embassy yet.  I was born and raised in US up until I immigrated to UK so he should automatically be considered I guess, still plan on registering him and getting passport, etc. once I'm done with this.

He’s a citizen from birth. 

Make sure you get his US passport before traveling to the US.

And get his social so you can back file taxes and get the child tax credit and stimulus money.   

He’s a citizen from birth. 

Make sure you get his US passport before traveling to the US.

And get his social so you can back file taxes and get the child tax credit and stimulus money.   

Haha didn't know if it was too cheeky getting the extra stimulus for my son.  Yeah we won't be headed to the States until end of year at earliest probably will be next year but we'll get passport sorted soon for him.

I assume this means I do need to add that he is a US national on his details then

Right so I've filled out everything in the application section so here's the list of questions before I move on to next bit, again I appreciate some of these may be stupid or obvious just want to make sure it's all right:
1) Asks for my son Teddy's place of birth (as said on passport or ID)?  It also asks for country of his birth
- I put Barnet United Kingdom for his place of birth although he doesn't have a passport or ID yet (wanted to put different answer as I put down United Kingdom for country of birth).

2) Parental responsibility for my son?
- I wrote a mini essay about all that I do to look after Teddy and that I play a very active role in his upbringing and care as his father, I assume this should be fine

3) What languages can your child speak?
- I put "English but he is just a baby"

4) Would I like to provide any other information about my son/Teddy?
- I put no, what is this meant to ask for?

5) Has your partner lived anywhere other than your current address during the past 2 years that you have not already entered on this application?
- I put yes and copied and pasted the same information I put down when it asked the same question for me.  We lived in her flat from June 2018 until November 2019, then we moved to our current address.  I don't want to answer this yes if it makes them think we haven't been living together, have I done this correctly?

6) Could we live outside the UK if necessary?
- I put yes although now thinking about it my wife wouldn't be able to join us initially as she would have to get a visa for the States

These should be the only questions I have for section #2 (Application).

1) Asks for my son Teddy's place of birth (as said on passport or ID)?  It also asks for country of his birth
- I put Barnet United Kingdom for his place of birth although he doesn't have a passport or ID yet (wanted to put different answer as I put down United Kingdom for country of birth).

My U.K. passport just has the name of the city I was born in, so I imagine just Barnet would be fine.

2) Parental responsibility for my son?
- I wrote a mini essay about all that I do to look after Teddy and that I play a very active role in his upbringing and care as his father, I assume this should be fine

I don’t recall anyone mentioning this question before.

Don’t overthink it though. They don’t need a mini essay. Just a sentence or two should be fine, stating you are his father (one of his two main caregivers), he lives with you and you are raising him with his mother.

3) What languages can your child speak?
- I put "English but he is just a baby"

I guess technically, the answer would be no languages as he can’t speak yet ... but I’m not sure how that question is supposed to be answered for a baby.

4) Would I like to provide any other information about my son/Teddy?
- I put no, what is this meant to ask for?

Answering No is fine if you don’t have anything else to add.

5) Has your partner lived anywhere other than your current address during the past 2 years that you have not already entered on this application?
- I put yes and copied and pasted the same information I put down when it asked the same question for me.  We lived in her flat from June 2018 until November 2019, then we moved to our current address.  I don't want to answer this yes if it makes them think we haven't been living together, have I done this correctly?

Yes, that sounds correct to me.

Not answering yes would be lying and would actually imply you haven’t been living together because you’d be saying that she hasn’t actually lived with you for the whole time... i.e. she was living at your current address while you were living separately at your previous address.

So, the addresses and dates you put for each of you must match.

6) Could we live outside the UK if necessary?
- I put yes although now thinking about it my wife wouldn't be able to join us initially as she would have to get a visa for the States

Again this is an article 8 question, regarding whether you would legally/safely be able to live outside the UK together or if the UK is the only country in the world that you can both legally live in together.

Your answer basically has to be yes for this one, as you could in theory move to pretty much any other country if you wanted to... you’d just need to qualify for and apply for visas for that country. [Before Brexit, you would have been legally allowed to move to any of the 26 EU countries without visas, though that’s obviously not the case now.]


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I don’t recall anyone mentioning this question before.

Me neither. Perhaps people just don't mention these questions, but I just wanted to check that you're not filling in FLR(FP) by mistake?

