# FLR(M) Category F Success at Solihull Premium Service Centre!



## 00something (Jan 17, 2016)

Hi folks, after reading countless threads and accounts on this forum I thought it would be only fair to give back as much information as I can to help others out.

Earlier today my Wife applied for an extension to her Spouse Visa which was due to expire soon. We decided to pay the extra for the premium service which we had heard was excellent. Let me put it simply, it was worth every penny.

Parking at Dominion Court is right next to the Solihull application centre (round the corner down a one way road and to the right-it's named dominion court car park and we used the underground level which had plenty of spaces on a Monday morning). It cost £4 for 4 hours of parking and it turned out to be just the right amount of time required for us in our case.

We arrived for our pre arranged appointment roughly half an hour before we were due, and were asked to sit in the waiting room after the brief security check, which involved emptying of the pockets and checking of bags/boxes containing paper work. The security staff were brisk and efficient.

Close to the appointment time I got up to the desk and was given a number to join the queue. We were asked not to do this earlier to avoid messing up the queue as others with earlier appointments than ours were still due to come in. The lady handing out the numbers wanted to see the payment sheet and asked my wife to confirm her name. Her manner was friendly but business like.

Roughly 25 minutes later we were called in to register, which involved handing over all original and copied documents, along with passports and BRP. The man collecting the documents was again friendly but business like. He seemed happy we had made copies, "we like copies!" was his enthusiastic comment when he saw the bundle of copies we had labelled.

Another wait ensued back in the waiting room, this one was roughly 10 minutes long. This time we were called to enrol biometrics in a separate room. This was very quick and involved filling in a form confirm name/DOB and a signature. The lady who took our biometrics advised us to leave the centre and to expect a call in "roughly two hours".

We duly obliged and spent some time in Touchwood shopping centre. Plenty of cafes/eateries and shops and also a cinema complex to try and keep the mind off the matter at hand!

Roughly 90 minutes later I received a call from an unknown number, picked up and it was the clearance officer who wanted to clarify some financial information. My heart rate at this point moved faster than Usain Bolt! Luckily I had brought some email exchanges between myself and my chartered accountant (I had thought this particular issue may be queried), the officer seemed pleased to hear this and asked for me to hand it in and advised us to wait for the decision in the waiting room as "it won't be long now, nearly done".

We went through security again and waited, around 20 minutes later the lady at the desk wanted to collect the emails (she had apparently chatted to the officer who asked for her to collect them), which I duly handed over. Then in a further 20 minutes we were called up to the desk to receive the good news! 

Thanks to everyone on this forum who's posts I read to help out. There are too many to mention really. This place is a great resource for those preparing for the Visas.

I will soon post a list of documents used for our case and some advice for those applying in Category F, which is one of the more difficult financial requirements to satisfy. I will expand on the issue the officer wanted clarified above also.


----------



## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Congratulations to you!

Solihull is a great centre... my husband took me up there (via train from London) when we went for my FLR(M) 3 days after our wedding back in 2012 - the Vicar was properly horrified when husband told her we were going Solihull for our honeymoon... she calmed down somewhat when we explained that we were going for my visa and that we had a _proper_ 4 day stay at the Balmoral in Edinburgh planned as our mini-honeymoon. (incidentally, I very much enjoyed my [too short] stay in Edi, even though it rained the entire time we were there)

I think that Touchwood Centre must reap some great benefits from having the premium service centre so close by. Husband and I had coffee and pastry at a local coffee shop before we dropped a small packet of £££ a the Apple store (for an iPad) while we waited.


Anyway, congratulations again to you and your wife!


----------



## 00something (Jan 17, 2016)

Application Related Documents:
	Appointment confirmation sheet
	Application Payment Sheet with IHS reference number & Covering Letter from Solicitor
	Form FLR(M) – completed & signed
	Passport sized photos (x2 of applicant and x1 of sponsor with names on back of each) in a small sealed envelope attached to the page as advised on the form


Personal Documents:
	BRP of Applicant
	Passport of Sponsor
	Current Passport of Applicant
	Expired Passport of Applicant
	Deed Poll of sponsor


Proof of Marriage Documents:
	Marriage Certificate- Original and English Certified translation
	Photographs of us (roughly 70 or-not sure if they looked at them or not)


English Language Document:
	IELTS Life Skills B1 Speaking & Listening Pass Certificate


Items of Correspondence Documents:
	Lease addition of Spouse letter – 6/13 – Joint
	Council Tax Letter – 7/13 – Joint
	Lease termination Letter – 12/13 – Joint
	Bank Letter confirming address change – 12/13 – Joint
	NHS Letter – 1/14 – Applicant
	PVG Disclosure – 2/14 – Applicant
	TV Licence – 2/14 – Sponsor
	Council Tax Letter – 4/14 – Joint
	Bank Letter – 8/14 – Joint
	Council Tax Letter – 3/15 – Joint
	BT Phone Bill – 4/15 – Sponsor
	Credit Card Statement – 7/15 – Applicant
	Gas Utility Bill – 10/15 – Joint
	Credit Card Statement – 1/16 – Applicant


