Our FLR(M) experience at the UKVI office in Liverpool

As some of you will be aware, we tied the knot last Saturday closely followed by our first FLR application.

I would like to share my experience and also a list of documents we submitted. Note that the paperwork will differ slightly as the loved one had been married before and has been through the annulment process back in the Philippines.

Booking online for the premium service

We decided to go for the premium service which can be booked online using the link below;

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

You can also use the above link to navigate and find the latest FLR form required. Note that you have to create an account to access the booking process and you will receive an automated email with a password. True to form it took us three times to access the site as the passwords sent were not recognised. After we finally accessed the booking page I was amazed that we could select any day of the week for the month of October, I don't know why but I was expecting to have to wait a few weeks at least. It is also worth mentioning at this point that you can choose three offices from the list of premium service centres nearest to your location in the UK, in our case the Liverpool office on Union street was the closest.

What to expect when you arrive at the UKVI office

Note that you are asked to report to the UKVI office thirty minutes before your appointment and take with you the booking confirmation and proof of online payment receipt. The reason they ask you to report early is because you have to go through airport type security on arrival at the office.

Application process

You will be asked to take a number and wait in the waiting room. Note that at the Liverpool office there is only one cold water dispenser and two bathrooms, none of the amenities that are stated on their official website.

We only had to wait five minutes before our number was called, a lady went through a checklist checking we had the correct FLR form, photos, passports and that the sponsor was present. After that we were asked to wait again. Five minutes later we were called to another desk where our passports were inspected and they took our application along with the copies we had supplied. After another few minutes wait the loved one had her biometrics done in another room. Thirty minutes wait later, we were called to another desk, FLR granted and you will receive your Biometric Residence Permit by courier which will have to be signed for on arrival by applicant in the next seven days. All done and dusted in less than two hours.

List of documents submitted

Note that the list below is a list of documents we submitted, other applicants documents may differ slightly depending on circumstance. A lot of the paperwork submitted is what we had submitted in the recent Fiancée visa application with financial and marriage updates.

FLR-M Documents (submitted on October 14, 2014)
2 photos of applicant
1 photo of sponsor
Passport of applicant and sponsor
NBI clearance (not a requirement see post # 18 below)
Birth certificates of applicant and sponsor
Marriage certificate
Bank statements – 6 months (current account)
Bank statement – Savings (not a requirement)
Pay slips – 6 months
P60 (latest) (not a requirement)
Correspondence for proof of address (3 joint, 9 of the sponsor, 7 of the applicant)
OTHERS:
Contract of employment (not a requirement)
HR letter stating employment status and latest salary (not a requirement)
Tenancy Agreement/Mortgage statement or land registry document
Description of accommodation including photos
Decree Absolute – sponsor
Entry of Judgement – Annulment (applicant) (Certified True Copy & DFA Authenticated)
NSO issued Advisory on Marriages (DFA Authenticated)
NSO issued Annotated Marriage Certificate (DFA Authenticated)
Photos taken on our wedding day (printed on A4 paper) (not a requirement)
Pearson Test Score Summary
Email confirmation stating Pearson Test Score Summary was sent to UKBA
UKNARIC Statement of Comparability for degrees obtained in the Philippines (not a requirement)

Note: Above are all original. Photocopies of each page were provided for easy processing. Where I have stated not a requirement the documents were provided for back up.

And while I remember, if you do go to Liverpool for the FLR then there is a fantastic Italian restaurant called San Carlo on Castle street near the UKVI office to celebrate, very expensive, very good food.

Hotels near UKVI office, Crowne Plaza, Thistle Atlantic Tower and Ibis hotel directly across from Albert Dock, a tourist attraction that your Filipina will love.

Did you have any wheels on the car when you got back to it?

Me and Mrs Ash did Liverpool a couple of years ago. We visited the Beatles Exhibition. Did some shopping in the new mall area. And the waterfront has been completely renovated. Looks impressive. We ate in an Asian Noodle Bar, but the name escapes me right now.

We also visited Anfield and did the Anfield stadium tour.

Indeed we did John its a good ending to the day when you get the FLR and still have wheels on your car in Liverpool.

Its certainly worth a night there when you are going for the FLR, plenty to see and do as you say.

Congrats on you both tying the knot, Timmers.
I wasn't aware of that.

Well done

Thanks Mike, all the stress is over now and we can look ahead

Yes, you can look ahead without the tampo's that most of us endure. You are lucky in this respect.

Yes I live in a tampo free bliss at the moment, I'm hoping it continues that way, but none of us can guarantee that

Cheers OSS, yes the new photo gave it away

Another one here that didn't realise you got hitched at the weekend, so congratulations to you both. hope you have a long happy life together

Cheers Stu

Thanks for that Timmers. NBI Clearance - is that required?

I don't think it is a requirement but on page 70 of the current FLR form there is a checklist of paperwork to be submitted, and on it is Police Registration Certificate so we decided to submit her NBI clearance just in case, it may just be required if you have had a run in with the law.

I have done a little research regarding the Police Registration Certificate and it is a requirement for Tier 4 student visas and some Nationalities. It is where the applicant for a visa has to report to a UK Police station on arrival to the UK to register that they are in the UK or something along those lines.

Apparently if you are required to register with the police on entry to the UK then it will be stamped in your passport when you get the visa overseas that you have to register with police within 7 days of entering the UK.

So it is not required for Filipinos who arrived in the UK on a Spouse or Fiancée visa who are applying for the FLR.

Ah ok. Thank you for clarifying. Never too early to start planning for the flr

You're right there young lady, sooner you have the FLR sooner you are on the five year route

When do you plan to marry Lisa?