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My 2nd FLR(M) Granted!

Discussion in 'UK Visa and Immigration Help' started by Brom27, Oct 14, 2019.

  1. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I want to share my experience on getting my 2nd FLR(M) successfully.

    Here’s my timeline:
    October 8: Submitted and paid online application
    October 12: Biometrics Appointment
    October 14: Got the email saying application was granted.

    My current FLR(M) expires on the 5th of November so I applied exactly 28 days before my visa runs out.

    Everything has changed since I last did my first FLR application. Everything is now done online and supporting documents are scanned and submitted online as well. Some of you will find this easy and more straightforward while others might find this stressful and I am on the latter one.

    So when filling out the application form online you can start this weeks before you are eligible to apply. I did the online application weeks prior to submitting it. You have the option to go back and amend your answers. Just remember to sign in every now and again up until the time you submit the application and pay for the appointment. The form will generate a rough checklist (at the end) of documents that you need to submit based on your answers.

    When time has come for you to apply you can submit and pay for your application. Make sure you go through your answers and make sure they’re right coz once you pay for the application it will lock in your answers and you won’t be able to edit it anymore. I went through my application countless times before submitting it.

    We chose to pay for the ‘super priority application’ which is another £800 coz I haven’t got the patience to wait for weeks for a decision. When you pay for the application you will be directed to pay for the IHS (which is £1000) and then gives you a link so you can book an in-person appointment for your biometrics. The biometrics are done by a third party company called the Sopra Steria and they have a number of service points across the UK. My nearest service point is Hull and Sheffield but they haven’t got an available appointment for the next two weeks so I paid £100 to get a weekend appointment in Glasgow and only 4 days away after I submitted my application. Appointments are free but the free appointments are always booked up well in advance so if you are willing to wait then that’s up to you. You can pay extra fee for an out of hours appointment and a weekend appointment. Once you book the appointment, you will get a QR code which you need to take to your appointment.

    Uploading documents on Sopra Steria website:
    So the website says they allow documents to be in PDF, JPEG and PNG format, I have mine all in PDF format. They require each file to be under 6MB, you won’t be able to upload documents that are bigger than 6MB as it will not allow you, you will just get an error message. They recommend scanning in black and white to reduce the file size so all my documents are scanned in black and white. So all the documents need to be uploaded in different categories and this for me is the confusing part as there is only little guidance as to which documents you should put in the categories but they are labelled as ‘MANDATORY’ and ‘OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS’. A lot of the so-called optional documents are vital for your application so I don’t understand why UKVI labeled this as optional. I will show you how I organised mine and will put pictures with this post so you can all see.

    (Just a tip: You can start scanning all your documents and save it on your computer so you don’t have to be scanning your documents all in one go.)

    MANDATORY DOCUMENTS:

    Proof of Identity / Travel History
    * Sponsors passport biopage
    *Sponsors passport stamps
    *Applicants BRP

    Proof of Application
    *Applicants passport biopage
    *Applicants Passport Stamps
    *Applicants consent letter
    *Spouse declaration letter
    *Joint-owner declaration letter
    (You will get a link to get these letters and print it off then sign it and scan it, these are very important)
    I also included:
    *Application Payment Confirmation
    *IHS payment confirmation

    OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS

    Other
    *Applicant Visit Visa Refusal Letter
    *Applicant cover letter

    Residence in the UK
    *10 joint correspondence
    *Latest council tax bill
    *Mortgage statement
    *House Land Registry

    Finances
    *This is where I uploaded all my partners bank statements and the rest of evidence to meet the financial requirement

    Proof of Business
    *This is empty

    Life Events
    *Marriage Certificate
    *Divorce Certificate from Sponsor

    Medical Information
    *This is empty

    Sponsors/Employment
    *This is where I put my bank statements, payslips, COE, contract and P60

    Educational
    *IELTS Life Skills B1 Certificate

    So those are all the documents I uploaded. I actually ended up uploading 110 files all together. There is no limit to the number of files you can upload. It just needs to be under 6MB per file.

