A Practical Guide to Extending Your UK Family Visa with Further Leave to Remain
Family visas are an integral part of the UK immigration system, allowing thousands of foreign nationals to bring their loved ones to live with them in the UK every year.
When a Family visa is issued, however, it is normally only valid for an initial 2 years and 9 months.
To stay in the UK longer, you will have to apply to extend it for a further 2 years and 6 months. This permission to extend your visa is known as further leave to remain. This step is integral to being able to stay in the UK long enough to become eligible for indefinite leave to remain status.
Join us as we guide you through the steps on how to extend your Family visa with further leave to remain and secure your residency in the UK.
Confirming Your Eligibility for Further Leave to Remain
Further leave to remain isn’t just permission to carry on living in the UK; it is also the Home Office’s way of checking that you are still eligible to stay under the terms of your visa.
Permission to extend your visa is solely dependent on you still meeting all of the eligibility criteria of your original visa when it was first issued. In most cases, this will mean still meeting family relationship, financial, English language and accommodation requirements.
The Home Office will also check that you have not violated any terms of your visa, such as breaking any laws or breaching any conditions of stay within the UK.
Family Relationship Requirements
Possibly the most important requirement for further leave to remain is that you’re still in a genuine, eligible family relationship with your UK-based sponsor.
This may mean showing the Home Office proof that you and your spouse/partner are still in a genuine relationship and still live together.
If the Home Office sees any evidence that you are not in a genuine family relationship with your sponsor anymore, such as indications that the two of you have separated, your application for further leave to remain may be refused.
Financial Requirements
You will have to show proof that you and your sponsor still meet the financial requirements of your original visa when it was issued.
This normally refers to the minimum salary threshold placed on Family visas, which is used as proof that the sponsor can support their family members while in the UK. Crucially, you will only have to show proof that you continue to meet the threshold that was in place when you first applied for your visa; if the threshold has been raised since you obtained your visa, this higher threshold will not apply to you when you apply for further leave to remain.
If you meet the financial requirement by another means, such as if your sponsor is in receipt of certain benefits, you will have to show proof that this is still the case, also.
English Language and Accommodation Requirements
The Home Office will also check that you still meet English language and accommodation requirements when applying for further leave to remain, also.
This simply means that you will still have a valid way of proving that you meet these requirements; in most cases, this will involve you still having a valid pass mark on an approved English language test, or still having a valid English language educational qualification.
You will also need to show proof that you and your sponsor have adequate accommodation to live in that meets minimum standards without you having to apply for state help.
Applying for Further Leave to Remain
Once you’re certain that you meet the requirements for further leave to remain, you can submit your application.
Applications must normally be made online through the official gov.uk website.
Take care to fill in the correct form when applying for further leave to remain. The forms available include:
Form FLR (M): Visa extensions for partners, spouses or dependent children of eligible British sponsors
Form FLR (FP): Visa extensions on the basis of private life (i.e. human rights) for 5- and 10-year routes
Form FLR (HRO): Visa extensions for adult dependent relatives
Take care to fill in all sections of the form online with truthful and correct data. Providing incorrect or misleading information on the form could lead to a refusal and you having to leave the UK.
You will also have to upload all necessary supporting documents to prove you meet the eligibility criteria.
Costs and Processing Times
It will normally cost around £1,400 to apply to extend your visa with further leave to remain.
You will also have to continue to pay additional costs such as the immigration healthcare surcharge as part of your visa conditions.
The Home Office regularly adjusts costs for visa extensions, however, so make sure to check the most recent guidance to confirm how much you will have to pay when applying.
Once you have submitted your form, it will normally take up to a few weeks for the Home Office to process your application. However, it may take them longer to do so if your application is complex or you’ve not provided all of the necessary supporting documentation in your application.
Your application may also be delayed if you need to be called in to an interview, or if the Home Office needs additional clarification on whether you fully meet eligibility criteria.
Conclusion
Applying for further leave to remain is an important step in being able to secure your future in the UK if you’re already here on a Family visa.
However, it’s critical that you ensure you meet all the eligibility criteria in order to minimise the risk of a rejection or refusal, which could derail your future plans entirely.
Researching the requirements and criteria thoroughly and ensuring that you have a well-organised, comprehensive suite of supporting documentary evidence can ultimately be key in ensuring that your visa extension application goes smoothly.