FLR M Spousal Renewal Visa Enquiry

Good evening,

I just have a few questions in relation to renewing my FLR M spousal visa for the first time. My visa expires on the 5 April 2021 so I will start to gather the documents now to apply 28 days before that date.

The documents I need are (please verify):
My passport copy
My current visa copy
My partner's passport copy (British citizen)
Marriage certificate
Photos or other documents to prove our marriage?
Council bill with both of our names on it
Copy of flat rental agreement
Financial documents (see below)
Biometrics - do I do this again?
Visa fee - 1033 pounds
IHS fee - 1000 pounds? Do I pay this every time I renew even if I am working full time?
Link for application - https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/family-routes

Financials:
- 6 FULL months of payslips showing at least £1,550 before tax on each one (assuming you are salaried) - normally this means including 7 months' worth to cover every single day of the 6 months. The latest payslip must be dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online.

- 6 FULL months of bank statements showing the deposit of every single payslip - normally this means including 7 months' worth to cover every single day of the 6 months. The latest bank statement must be dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online.

- A letter from your employer, dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online, stating ALL of the following:
i) current employment and salary
ii) length of employment
iii) length of time earning current salary
iv) type of employment (full- or part-time, permanent or temporary)

- job contract
- latest P60

Thank you so much for your help in advance. Really appreciate it so much!

Heather

I just have a few questions in relation to renewing my FLR M spousal visa for the first time. My visa expires on the 5 April 2021 so I will start to gather the documents now to apply 28 days before that date.

Just to clarify for others reading: you came to the UK on a fiance visa and then switched to FLR(M), and are now preparing to apply for your second FLR(M).

I'll just rearrange your documents into the different upload sections on the UKVCAS website, so we can make sure you have everything. Anything that is missing will be in red, and any comments in blue:

Applicant Documents
- My passport copy... full scan of every page
- Signed sponsor's declaration - part of the online application
- Part 1 of the consent to checks forms, signed by the applicant - part of the online application
- Part 2 of the consent to checks forms, signed by the applicant - part of the online application

Proof of Identity/Travel History
- My partner's passport copy (British citizen)... full scan of every page
- Scan of BRP card (your current visa)

Finances:
- 6 FULL months of payslips showing at least £1,550 before tax on each one (assuming you are salaried) - normally this means including 7 months' worth to cover every single day of the 6 months. The latest payslip must be dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online.
- 6 FULL months of bank statements showing the deposit of every single payslip - normally this means including 7 months' worth to cover every single day of the 6 months. The latest bank statement must be dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online.
- A letter from your employer, dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online, stating ALL of the following:
i) current employment and salary
ii) length of employment
iii) length of time earning current salary
iv) type of employment (full- or part-time, permanent or temporary)
- job contract
- latest P60

Residence in the UK
Accommodation Documents
- Council bill with both of our names on it
- Copy of flat rental agreement
Cohabitation Documents (these are your relationship documents)
- 6 items of original official mail in each of your names, showing you have been living together for the last 2 years
- they must be evenly-spaced, dated every 4 months between February 2019 and February 2021
- they must be from at least 3 different official sources (i.e. bank statement, council tax bill, electricity bill, phone bill etc.)
- you can either provide 1 jointly-addressed item of mail or 2 individually-addressed items of mail for each of the required months
- all the documents must have been received in the post in the months they were issued
So, you will need 1 item of mail in each name from each of the following months:
February 2019
June 2019
October 2019
February 2020
June 2020
October 2020
February 2021
If you are unable to provide 6 items each, or they are not evenly-spaced, or you don't have at least 3 sources, you need to write a letter of explanation for why not

Other
Marriage certificate

Biometrics - do I do this again?
Visa fee - 1033 pounds
IHS fee - 1000 pounds? Do I pay this every time I renew even if I am working full time?

Yes, biometrics must be redone every single time you apply for a visa, and also when you apply for UK citizenship as well. This is to get an updated photo taken and to confirm you are the same person who applied for the previous visa. They do offer free biometrics appointments, but those are difficult to come by at the moment, so you may need to pay £110-135 for an out-of-hours appointment if no free ones are available.