    On the day of your appointment you are advised to bring all the original documents with you just in case something needs to be scanned again. I brought all my documents with me but in the end I only needed my passport and the QR code that you need to print out. We attended our appointment in Glasgow service centre, my appointment is for 11 am but we actually got there an hour early but we were attended straight away. It wasn’t busy that day at all and the staff were ever so friendly. They will take your fingerprint and your picture. They will ask if you have anything more to add on your application that needs scanning and then they will tell you that they will submit your application to UKVI. I was in and out of the building in 15 minutes.

    I hope you guys find this post helpful. I advise you all to do your own research as well as to what documents you need as at the end of the day you are responsible for your application, not someone else.
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  2. ChrisTina
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    ChrisTina Member

    Well done! Amazing news for you.
    Wish I was as organised, left it late this time and seriously regretting it now
  3. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Thank you. :)
    I don’t want to mess about with something as serious as this one so I need to be really organised.
  4. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Congratulation Glenn!
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  5. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Thank you :cat:
  6. ChrisTina
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    ChrisTina Member

    How did you manage the same requests for info such as
    • Items of correspondence addressed to ....... and ........ at the same address as evidence you have been living together since your last grant of leave in this category, or from the date you first started living together, covering the last 2 years
    • Evidence of monthly housing costs for the accommodation in the UK where you live or will live
    Seems like it is the same evidence?

    We scan after it is all paid for? Which means we cannot alter the form itself?
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2019
  7. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I remembered they asked on the online form how much we pay on our mortgage so we put the amount on there and we included mortgage statement for evidence of monthly housing costs.

    You can start uploading files on the sopra steria website after you paid yes. Once application is paid for you will not be able to edit your answers anymore so make sure you go through the application before paying.
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  8. deanobeano
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    deanobeano Active Member

    Congratulations on your good news.
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  9. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Thank you :)
  10. Iainchelle
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    Iainchelle Active Member

    congratulations @Brom27:), just a quick question upon booking for biometric is there option to avail extra service for scanning right? so i’ll just bring all my documents with me on the day of my bio and UKVCAS staff will scan infront of me.
  11. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Thank you. Yes you do have the option to have it scanned there for £45. Just curious, are you unable to scan it at home? I think it’s much better if you can scan it yourself you can have the peace of mind then that everything is uploaded on the website.
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  12. Iainchelle
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    Iainchelle Active Member

    i honestly don’t have confidence cause some people in other group says the site kept crashing from time to time, and some upload docs disappeared itself so they had to upload them again and again. i’ll see if i can scan and upload it smoothly. im so happy and jealous of you :lol: you can breath and relax for now, mine is due in 6 months. thanks for this post and advice :)
  13. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I didn’t have any problems at all when I was scanning and uploading on their website. One advantage of scanning it yourself is you can keep track of it and you can always check which doc was uploaded and which one wasn’t. Yeah I can relax for 2 and a half years for now but my stress levels before applying was through the roof :D I’m sure you’ll be fine though. ;)
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  14. Talbot
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    Talbot Member

    Congratulations to you both.

    This forum has helped me so much..
    My wife came to live in UK July 2018, so in 12ths time I will be applying for the same (2nd ILR)....I guess it all costs similar to my 1st application.

    Does anyone explain the process after the 2nd ILR expires.. is there similar costs involved.
    I think we all keep an army of Civil Servants in employment...but it's worth it be have my beautiful wife here.
  15. JoshuaTree
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    JoshuaTree Active Member

    Belated congratulations Brom and many thanks for taking the time to post this write-up, very helpful :like:
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  16. janey
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    janey Member

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  17. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Thank you and happy to help :like:
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  18. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Thank you :)
  19. emz
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    emz Active Member

    congratulations @Brom27 and thank you for the information.
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  20. Talbot
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    Talbot Member

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