Appeal Court case on minimum salary rule

Spouses can work with immediate effect. Its Fiances that have to wait.

If married, as soon as they can find a job.

So as soon as I marry her in the UK she can apply for a NI number, is that correct?

I like a happy ending.

Well. Almost. If its the Fiancee route there is the small matter of FLR. Once FLR is granted then yes. Problem with that has been in the past that the UKBA were sitting on the FLR applications for a long time.

And we can apply for FLR immediately after marriage?

From what I gather, yes. My wifes friend did that. It took them a week or two to get everything together for the application.

I seem to recall there is a fast track option for FLR. Costs a bit more. Need to check that out....

Heres the two options on the form. The expensive option is the quicker. And less time with passports being tied up too.

Its a few bob more but worth it if you can afford it.

THE FEE

"If you are a single applicant on form FLR(M) and no dependants are applying with you, there is a fee of £578 for standard applications made by post, or £953 for applications made in person at our Public Enquiry Offices.

For applications made in person at a Public Enquiry Office, the total fee includes a £100 appointment fee, which may be retained should the applicant fail to attend their appointment with- out good reason."


https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/285873/FLR_M__12-13.pdf

The whole process of bringing a loved one here from the Philippines is extremely expensive, I don't know about the £18,600 I think you need to be a millionaire

Thanks John

Also, check this out. To pay and apply in person it has to be booked in advance and at one of the designated centres.

https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/find-a-premium-service-centre

Double check this but I think its correct.

Exactly.

Big monetary difference between applying by post or in person, nearly a £400 difference, depends how fast you need the FLR I suppose

Having said that I suppose when you compare the money you spend on flights to the Phils etc that a few quid on visas doesn't really matter, and they're worth it.

Yes. Its the same for ILR but even more money.

We were lucky as they only have one payment option here in IOM and it takes about 2 weeks. So we just paid the flat £1051 for ILR. But on the UK mainland it is another few hundred quid.

£1426 in fact for same day service for ILR

I have seen some Filipinas stuck on waiting on FLR for months and months and months, not being able to work, using the slower postal option and not the same day service. What they might have lost in fees they could easily have made up in earnings.

One of the reasons my wife's friends husband went for the more expensive option for FLR was that he needed his passport back for the oil industry and working abroad.

It's definitely worth doing the same-day service for the initial FLR. As John Ash says, your spouse can make up the extra money in earnings in that time. Postal applications can take as long as 6 months.

We did the same day, then appliad for an NI number a few days later. We got FLR in May 2013. She started work in September. If FLR had taken 6 months, and then the time scales were the same after that, then that's 6 months salary gone, but the extra charge is less than a month's salary.

Off topic, slightly, but Kay and I have realised that the arguments in favour of "marry first, then apply for a spouse visa" rather than "apply for a fiancee visa" are overwhelming.

Yes. Cheaper too. One less set of fees to the UKBA.