# Croydon premium service centre FLR(M) experience



## topo morto (May 24, 2014)

Others have written more poetically about this experience; it was a couple of weeks ago for us - here are the bits I remember. This was for first FLR(M) after fiancée visa.

- We got an early appointment, staying in a hotel near Lunar house - there's a few just round the corner. Lunar house is 10 minutes walk from East Croydon station.

- The place was eerily quiet at that time of the morning. We arrived about 10 minutes before our appointment was due but were let in. The security people have a few gags ready. (Jokes, I mean...)

- The premium centre is on floor 3 of the building. You register and confirm payment at one desk, and get your number. 

- After a few minutes we were called to see the first case worker who took the form and passports (mine and my wife's), and scanned her photo. We were offered a small plastic wallet to put our stuff in but were allowed to hand over the giant box file we'd prepared, with just the passports and form in the plastic wallet. So the moral there is if you package everything up beautifully, don't bother to make the form and passports part of that beautiful package.

- Then another short wait for Biometrics (fingerprints, photos, and signature). The photo has the same requirements as a passport photo. After that, your package of papers goes off to the Case Worker. Eek!

- Then the long wait! off to the Costa coffee (closed, when we were there) to look at the screens that notify you of your progress through the system. Yep, take something to do...

- Not too slow in our case though - the number came up on screen (We didn't get an announcement for some reason) as 'ready to collect'... we went to collect, and the official calmly told us that... "our application was successful." Phew.

- We got our box back. We'd provided copies of everything; they only bothered keeping the copies of the financial info, wedding cert, English language certificate, and Land Registry. The relationship evidence section about had a somewhat untouched feel to it.

-Back to Costa to pack up... then downstairs and out the little door, and free! The whole thing took about an hour and a half from the time we got in, so only about 1h20m from the time of our appointment. Not bad at all.

The decision to stay the night had paid off - free to spend the rest of the day in sunny Croydon! There's an IKEA. If you get the tram there you go past a nice park and that place where there was the massive fire in the riots. If you aren't using your oyster card, the paper tickets for the tram are valid for 90 minutes after you buy them. IKEA has nice biscuits. Yes, I was a bit excited about IKEA. It was my first time.

So, happy experience for us but we still spare a thought for those about to go through it all, those who might have had difficulties, and those for whom the current rules don't work.

Thanks for all the people who asked all the tricky questions on this forum (so I didn't have to) and all the mods who answered them. It would all be a bit tougher without this place.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

You don't need masses of relationship evidence when switching from fiancé(e) visa to spouse leave, as you have already satisfied that part in your previous application quite recently.


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## topo morto (May 24, 2014)

Makes sense. In an ideal world they would take the same attitude to the rest of it and you could just cash in your fiancée visa for a BRP through the register office


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

You just need to be smart in deciding what to submit as evidence.


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