FLR M: Further Leave to Remain for Spouse, Partner or Child

The FLR (M) visa offers further leave to remain to individuals who are in the UK based on family grounds for example on a UK spouse visa, partner visa, or as the child of an UK-based individual.

This usually includes family members of British citizen or Irish citizen, individuals who hold settled status or EUSS-pre-settled status in the UK, or individuals who are in the UK with refugee status or humanitarian protection. Eligible candidates tend to be spouses or partners, as well as children, who may obtain permission to stay another 30 months in the UK by applying for an FLR (M).

The UK offers different visa extension pathways under the FLR schemes, which cater to different circumstances. In comparison to the FLR (M) scheme which covers family members, you may also consider the following FLR alternatives that cover family-based visas:

• The FLR (FP) covers UK visa extensions for individuals based on private or family life, usually in relation to humanitarian circumstances
• The FLR (IR) covers extensions for several other visas including some visitor visas, UK ancestry visas, parent of a Child Student visas, as well as several other visas that include permits for dependents who do not fall under the FLR (M) family visa categories

Page Contents

• What is FLR (M) Visa?
• Benefits of Applying for FLR (M)
• Requirements for FLR (M) Application
• FLR (M) English Language Requirements
• FLR (M) Accommodation Requirements
• FLR (M) Financial Requirements
• How to Apply for FLR (M) in the UK?
• FLR (M) Extension Document Checklist
• When to Apply for FLR (M)?
• FLR (M) Processing times
• Cost of FLR (M) Application
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

The main benefit of applying for FLR (M) is that you can stay in the UK for another 30 months, allowing you to continue your life with your family as normal while working or studying.

As the FLR (M) generally considers the visa that you were already granted, you will be more familiar with the requirements for this extension, though you should always ensure that you have checked and familiarised yourself with any differences that may arise.

Finally, FLR (M) will allow you to work towards the minimum residence requirements for gaining indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and may eventually allow you to apply for British Citizenship.

When applying for an FLR (M) extension to your visa, you will need to show that you have an adequate understanding of the English language. This is likely to be similar to the conditions that you had to meet when first applying for your visa, but depending on circumstances you may be required to submit updated evidence of your English language proficiency.

At a glance, the FLR (M) visa extension requires that you have evidence of your English level being at A2, which is also considered to be pre-intermediate in your ability to engage in written or spoken communication in English.

If you previously provided evidence such as an A2 language level test score, you may be permitted to use this again. If you obtained a visa with a lower language proficiency such as the A1 language level required by some initial family visas, you will need to show new evidence that you are indeed at an A2 language level when applying for the FLR (M) extension.

When applying for your FLR (M) extension, you may need to provide evidence that you have appropriate accommodation arrangements in the UK.

This usually involves proof of suitable living conditions, which will be especially crucial when the FLR (M) applicant is a child.

Depending on circumstances, evidence may include mortgage agreements or rental contracts.

When you are applying for further leave to remain, you will need to continue to meet the financial requirements that were laid out as part of your initial family visa or spouse visa.

The exact amount can vary depending on your specific circumstances but you can generally expect that your household must have a minimum joint income of £29,000 annually.

Besides traditional employment wages, the minimum financial requirements may also consider savings, pensions, or alternative income from real estate or other investments.

If you are applying for an FLR (M) visa extension as the partner or dependent of a UK individual who receives certain benefits or guaranteed income due to disability or injury, you may be exempt from the financial minimum requirements.

Once you have gathered all of your required documents, you may start your FLR (M) application. This will usually have to be done online.

To begin, you will need to find the appropriate application form on the Home Office website. You may locate this by navigating through the ‘visas and immigrations’ tab and by selecting the applicable circumstances under the family visas option.

The form consists of several stages, first asking for general information, before requiring you to fill in your application and provide relevant information about your finances.

You will be asked to sign a declaration before submission and upload your relevant documents and evidence, before paying the associated application fee.

Once you have completed this step, you will usually be given a confirmation of submission, which you should hold onto for future reference.

When applying for further leave to remain, you will need to provide essential documents to confirm your personal details and prove that you are eligible. The exact documents may depend on your individual circumstances but in general, you should prepare to submit the following with your application:

• Your FLR (M) application form
• Your currently valid passport or alternative travel document
• Copies of any past passports with relevant visa stamps
• A criminal record check certificate
• Any UK residential documents, if applicable (this might be your biometric residence permit)
• Evidence that you are in an eligible partnership with a UK person
• Evidence that you are the child of a UK individual with eligible status
• Evidence that there are adequate living conditions for you with your UK partner or parent (especially if children are involved)
• Evidence that you can meet financial requirements or are exempt
• Your NIN (National Insurance Number), if you have one
• Evidence that you can meet English language requirements at an A2 level or higher

Remember that documents may need an official translation if they are not originally issued in English or Welsh. You should make sure to obtain those well before you plan to apply for your FLR (M) as it may take some time.

You will need to apply for your visa renewal before your current visa expires. Nevertheless, the Home Office only permits applications within 28 days before your existing visa expires.

While this may seem frustrating, you should consider that limitation has been set into place to minimise the number of times that you need to extend your visa in order to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) which comes with residential requirements.

If your FLR (M) application takes longer than 28 days, you might be worried about your visa expiring in the meantime.

However, you are covered and able to stay in the UK until you receive your FLR (M) decision, provided that you applied before your visa reached its end.

Once you have applied, your FLR (M) may take between two to three months to process so it is important to plan ahead. You should keep in mind that there may be delays due to varying issues including external workload or due to incomplete or inaccurate information in your application.

In some circumstances, you may pay an additional fee to expedite your FLR (M) application. With the £500 priority service, you may get your application results within five working days while the £1000 super priority service aims to process applications within one or two working days.

You should note that even with priority service, there may still be delays, should there be a need for additional documents or if other aspects of your application need extra attention. Should you not receive your decision in the expected timeline, you should usually be eligible for a refund on the expedited service charge.

FLR (M) applications will require you to pay the associated application fee which generally costs around £1,321 per application.

It is important to remember that you may face additional costs such as your immigration health surcharge (IHS), the amount of which will depend on the length of your stay in the UK. The standard immigration health surcharge in the UK sits at £1035 per year.