 

Me neither. Perhaps people just don't mention these questions, but I just wanted to check that you're not filling in FLR(FP) by mistake?

I really hope I'm not filling out the wrong one as I've gone through so many questions already!
How do I tell which one it is?

It has mentioned throughout the questions that I need to provide evidence of my marriage certificate, post correspondence, etc. so I assume I'm doing the right one.  You've got me 2nd guessing myself now!

I really hope I'm not filling out the wrong one as I've gone through so many questions already!
How do I tell which one it is?

It has mentioned throughout the questions that I need to provide evidence of my marriage certificate, post correspondence, etc. so I assume I'm doing the right one.  You've got me 2nd guessing myself now!

It sounds like you're in the right place, there will be a lot of overlap of the questions.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-extend-your-stay-in-the-uk-form-flrfp

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-extend-stay-in-the-uk-as-a-partner-or-dependent-child-form-flrm

It sounds like you're in the right place, there will be a lot of overlap of the questions.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-extend-your-stay-in-the-uk-form-flrfp

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-extend-stay-in-the-uk-as-a-partner-or-dependent-child-form-flrm

Oh thank goodness.
I've now finished filling out the financial section to best of my knowledge but need to clarify:
1) What do they earn?  This one gives different options to choose from, I'm using my employment & payslips
- Same amount continuously, above financial requirement
- Not same amount continuously, above financial requirement  (I THINK THIS ONE)
I'm in recruitment and my basic annual salary is £24k/year but I also get commission which varies month to month.  To further complicate things I was furloughed from March-June full-time, came back 2 days a week and furloughed the rest from July until end of August, then 3 days a week and furloughed the other 2 for September, then back to normal full-time from October until now.  The lowest gross earnings I had from June 2020 until now was the month of June at £1683 so still above requirement


2) Asks if I want to add additional employment income for myself, my wife or any dependents?
- I put no, as I don't want to complicate anything or provide extra information if my employment and pay covers everything just fine

3) Any income sources I would like to include towards maintenance (towards housing I think)?
- Again I put no, don't want to complicate anything especially as my wife was/is on mat leave

Oh thank goodness.
I've now finished filling out the financial section to best of my knowledge but need to clarify:
1) What do they earn?  This one gives different options to choose from, I'm using my employment & payslips
- Same amount continuously, above financial requirement
- Not same amount continuously, above financial requirement  (I THINK THIS ONE)
I'm in recruitment and my basic annual salary is £24k/year but I also get commission which varies month to month.  To further complicate things I was furloughed from March-June full-time, came back 2 days a week and furloughed the rest from July until end of August, then 3 days a week and furloughed the other 2 for September, then back to normal full-time from October until now.  The lowest gross earnings I had from June 2020 until now was the month of June at £1683 so still above requirement

You have to put:
‘Same amount continuously, above financial requirement’

Otherwise it will think you are Category B and will ask for 12 months of payslips and bank statements. It’s a weird glitch with the online application where you have to answer a specific way in order to get the correct financial category to register.

Basically it’s asking: has your base salary been above £18,600 continuously for the last 6 months? Which it has.

Also, UKVI will ignore your furloughed salary and only use your pre-furloughed salary for the visa anyway.

2) Asks if I want to add additional employment income for myself, my wife or any dependents?
- I put no, as I don't want to complicate anything or provide extra information if my employment and pay covers everything just fine

That’s correct. You answer NO and do not mention any other employment income.

3) Any income sources I would like to include towards maintenance (towards housing I think)?
- Again I put no, don't want to complicate anything especially as my wife was/is on mat leave

Correct. It is asking if you are applying under any of the other financial categories as well as Category A, which you are not.


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Really glad I cleared up that first question I had.  It had me re-do some of the following ones which makes sense as you said it triggers having to meet the other financial category

On to the next section with #4 Documents
1) Would my children be affected if refused application? If yes why?
- I feel like my answer should be yes as I would be separated from my wife and son but you guys mentioned they would technically be able to join me in the US, so do I need to say no?

2) Same question but asking about other family members being affected (only other one is my wife)?