Accommodation Documents:
	Mortgage confirmation letter
	Mortgage statements (x2) from years 2014 & 2015
	Recent mortgage company Correspondence 2016
 
Financial Documents Category F:
	Company Tax return CT600 for financial year August 2014- July 2015 and letter from HMRC confirming this has been filed
	Form SA302 from HMRC for years 2012-2015
	Certificate of Company Incorporation from Companies House (this is only available as an online PDF as company was filed electronically)
	Unaudited accounts for financial year noted above, this includes an accountant’s certificate of confirmation which is signed by him
	Annual Return/Current Appointment Report from Companies house (current appointment report is again online PDF only as company is filed electronically)
	Letter from HMRC proving registration as an employer with PAYE reference number and Accounts Office reference number.
	Dividend Voucher for all declared dividends covered by 12-month period on CT600
	Personal Tax return for tax year end April 2015
	Personal Bank statements covering the same 12-month period as company tax return CT600 and to present date to prove ongoing dividend payments
	Business bank statements covering the same 12-month period as company tax return CT600 and to present date to prove ongoing dividend payments



We probably went overkill on the number of photographs we provided and the number of letters proving cohabitation. But it didn't seem to do any harm.

In terms of the financials, I would highly recommend employing the services of an accountant registered with one of these recognised bodies.

The accountant's certificate of confirmation referred to above is a confusing point for many, but all this amounts to is a signed declaration page on the unaudited accounts from an accountant who is a member of one of the above bodies. They should know what this is when asked to provide it. My accountant also stamped a "certified copy of original" on each of the copies-not sure if this helped or not.

I would also advise employing the services of a good solicitor if you run a limited company or are self employed. The list of requirements is long and tricky.

As for the clarification we were asked to provide, it related to the dividend payments and how they had been paid to my personal account from the business account. The explanatory email from my accountant seemed to sort out though. So again, get a decent accountant on your side 


Hope this helps folk out


----------



## 00something (Jan 17, 2016)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> Congratulations to you!
> 
> Solihull is a great centre... my husband took me up there (via train from London) when we went for my FLR(M) 3 days after our wedding back in 2012 - the Vicar was properly horrified when husband told her we were going Solihull for our honeymoon... she calmed down somewhat when we explained that we were going for my visa and that we had a _proper_ 4 day stay at the Balmoral in Edinburgh planned as our mini-honeymoon. (incidentally, I very much enjoyed my [too short] stay in Edi, even though it rained the entire time we were there)
> 
> ...


Thanks so much! It is a great little centre, tucked away in a relatively quiet wee area, which is nice.

Glad you enjoyed Edinburgh, it's a fantastic city


----------



## Bluv (Feb 25, 2016)

*Help/advice needed*

Thank you so much for your very detailed experience. I am in similar situation and I will be using the Solihull premium centre for renewing a spouse visa which is due to expire at the end of March.. I have a few questions:

My appointment is the first week of March, seeing that my visa expires at the end of March have I left it too late?
How much is the total amount to pay? I have paid the Heath surcharge and visa fee but I read somewhere that I will need to pay £400 for using the premium service. Is that correct? I wasn't asked for that amount on booking my appointment. Would this be requested at the centre or?
How long did it take to get your biometric card after the successful approval of the visa on the day?
I will be using salaried income as financial requirement. That shouldn't need an accountant or solicitor letter right? Because it's pretty straight forward 

Your prompt response will be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you.


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

When did you arrive in UK? The earliest you can apply is 28 days short of your 30-month anniversary of arrival.
Visa fees you paid should include £400 premium centre fee, so something like £1,049. If that's how much you paid, you have already paid the extra fee.
BRP is posted soon after the appointment. It can take around a week, though some people get it in about 3-4 days.
Most people should be able to apply without professional help by reading the government guidance, consulting this forum and asking any questions here.


----------



## Bluv (Feb 25, 2016)

Thank you so much Joppa for the reply. Got here 2010. This is spouse visa renewal. Oh great I paid 1049 and the health surcharge. Also good to know that the biometric card will be sent quickly if successful. Yes I think the form is pretty straightforward especially as I am not using mutilple sources of income. I think my main concern was if I had left it too late which from your reply doesn't seem to be the case. Any advice on documentation? I have been told it's helpful to make copies too...


----------



## 302993 (Oct 8, 2013)

Thank you ,00something for sharing your experience with us! I've got a quick question. Is IELTS Life skills B1 acceptable for the first FLR m? As far as I know we are only required to provide it at the level A1 at this stage.But I think if I take the Life Skills at B 1 instead of A1 so that I can re-use it when i'm eligible for the ILR even though it has got an expiry date.
Thank you in advance.


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes, but you can't use it for ILR as your test must have been passed within 2 years of applying for settlement.


----------



## 302993 (Oct 8, 2013)

Thank you,Joppa for your reply


----------

