# Help with difference between FLR(M) and FLR(FP)



## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Hello,

I am really hoping someone can help me with this visa enquiry. I wanted to enlist the help of a visa agent but thus far they have been really unreliable with responding to my questions.

I am from Australia and I have been living in the UK on a Tier 5 visa since July 2013. I am living with my partner of 8 years (mostly through long distance, going back and forth between Australia and the UK) and we are getting married in April 2015. I want to remain in the UK because we have spent 6 years in a long distance relationship and we're sick of it now.

As I am on a Tier 5 visa I am already legally entitled to work in the UK. My questions are:

* Are both mine and my partner's incomes taken into account when proving we meet the £18600 income threshold? and is this proven over a 6 month or 12 month period?

and

* Which application form is it that I need to complete? I am confused about the 5 year route and 10 year route. Do I need to apply for FLR(M) or FLR(FP)? I think it is FLR(M), but can someone please confirm if this is correct? I want to lodge this application via the premium service so I really don't want to waste £1400 completing the wrong one.

Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated because I am finding this process so stressful.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

MadeleineFalson said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am really hoping someone can help me with this visa enquiry. I wanted to enlist the help of a visa agent but thus far they have been really unreliable with responding to my questions.
> 
> ...


Yes.



> and is this proven over a 6 month or 12 month period?


That depends on what category you are applying under. Read through FM 1.7 to understand your options for meeting the financial requirement.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...exFM_Section_FM_1_7_Financial_Requirement.pdf

and



> * Which application form is it that I need to complete? I am confused about the 5 year route and 10 year route. Do I need to apply for FLR(M) or FLR(FP)? I think it is FLR(M), but can someone please confirm if this is correct? I want to lodge this application via the premium service so I really don't want to waste £1400 completing the wrong one.


FLR (M) after you're married. It costs £601 and and extra £400 for an in person appointment.



> Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated because I am finding this process so stressful.


If you don't have any complications like previous visa refusals, criminal history or any other black marks on your immigration history you should be able to handle it yourself. Ask your questions here.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Hi Nyclon. Thanks so much for your reply.

I can't find a 1.7 in the link you posted? I've had a long look at the FLR(M) application and it refers to income over a 6 month period, so it must be 6 months, not 12? I had heard conflicting information about this - one visa agent I asked said it was 12 months, but the application form says 6? 

Whether it is 6 or 12 months is my biggest concern. When I first moved here I was doing temp work for a recruitment agency so I had periods where I wasn't working. My partner obtained a wage increase in September 2014 and at the same time I found a permanent job. We will have earned well over the threshold by the time I come to apply for this visa, however if it needs to be proven over a 12 month period I don't think we will have met the threshold for all that time.

What happens in this instance? If you don't meed the threshold, is it a flat out no, even though we are both in permanent employment and earning over the threshold and have been since September 2014?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

The link is to the document called FM 1.7. It outlines all the options for meeting the financial requirement. You need to read through the whole thing to see which category fits your situation. Probably A or B but you need to read through and figure it out.

There is no wiggle room on meeting the financial requirement. If you can't meet the requirement through 1 of the categories in FM 1.7 you will be refused.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

I have been in my current employment for 6 months and so has my partner, so by the time I come to lodge this application in late May, it should be Category A, shouldn't it?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

For Category A you have be in employment for the 6 months immediately preceding your application and earning at least £18,600/year. You need 6 pays slips 6 bank statements and a letter of employment. You should also include your contract and P60 if it's available by the time you apply. 

Are you salaried or non-salaried?


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Yes I am salaried and my partner is as well. I presume they would need to provide the same documentation?

Thanks so much for this.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Yes, if you need both of your incomes to meet the financial requirement he will need to provide the same documents. If you are both salaried add each of your monthly pay slips together and make sure they total at least £1550/month, every month. What they do is take the lowest monthly total and multiply by 12. 

All documents must be original.

Additionally, you need to meet the accommodation and relationship requirements.

If you rent, you'll need your tenancy agreement and a council tax or other bill

For relationship, your marriage certificate, 10-15 photos of your together including the wedding and if you've been living together proof of that in the form of joint bank accounts, joint bills and other official post addressed to you jointly or separately.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Thank you so much!

I am not currently on the tenancy agreement and the bills come out of my partner's bank account, however I transfer money across each month as we split the payments for everything. Do I need to be on the tenancy agreement if I am providing a marriage certificate as well as post addressed to each of us at the same address?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

If you aren't on the tenancy agreement then you need a letter of permission from the landlord saying you are allowed to live there. Try to get your name on the council tax bill and other bills. Open a joint bank account. You are going to need these things for the next visa.

Before you apply, post a list of your supporting documents here and we will critique it to make sure you aren't missing anything.