BONUS
Just had an interesting call from my HR Manager who is drafting my employment letter answering all the questions.  I joined back full-time October/November 2020 and was no longer having the furlough scheme show up on my payslips.  She said there was an "oversight" and I was never actually taken off as one of the furlough claims, even has gone through for this month.  She is saying that the dates she will give off my payslip and if I was on furlough or not do not match up with the furlough claims that they have only just discovered.  Again since I returned full-time my payslips reflect my working status as per my contract, but I think my HR Manager is now worried they are going to get bitten by HMRC.  Can someone please offer some insight?

Okay other than the questions from my last comment I have now gotten to the declaration stage, pay is next.

I know it said it would require me to submit all supporting documents after I submit my application, I've seen people mentioning paying to scan, can I do the scanning myself?  How long do you have to get everything scanned and documents shared once the application is submitted?

Documents I have:
Passport (applicant)
BRP (applicant)
Passport (sponsor)
Marriage Certificate
Birth Certificate of my son

My payslips (from 24/07/2020 to 26/01/2021)
Bank statements
Letter from my employer* need clarification from previous comment
Signed job contract
Latest P60

Accommodation Documents
Council bill with both our names
Mortgage statement (although this is only in my wife's name)
*Should I buy the title register for our house to provide as well?

Cohabitation Documents + letter stating why there are gaps and why there are things not spread out evenly
February 2019
1. Sponsor: 25/02/2019       Contract of Employment (wife/UK citizen) (Source 1)
2. Applicant: ?

June 2019
2. Joint: 28/06/2019       Barclays Bank Statement (joint) (Source 2)

October 2019
3. Joint:  04/10/2019       Watford BC Council Tax Bill (joint) (Source 3)

February 2020
4. Sponsor: 12/03/2020       Council Tax
4. Applicant: 18/02/2020       Admiral Home Insurance Policy Docs (me/applicant) (Source 4)

June 2020
5. Sponsor: 22/07/2020       SERCO Maternity Pay Contract/Breakdown (Source 5)
5. Applicant: ?   27/04/2020   Enhanced DBS Certificate?**

October 2020
6. Sponsor: 02/11/2020        Halifax annual mortgage statement
6. Applicant: ?  15/12/2020  NHS Appointment Letters?

February 2021
7. Sponsor: 12/02/2021        Santander bank statement (sponsor)
7. Applicant: 09/02/2021       NHS discharge letter (me/applicant) (Source 6)


**Should I switch out the mail for June 2020 applicant with the letter I got from the GP surgery saying I needed to change my address?  The date is much closer to my wife/sponsor's evidence 27/07/2020.  I can just explain why we registered with that surgery and never updated our address with them until we moved to our current address so we could continue getting service through there?

Sorry I didn't reply sooner - I worked the night shift last night and was struggling to sleep all morning... I managed to get a total of 1 hour of sleep, and have had an awful headache ever since.

On to the next section with #4 Documents
1) Would my children be affected if refused application? If yes why?
- I feel like my answer should be yes as I would be separated from my wife and son but you guys mentioned they would technically be able to join me in the US, so do I need to say no?

Given that if your application falls for refusal, your son will be the main reason why you would be allowed to stay and be put on the 10-year path, I would probably answer Yes and give any reasons you can think of for how your son's life would be negatively affected if you had to leave the UK without him, and also if he had to leave the UK with you to live in the US.

2) Same question but asking about other family members being affected (only other one is my wife)?

I guess this would be things like:
- your wife has children from a previous relationship living in the UK who would be affected if she had to move to the US
- elderly parents or any other relatives in the UK that you/your wife cares for, who would be affected if you were no longer living here and couldn't care for them
And also perhaps you may have relatives in the US that would be affected if you had to move back, such as:
- if they had to put you up in their home, but they don't have enough room
- if they would need to help you financially, but don't have much money
etc.

BONUS
Just had an interesting call from my HR Manager who is drafting my employment letter answering all the questions.  I joined back full-time October/November 2020 and was no longer having the furlough scheme show up on my payslips.  She said there was an "oversight" and I was never actually taken off as one of the furlough claims, even has gone through for this month.  She is saying that the dates she will give off my payslip and if I was on furlough or not do not match up with the furlough claims that they have only just discovered.  Again since I returned full-time my payslips reflect my working status as per my contract, but I think my HR Manager is now worried they are going to get bitten by HMRC.  Can someone please offer some insight?

If any of your payslip amounts and bank statement deposits do not match, or the dates they give for your furlough don't match with the furlough dates on your payslips, the reason must be explained in the employer letter... so if that's the case, they will need to address it.

