UK FLR(M) Spouse Visa Success 2017

[LJMLJM92]

Hi everyone,

My Australian Husband had his first FLR(M) visa approved yesterday at the premium service centre in Glasgow. I spent the past year and a half preparing the application and I couldn't have done it without the help of this forum so I thought I'd post what we included in our application to help other couples in the same position!

Firstly, my husband and I met in June 2013 in Australia and began dating in August 2013. We went back and forth between Scotland and Oz and then he came to Scotland on a Tier 5 youth mobility visa on 27/11/15. We began renting our own flat on 02/04/16, got engaged on 25/03/17, got married on 04/08/17 and applied for his visa on 11/08/17. Documents we included in our application:

-Application form
-Brief timeline of relationship
-Brief opening letter from me as his sponsor detailing our relationship
-Both our passports
-Marriage certificate
-2 x passport photo of applicant
-1 x passport photo of sponsor

Financial Requirement - the important part!
-Husband's payslips for past year
-My payslips for past year (6 months minimum required from each of us)
-Husbands bank statements for past year showing his pay going into his account (minimum 6 months required)
-My bank statement for past 6 months showing my pay going in to my account
-Letters from each of our employers outlining salary, hours of work, start date, type of contract & confirming that payslips are correct and authentic
- both our employment contracts
(note - we could use both of our incomes to meet the threshold as my husband was already working in the UK, we both earn approx £15,000 each. Also, my husband is on a 3-month rolling contract (paid hourly) and I'm on a temporary contract but this was fine.)

Proof of Lasting Relationship
- Tenancy agreements from past 1.5 years from the estate agent
- Correspondence addressed to us jointly and seperately at our address over the past 1.5 years (bank statements, council tax bills, TV liscencing letter, voting register letter, electricity & internet bills etc)
- Our joint bank account statements from past year outlining our rent, bills, council tax etc
- Joint travel documents from holidays over the past few years
- Brief letter from my parents confirming we lived with them before we started renting
- Wedding invitaton and receipt from the florist

We also brought a few cards/invites and photographs but they said they didn't want them. They did comment that I had brought a lot of evidence but we didn't get asked any questions at all. We handed in the application, waited for 3.5 hours and were then told it had been successful. All the staff were extremely friendly.

My advice would be to open a joint bank account and get everything you possibly can in both your names e.g rent, council tax, bills etc. Don't throw anything away, keep all your letters and everything else just incase you decide to use them. Also, sign up for paper copies of bank statements & bills to be sent to your address, I know it's bad for the planet but it will make your life much easier. If you print anything off yourself, get it certified and do this well in advance as some banks can be awkward.

It took a lot of stress, worry and tears but it was worth it in the end! Can't wait to do it all again in 20 months...

Good luck to everyone applying!

[lyndanica]

Hi everyone,

My Australian Husband had his first FLR(M) visa approved yesterday at the premium service centre in Glasgow. I spent the past year and a half preparing the application and I couldn't have done it without the help of this forum so I thought I'd post what we included in our application to help other couples in the same position!

Firstly, my husband and I met in June 2013 in Australia and began dating in August 2013. We went back and forth between Scotland and Oz and then he came to Scotland on a Tier 5 youth mobility visa on 27/11/15. We began renting our own flat on 02/04/16, got engaged on 25/03/17, got married on 04/08/17 and applied for his visa on 11/08/17. Documents we included in our application:

-Application form
-Brief timeline of relationship
-Brief opening letter from me as his sponsor detailing our relationship
-Both our passports
-Marriage certificate
-2 x passport photo of applicant
-1 x passport photo of sponsor

Financial Requirement - the important part!
-Husband's payslips for past year
-My payslips for past year (6 months minimum required from each of us)
-Husbands bank statements for past year showing his pay going into his account (minimum 6 months required)
-My bank statement for past 6 months showing my pay going in to my account
-Letters from each of our employers outlining salary, hours of work, start date, type of contract & confirming that payslips are correct and authentic
- both our employment contracts
(note - we could use both of our incomes to meet the threshold as my husband was already working in the UK, we both earn approx £15,000 each. Also, my husband is on a 3-month rolling contract (paid hourly) and I'm on a temporary contract but this was fine.)

Proof of Lasting Relationship
- Tenancy agreements from past 1.5 years from the estate agent
- Correspondence addressed to us jointly and seperately at our address over the past 1.5 years (bank statements, council tax bills, TV liscencing letter, voting register letter, electricity & internet bills etc)
- Our joint bank account statements from past year outlining our rent, bills, council tax etc
- Joint travel documents from holidays over the past few years
- Brief letter from my parents confirming we lived with them before we started renting
- Wedding invitaton and receipt from the florist

We also brought a few cards/invites and photographs but they said they didn't want them. They did comment that I had brought a lot of evidence but we didn't get asked any questions at all. We handed in the application, waited for 3.5 hours and were then told it had been successful. All the staff were extremely friendly.

My advice would be to open a joint bank account and get everything you possibly can in both your names e.g rent, council tax, bills etc. Don't throw anything away, keep all your letters and everything else just incase you decide to use them. Also, sign up for paper copies of bank statements & bills to be sent to your address, I know it's bad for the planet but it will make your life much easier. If you print anything off yourself, get it certified and do this well in advance as some banks can be awkward.

It took a lot of stress, worry and tears but it was worth it in the end! Can't wait to do it all again in 20 months...

Good luck to everyone applying!

Congratulations! It's always better to have more documents - cover all the bases and be one step ahead of them. I'm glad to hear the staff in Glasgow are friendly.