If you are going to apply in person, they are usually most focused on the financial docs so pay close attention to detail.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

My visa expires at the end of July. If I apply at the end of May, would you recommend doing it via post or in person? And should my partner be there if I choose to lodge my application in person? 

You have helped beyond belief, thank you so much.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

You can apply anytime after you are married provided you meet all the requirements. We always say that if you can afford it, go for the in person appointment because a decision is almost always made on the day with the BRP which contains all the visa details following by post in 7-10 days. It saves you the agonising wait. Postal applications can take a month or 2 and I think that May will be getting into a busier time so it may take longer.

Yes, your partner should accompany you to an in person appointment.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Thank you! Is there an option in the application form to include things such as photographs? I can't see anything that mentions them. Also would you recommend having friends and family members write letters?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

The application doesn't specifically say everything that should be included. It's your job to decide what documents make your case best. We recommend including 10-15 photos from throughout your relationship including the wedding. Attach to sheets of A4 with a brief description below. Testimonials from friends and family are subjective and so very weak evidence which are unlikely to be taken into consideration so don't bother.

You can consider each writing letters yourself. Him a letter of sponsorship and you a letter of introduction. They should briefly outline your relationship, things in common, plans for the future and can be used to address any particular challenges to your relationship. However, if you are doing an in person appointment, they are unlikely to look at them because as I said, they focus on the financials. 

Again, when you are ready, post a document checklist


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Thank you so much. I'll post this by late April I hope so watch this space. 

Thanks so much for your help, it is so much clearer now.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Sorry just a quick question - I have just found out that my partner's bank account is not registered at our joint address. It is registered at her parents' address and she gets online statements. Is this going to be a problem? If she changes the address now? She had a bank account and was getting paper statements delivered to our house however this was closed down last year. The account that her wage gets paid into hasn't been registered at our address. Is this a problem for the income requirement or to prove we've been living together? She will have been receiving other post during this period, though. 

Also, how many items would you recommend lodging to prove we live together? One for each month that we've lived together or one for each months for 6 months, same as the bank statements and pay slips?


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Hi again Nyclon. My partner and I are in the process of completing my FLR (M) application form. We are applying in person at a premium service centre. I know I have to pay up front at the time we book an appointment so I am wondering if I need to complete the payment details page? or do I leave it blank as we will already have paid? Or do I need to include payment details to pay for the BRP at the time of the appointment? I've noticed that the amount we are asked to pay at the time of booking an appointment is £1049 which does not include the extra £400.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

You don't need to fill out the payment details page. The fee is £649 and the fee for a premium appointment is £400 so £1049 is correct. You will also need to pay the NHS Surcharge of £500 before you can apply.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Hi Nyclon, thanks for replying. I went online to pay the health surcharge, however it said 'Exempt due to nationality.' My understanding is that Australia has a reciprocal healthcare agreement so I don't need to pay this surcharge. Does that sound right to you?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Yes, that's correct.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Thanks Nyclon. My partner recently realised that she forgot to change the address on her bank statements when we moved about a year ago. Is it going to be a problem if, for her proof of income, her bank statements for the 6 months have half from her father's address and half from our shared address? We do have a lot of other documentation such as council tax bills, water bills, gas and electricity, phone bills etc as well as our tenancy agreement and marriage certificate that have our shared address. Do you think this is a problem?


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Sorry Nyclon but I have just read something on the UKBA guidelines for Tier 5 visas which has worried me, please see the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/tier-5-government-authorised-exchange/overview

It states that I am not allowed to take a permanent job, however I have been in a permanent job since September 2014. Is this going to be a problem? Has anyone been in this situation? Has anyone taken a permanent job on a Tier 5 visa and then had their application for FLR(M) approved? Please help! When proving we meet the financial requirement, should I just submit my partner's details and nothing from my job?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

With bills and statements with different addresses, just attach explanation to the documents concerned.
That government quote is about a different kind of Tier 5 visa for temporary workers, not YMS you are on. So don't worry. Only submit financial details sufficient to meet the requirement. Nothing more.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Thank you Joppa! Panic over. This experience is so stressful, I thought I was going to have a heart attack before.


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Hi again Joppa. I was only recently added to our tenancy agreement. We've lived there for a year now but for the first year I wasn't on it. How would you proceed with this documentation? Would you only provide documents such as bank statements etc. from the period that I was on the tenancy agreement? If I provide the new agreement as well as the original for the first year of the tenancy that only has my partner's name on it but also provide bills with my name on them at that address, is this going to present problems? I guess my main question is, do I need to provide proof we have lived at a shared address for the entire time we have lived together, or only since getting married?


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## OliveCatKnits (Mar 10, 2015)

Sorry, just to clarify - if I present as proof that we have been living together for 18 months the previous tenancy agreement with only my partner's name on it and bills addressed to me at this address, as well as our new tenancy agreement with my name on it and bills addressed to us both, will they ask why I don't have a letter from our landlord to say I could live there for that first year?


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