FLR (M) is the Home Office application to extend your stay in the UK as the partner or dependent child of a British citizen, a settled person or a person with protection status. It is the extension used on the five-year family route: most applicants make it after their first 30 months as a partner, and a successful application gives a further 30 months, after which you can apply for settlement.
The application is decided against the requirements of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules: a genuine relationship, the financial requirement, adequate accommodation and English language. The rules apply at the date of the extension, not the date you first came, so a change in income, address or relationship since your last grant needs to be dealt with in the evidence.
Sterling Law’s immigration solicitors check that you meet every requirement before anything is filed, prepare the evidence to the standard Appendix FM-SE specifies, and advise on the alternatives if you do not.
FLR (M) at a glance
| Key fact | Position on 28 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | partners and dependent children of British citizens, settled persons and people with protection status, on the five-year route |
| Home Office fee | £1,407 per applicant, including each child, from 8 April 2026 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £2,587.50 per adult and £1,940 per child for 30 months |
| Processing time | usually within 8 weeks if you meet the financial and English requirements |
| Faster decision | super priority (£1,000 per applicant) may be offered at a UKVCAS appointment |
| Permission granted | 30 months |
| Settlement | after 60 months on the five-year route; English B1, rising to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027, plus the Life in the UK test |
| Proof of status | eVisa in your UKVI account |
Who applies on form FLR (M)?
Use form FLR (M) if you are in the UK as a partner and your partner is:
- a British citizen in the UK;
- present and settled in the UK;
- in the UK with protection status;
- in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU, where the relationship qualifies under the Rules;
- in the UK with permission as a worker or business person under Appendix ECAA, or with permission as a stateless person.
Your dependent children under 18 can be included. If you cannot meet the requirements of the five-year route, the ten-year route uses a different form, FLR (FP). Our Further Leave to Remain guide compares every form, and our spouse visa extension page walks through the extension step by step.
Relationship requirements
You and your partner must both be aged 18 or over, must have met in person, and must be in a genuine and subsisting relationship. A marriage or civil partnership must be valid, and any previous relationship of either of you must have broken down permanently. You must intend to live together permanently in the UK and, for an extension, show that you have lived together since your last grant, or that there is a good reason consistent with that intention for any time apart.
Financial requirement
If your first application on the route was made on or after 11 April 2024, or you are now applying with a new partner, you must show a combined gross annual income of at least £29,000. There is no extra amount for children. The income can come from employment or self-employment of your partner, your own employment or self-employment if you are allowed to work, pensions, maternity allowance or bereavement benefits, and other specified income such as rental income or dividends.
If your income is below the threshold, cash savings above £16,000 can make up the shortfall: you need £16,000 plus two and a half times the shortfall. If your British or settled partner receives certain disability or carer’s benefits, you need to show adequate maintenance instead of the income threshold.
If your first successful application as a partner or fiancé(e) was made before 11 April 2024 and you are extending with the same partner, the transitional threshold still applies: £18,600, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child who is not British or settled. Our guide to the spouse visa financial requirement covers the evidence for each source of income.
Accommodation requirement
You must show that there will be adequate accommodation for your family, without recourse to public funds, which you own or occupy exclusively. Accommodation is not adequate if it is, or will be, overcrowded, or if it contravenes public health regulations. Other family members who live in the same household count when overcrowding is assessed.
English language requirement
If you met the English language requirement at your first grant with an A1 test, you now need an approved speaking and listening test at level A2. You do not need a test if you are a national of a majority English speaking country, have a degree taught in English that meets the Rules, or qualify for an exemption. Our page on the English language requirement lists the approved tests and exemptions.
FLR (M) fees and costs
The Home Office fee is £1,407 per applicant, including each dependent child, from 8 April 2026. Each applicant also pays the Immigration Health Surcharge for the 30 months: £1,035 a year for adults and £776 a year for children.
| Cost at 2026 fees | Adult | Child under 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Home Office fee | £1,407 | £1,407 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge for 30 months | £2,587.50 | £1,940 |
| Total for one 30-month extension | £3,994.50 | £3,347 |
| Super priority, if offered | £1,000 | £1,000 |
Fees usually change every April. Check the current figures on our UK visa fees page or on GOV.UK before you pay.