The visa feee is £1,033 plus you also have to pay £19.20 biometrics fee, so you will be charged £1052.20 for the online application.

The IHS surcharge is now £1,560. It was £400 per year (£1000 for 2.5 years), but increased to £624 per year (£1560 for 2.5 years) in October 2020

The order of doing things is:
- research the requirements and gather all your supporting documents
- fill out the online application form, paying the IHS surcharge as part of it (£1,560)
- when you're ready to apply, submit the online application and pay for the visa (£1033 + £19.2 biometrics fee)
- you will then be emailed a registration code for the UKVCAS website
- register an account with UKVCAS
- book a biometrics appointment through UKVCAS at one of their core or enhanced centres (which you may need to pay for)
- before your biometrics appointment, you need to upload all your supporting documents to the UKVCAS website... or alternatively, when you book biometrics, you can add the Document Scanning Service for £50 and they will scan and upload the documents for you at the appointment
- attend biometrics
- wait for the visa to be processed (you will get an email) and for your new BRP to be delivered to you

Extremely helpful - thank you so much for your help. And yes, that is correct that I was first on the fiance visa then the spousal visa (after we married) and now I am renewing it after 2.5 years.

Thank you for laying it out so clearly - makes my life so much easier. Cannot thank you enough!

Good morning,

Can I just ask a question in relation to the IHS surcharge? It says on the government website that you only pay it again if applicable - what makes someone applicable to pay it and/or exempt from paying it? I am wondering because my husband is South African and never had to pay this fee - now he is a citizen. Did things change due to Brexit?

If I get the indefinite leave to remain visa or citizenship to follow this visa renewal, will I stop paying the IHS surcharge then?

Also - you mentioned I may need to pay for the out of office biometrics appointment - if I just wait until an appointment is available for free (since we are not travelling anywhere anytime soon) is that fine to do so?

Thank you so much for your time.
Heather

Can I just ask a question in relation to the IHS surcharge? It says on the government website that you only pay it again if applicable - what makes someone applicable to pay it and/or exempt from paying it? I am wondering because my husband is South African and never had to pay this fee - now he is a citizen. Did things change due to Brexit?

Most visa applicants will have to pay it.

The list of people who are exempt from paying it is here:
https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/who-needs-pay

If I get the indefinite leave to remain visa or citizenship to follow this visa renewal, will I stop paying the IHS surcharge then?

Yes, You only have to pay it if you are on a temporary visa. Once you have ILR, you are eligible to claim UK benefits, and therefore are eligible for the same 'free' NHS care as UK citizens, without having to pay the IHS surcharge.

CItizenship applications have nothing to do with the IHS surcharge, because everyone applying for citizenship must hold ILR already, meaning they no longer have to pay it.

Also - you mentioned I may need to pay for the out of office biometrics appointment - if I just wait until an appointment is available for free (since we are not travelling anywhere anytime soon) is that fine to do so?

You can, but you could be waiting several months for one to open up, and I think the UKVI website gives you a deadline of about 2 months in which to attend your biometrics appointment. I don't recall anyone being able to secure a free appointment in the last 3 or 4 months, and even with the out of hours appointments, people have only been able to book them for a few weeks out.

You may be able to find an Enhanced appointment at one of the Enhanced centres for £69.99 though... which is basically a free appointment that already includes the document scanning and document checking services (which normally cost an extra £50 and £45, respectively).

I believe new appointments open up at midnight each night, so the best thing to do is keep checking at midnight and hope for either a free or a £69.99 appointment.

So helpful, thank you.

I went through the list and I currently work at a charity in social care - would this qualify at all to be exempt?

So helpful, thank you.

I went through the list and I currently work at a charity in social care - would this qualify at all to be exempt?

You wouldn't be exempt, so you will still have to pay it when you apply for the visa. However, you may be able to apply for an IHS refund after you have paid it if your job role and the charity you work for are considered eligible for IHS reimbursement.

