UK Spouse Visa Extension: FLR(M) Requirements, Cost and Process in 2026
What is a UK Spouse Visa Extension?
- You apply from inside the UK before your current leave expires, and your existing status continues while you wait.
- A successful extension grants a further 30 months, taking you to the five years needed for settlement.
Are you eligible to extend?
You are likely eligible if:
- You are still in a genuine relationship and have lived together in the UK since your last grant
- Your sponsor, or the two of you combined, can meet the income threshold that applies to you
- You hold an English qualification at CEFR A2 or above
- Your accommodation is adequate, not overcrowded, and you do not rely on public funds
- You are applying before your current leave expires, and within 28 days of that date
This may need advice first if:
- Your relationship has ended, which changes the route rather than closing every door
- You are on the ten-year route, where the rules and the timeline both differ
- You have not lived together in the UK since your last grant was issued
- You are an unmarried partner without two years of cohabitation evidence
- Your current leave has already expired, which needs advice before you apply
What you will need to apply
Your digital status
Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. Your status is now digital, held in your UKVI account. You will have to check that your account details are up to date before you apply.
Immigration history
Your immigration history is checked, and a short overstay is not automatically fatal. Breaches are weighed against the circumstances that caused them. Tell us early if there is anything on your record.
Accommodation
Adequate accommodation means having a suitable place to live without overcrowding under the Housing Act 1985. You can usually prove this with a tenancy agreement, mortgage statement, or letter from your landlord.
English language
English at CEFR A2 is a step up from the A1. An approved test, a degree taught in English, or a qualification recognised by ECCTIS will satisfy it. Book your test early, as available slots can fill up quickly.
Financial evidence
Your income must be evidenced in the format required by Appendix FM-SE. This typically includes payslips, matching bank statements, and an employer letter covering the required period. At the extension stage, your own UK income can count alongside your sponsor's.
Relationship evidence
The Home Office needs to see that your relationship is genuine and subsisting. Provide correspondence addressed to you both, spread evenly across the 30 months since your last grant. Six joint documents from at least three different sources is the usual benchmark.
How do you apply for a spouse visa extension?
Work out which income threshold applies to you, because it decides everything that follows. We check this first on every extension.
Complete the FLR(M) form online. It asks about your relationship, your finances, your accommodation, and your immigration history.
Pay the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. The surcharge covers the full 30 months and is paid upfront.
Upload your evidence and give your biometrics at a UKVCAS service point.
Standard processing takes about 8 weeks, and priority is usually available for an extra fee.
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Cost Breakdown
In our clients' own words.
"This is the second time AY&J has helped us with a visa application. Words cannot express our gratitude for all her help and professionalism."
“After our ILR rejection, AY&J pursued our case through Administrative Review and Judicial Review. The team was open, honest, knowledgeable and attentive to every detail. They kept us informed at every stage, supported us throughout an extremely difficult journey and helped us regain confidence in our case.”
Frequently Asked Questions
If it goes wrong
Your leave lapses, and you become an overstayer. Apply as soon as you can, because a short delay is treated differently from a long one.
If it goes wrong
Speak to a solicitor before you do anything else. A relationship breakdown changes the route, and there may be options depending on your circumstances.
If it goes wrong
It can be. Article 8 protects your right to family life, and a refusal that breaks up a family may be disproportionate.
If it goes wrong
Yes, in most cases, you will have a right of appeal. Act quickly, because the deadline runs from the date of the decision.
If it goes wrong
Financial evidence, more often than anything else. In many cases, the income met the requirement, but the supporting documents were not provided in the required format.
Applying
Yes. Children already in the UK as your dependants are added to the same application, and there is a fee for each dependant.
Applying
They stopped being issued at the end of 2024. Your immigration status is now digital and held in your UKVI account.
Applying
A spouse visa extension usually takes about 8 weeks under the standard service. A priority decision is available for an extra fee.
Applying
CEFR A2, which is one level up from the A1 you sat for your first visa. A degree taught in English can also satisfy it.
Applying
Six joint documents from at least three sources, spread evenly across the 30 months. Twelve individual documents will also work.
Financial evidence
Only if you are on the £18,600 transitional threshold. Under £29,000, there is no child element, regardless of the number of children.
Financial evidence
About £88,500 if you are relying on savings alone. Savings can also be combined with income to make up any shortfall.
Financial evidence
Yes. The spouse visa extension financial requirement lets your own UK income count alongside your sponsor's. This often makes the threshold easier to meet.
Financial evidence
No. That rise was paused and never came into force. For anyone entering the route after April 2024, £29,000 remains the figure.
Financial evidence
It depends on when you first applied. Before 11 April 2024, it was £18,600, and on or after that date, it was £29,000.
The basics
No. Extensions are made from inside the UK on form FLR(M), so leaving would put you on a different route.
The basics
It takes you five years on the partner route. That is the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain, and citizenship follows a year later.
The basics
Yes. Your relationship, finances, English, and accommodation are tested again, so a spouse visa extension is a fresh application.
The basics
Up to 28 days before your current leave expires. Apply within that window, and your existing status will remain while the decision is being made.
The basics
A spouse visa extension is a second grant of 30 months on the five year partner route. You apply on form FLR(M) from inside the UK.
Spouse Visa Extension Insights
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