Documents for an FLR (M) application
| What you prove | Typical evidence |
|---|---|
| Relationship | marriage or civil partnership certificate; evidence that you have lived together since your last grant, such as tenancy or mortgage documents, council tax, joint bills and bank statements addressed to you both |
| Income | payslips, bank statements, employer letters, P60s or self-assessment records, in the form and for the periods Appendix FM-SE specifies |
| Savings | bank statements showing the funds have been held for the required period |
| Accommodation | tenancy agreement or title deeds and, where needed, a property inspection report |
| English language | an approved A2 speaking and listening test certificate, or evidence of an exemption |
| Identity | your passport and your current eVisa details |
Evidence of income must follow Appendix FM-SE precisely: the wrong period of payslips or a missing employer letter is a common reason for refusal even where the income is there.
How to apply and how long it takes
The application is made online on GOV.UK. After paying the fee and the surcharge, you prove your identity, usually at a UKVCAS appointment, and upload your documents. If you meet the financial and English language requirements, the Home Office usually decides within 8 weeks. The super priority service, which aims for a decision by the end of the next working day, may be offered at your UKVCAS appointment for £1,000 per applicant.
Apply before your current permission expires. If you do, your existing permission continues on the same conditions while the application is decided, under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. Do not travel outside the Common Travel Area while the application is pending: leaving normally means it is treated as withdrawn. If the application is granted, your permission is recorded as an eVisa in your UKVI account.
If you cannot meet the requirements
If you cannot meet the income or English language requirements at the date of the extension, you may still be able to stay on the ten-year route with form FLR (FP), where there are insurmountable obstacles to your family life continuing outside the UK or refusal would have unjustifiably harsh consequences. Time on the ten-year route does not count towards the five years, so the choice of route should be made carefully.
If your relationship has ended because of domestic abuse, you may be able to settle on the domestic abuse route instead. If the relationship has ended for other reasons, read our guide to staying in the UK after divorce.
From FLR (M) to indefinite leave to remain
After 60 months on the five-year route, counting time on your entry clearance and your extension, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain as a partner, provided you still meet the relationship, financial and accommodation requirements. You also need English at level B1, or B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027, and the Life in the UK test. If the English or Life in the UK requirement is the only one you do not meet, the Home Office grants a further 30 months instead of settlement.
If your FLR (M) application is refused
Applications under Appendix FM are human rights applications, so the starting point is a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, unless the claim is certified as clearly unfounded or you still hold other permission to stay when the decision is made. From inside the UK you have 14 days from receiving the decision letter to appeal. The tribunal fee is £82 for a decision without a hearing and £144 with a hearing. A fresh application is sometimes the better option; compare both with a solicitor before the deadline passes.
How Sterling Law can help
Our immigration solicitors handle FLR (M) extensions from the first check to settlement:
- checking the financial requirement, including the transitional threshold, savings and mixed sources of income;
- preparing income evidence to the Appendix FM-SE standard;
- accommodation and English language evidence, and exemptions;
- advising on the ten-year route with FLR (FP) where the five-year requirements cannot be met;
- refusals and appeals to the First-tier Tribunal;
- settlement at the end of the route.
Recent results include a spouse visa extension under the new financial requirements and a spouse visa extension based on savings.
Speak to our immigration solicitors
Tell us when your permission expires, your current income and your household. We will confirm whether you meet the FLR (M) requirements, what evidence you need and the best route if you do not.
FAQ about FLR (M)
1. What is FLR (M)?
FLR (M) is the Home Office application to extend your stay in the UK as the partner or dependent child of a British citizen, a settled person or a person with protection status, on the five-year route to settlement. It is made online from inside the UK, usually after your first 30 months as a partner.
2. How much does FLR (M) cost?
The Home Office fee is £1,407 per applicant from 8 April 2026. You also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge: £2,587.50 per adult and £1,940 per child for a 30-month grant.
3. How long does an FLR (M) application take?
If you meet the financial and English language requirements, the Home Office usually decides within 8 weeks. The super priority service, which aims for a decision by the end of the next working day, may be offered at a UKVCAS appointment for £1,000 per applicant.
4. What is the financial requirement for FLR (M)?
Most partners must show a combined gross annual income of at least £29,000, or savings, or adequate maintenance if the British or settled partner receives certain disability or carer’s benefits. If your first successful application on the route was made before 11 April 2024 and you are extending with the same partner, the transitional threshold of £18,600, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child, applies.
5. What English level do I need for FLR (M)?
If you met the requirement at your first grant with an A1 test, you need an approved speaking and listening test at level A2 when you extend after 30 months, unless you are exempt, for example as a national of a majority English speaking country or with a degree taught in English.
6. What if I cannot meet the FLR (M) requirements?
If you cannot meet the income or English requirements, you may still be able to extend on the ten-year route with form FLR (FP), where there are insurmountable obstacles to family life outside the UK or refusal would be unjustifiably harsh.