However, if the furlough claims error is just an internal thing between the employer and HMRC (i.e. your payslips and furlough dates are correct, but they have been incorrectly claiming extra furlough pay for you), then that's for your employer to sort out themselves with the government. Nothing to do with you or your visa.

No worries at all!  I can't tell you how appreciative I am of you guys and am well aware other people have lives too lol

What is on my payslip does match what goes into the bank.  I will tell my HR Manager that I just need her to be clear on what days I have been considered on furlough as it applies to my payslip then.

I know it said it would require me to submit all supporting documents after I submit my application, I've seen people mentioning paying to scan, can I do the scanning myself?  How long do you have to get everything scanned and documents shared once the application is submitted?

You have 2 options:

1. Book your biometrics appointment on the UKVCAS website and then scan and upload your documents to the same website at some point before you attend the appointment (it's a good idea to also take your documents to the appointment just in case something didn't upload properly and it needs to be scanned again)

2. When you book your biometrics appointment on the UKVCAS website, you can add the Document Scanning service for £50 (or you can book an Enhanced appointment at an Enhanced centre for £69.99 which includes Document Checking and Scanning)... and then you take all your documents with you to the appointment and they will scan and upload them for you.

Just going to rearrange your documents into the different Upload Sections on the UKVCAS website:

Applicant Documents
- Passport (applicant)
- Part 1 and 2 signed consent to checks forms (part of online application)
- Signed Sponsor Declaration (part of online application)

Proof of Identity/Travel History
- BRP (applicant)
- Passport (sponsor)

Other
- Marriage Certificate
- Birth Certificate of my son
- Letter dated in the last 3 months confirming your son's address - this is not listed on the application checklist, but is mandatory

Finances
- My payslips (from 24/07/2020 to 26/01/2021)
- Bank statements
- Letter from my employer* need clarification from previous comment
- Signed job contract
- Latest P60

Residence in the UK
Accommodation
Proof of homeownership
- Land Registry document
*Should I buy the title register for our house to provide as well? Yes, this is THE most important document for accommodation. It MUST be included
Proof of monthly housing costs
- Council bill with both our names
- Mortgage statement (although this is only in my wife's name)
Cohabitation Documents
- Letter stating why there are gaps and why there are things not spread out evenly
February 2019
1. Sponsor: 25/02/2019       Contract of Employment (wife/UK citizen) (Source 1)
2. Applicant: ?
June 2019
2. Joint: 28/06/2019       Barclays Bank Statement (joint) (Source 2)
October 2019
3. Joint:  04/10/2019       Watford BC Council Tax Bill (joint) (Source 3)
February 2020
4. Sponsor: 12/03/2020       Council Tax
4. Applicant: 18/02/2020       Admiral Home Insurance Policy Docs (me/applicant) (Source 4)
June 2020
5. Sponsor: 22/07/2020       SERCO Maternity Pay Contract/Breakdown (Source 5)
5. Applicant: ?   Either nothing or the June NHS address letter
October 2020
6. Sponsor: 02/11/2020        Halifax annual mortgage statement
6. Applicant: ?  - the NHS letters are dated 2 months too late, so shouldn't be included
February 2021
7. Sponsor: 12/02/2021        Santander bank statement (sponsor)
7. Applicant: 09/02/2021       NHS discharge letter (me/applicant) (Source 6)

**Should I switch out the mail for June 2020 applicant with the letter I got from the GP surgery saying I needed to change my address?  The date is much closer to my wife/sponsor's evidence 27/07/2020.  I can just explain why we registered with that surgery and never updated our address with them until we moved to our current address so we could continue getting service through there?

It's up to you... I can't make that decision for you. If you don't use it though, I would take out the DBS certificate from April, as that is not dated anywhere near July 2020 and won't be of any use (because the whole point is to show you were both living at the same address in the same month... and all the DBS certificate shows is that you were there in April, not July, which doesn't meet the requirement).

So for June 2020, I would either provide:
June 2020
5. Sponsor: 22/07/2020       SERCO Maternity Pay Contract/Breakdown
5. Applicant: ?

Or

June 2020
5. Sponsor: 22/07/2020       SERCO Maternity Pay Contract/Breakdown
5. Applicant: Letter from GP surgery