In order to be eligible for a refund, you must:
- have paid the immigration health surcharge (IHS)
AND
-  work for an eligible company or organisation, for example the NHS or the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - read ‘Annex A’ of the detailed guidance to check eligibility
AND
- have worked in your role for at least 6 months, for an average of at least 16 hours a week

The 6 months can include paid leave, such as maternity or statutory sick leave. You will not be eligible if you were unemployed or had unpaid leave for more than 28 days during the last 6 months.

You can only get a refund of one 6-month period at a time and will have to reapply for a another refund every 6 months.

Have a read through this page for more information:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-immigration-health-surcharge-refund/healthcare-setting

And see Annex A for a list of eligible companies and organisations, and types of work, in order to qualify:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-health-surcharge-applying-for-a-refund/immigration-health-surcharge-guidance-for-reimbursement-2020#annex

That's wonderful, thank you!

I work full time and I think I could qualify for a refund but it hasn't been quite six months yet - can I apply after the six months or is there a certain period in which I have to ask for the refund?

I work full time and I think I could qualify for a refund but it hasn't been quite six months yet - can I apply after the six months or is there a certain period in which I have to ask for the refund?

I don't know all the details unfortunately (I've literally only just found the information about it this morning), but I would assume you would be able to apply for a refund for the period of time that you've been eligible (i.e. once you have been working there 6 months).

I've just realised that the link I gave to Annex A starts halfway down the guidance page, and it looks like there is more information about eligibility above it: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-health-surcharge-applying-for-a-refund/immigration-health-surcharge-guidance-for-reimbursement-2020

I think there may be one or two people here on the forum who have managed to apply for healthcare worker refunds so far, so hopefully someone else will be able to chime in as well.

I work for the NHS and got the refund for the NHS fee.  I'm due to submit another request next month.  It was fairly straightforward.

Wonderful to know all of this, thank you so much.

I do not work for the NHS but for a registered charity supporting women in homelessness and other very difficult situations - we are the only drop in centre open during lockdown right now and work very closely with the NHS, police etc ... I will check this week to see if the organisation would qualify to be exempt.

Hi there,

Just to follow up - I spoke with my manager today and unfortunately, we do not fall into these particular categories as we are a small women's charity and not under a registered body such as the NHS or within the government.  However, she is willing to write a letter for me to explain more about my role/what we do and I am wondering if that could help as I am considered an essential worker. Thank you so much in advance.

Hi there,

Just to follow up - I spoke with my manager today and unfortunately, we do not fall into these particular categories as we are a small women's charity and not under a registered body such as the NHS or within the government.  However, she is willing to write a letter for me to explain more about my role/what we do and I am wondering if that could help as I am considered an essential worker. Thank you so much in advance.

Unfortunately with UKVI it’s a tick box.  If unable to tick the box as a NHS worker, you can’t have the IHS refunded.

The programme started when Boris was in the hospital for covid.  His nurses were all foreigners.  And he “learned” about the fee and said it shouldn’t apply to people making sacrifices for the NHS.  He was then put on the spot and dragged his feet but this is as fa as it goes.  Even then it’s a refund every six months...  it still has to be paid up front.  But it’s a baby step in the right direction.

I see... interesting. Good to know, nonetheless. Thank you

Hi!

I just wanted to follow up again on a few things:
1. I first want to confirm that everything is done online and that I don't need to send anything via post, is that correct?
2. I am going to apply with my husband's finances - can I apply with PDFs rather than originals of his payslips? Is that also fine with bills or statements - can they be downloaded from online?
3. In regards to the bills/co habitation documents, we actually do not have that many bills in general. We are both on the council tax bill but the rest are in his name. We are both on the rental agreement - I can also send my personal credit card statements, student loan statements and GP or pension statements in my name if that is acceptable (with the months/years you have stated)
4. Is this the proper link to apply? https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/family-routes
5. After this first renewal, am I able to apply for ILR in 2.5 years?

Thank you so much for your help as always, very appreciated.

Heather