FLR Home Office Interview demand

Hi All

I hope this post is in the right place. So, my partner was an asylum seeker who entered legally, and we swapped that on to a spouse/partner visa. It was a complicated app, but we got great lawyers who submitted the app, and it was approved.

We have just applied for FLR. We are now married, we used the super priority service and the same lawyers,

The same day he did the biometrics, we got an email a few hours later saying we did not meet financial criteria ( savings route ), but we did, and it was clear we did then before we could reply to that to point out their error. We got a second email saying it may take longer to possess the app. We replied and pointed out their error.

Today, we received an email demanding that my partner and I come to an interview at the end of the month.

My lawyer has said this is highly unusual but not not unheard of, which sent my anxiety frw the roof.

The relationship is genuine as clear as day we run a business together, we go on holidays together, we have 2 homes as clear as day 6 years of banking transactions ref "kissies for my love" his name is not used so much as its hard to spell, and he does not really understand UK processes he is from a little village in an undeveloped county. ( Just go to their office and speak to the boss kind of thinking ). but he has stuff in his name and jointly but most is in my name

My assumption is that is for some reason they think it's not genuine it seems crazy not to do this on the first LR visa OR is there some other reason they call you in for interviews.

My question is, what sort of stuff do they ask? I am autistic and have ADHA. I am high functioning and not sociable, not good with being questioned. I look like a phsco and am loverly, but I look like a phsco when stressed more so The interview is in the north but my lawyer is very good but is in London it will cost thousands to have him attend the interview, We have a very good local later also but not immigration would be an idea to use the local one even tho he does not know immigration law.

Any help, advice, or tips on the questions, I would be very grateful. it is all so crazy and stressful we thought this would be a tick-box visa as it is FLR

FLR (M) interviews as your lawyer said are highly unusual so the reasons behind the request are likely to be considered serious by the Home Office.
Having a lawyer with you is pretty pointless as they are basically there to record the questions and answers only. They can not answer for you and if you refer to the lawyer before you reply that is usually treated negatively.

Hey thanks yes that is my reading of it i have seen on a different forum am not sure if am allowed to post the link but will post there update below

Someone who had an interview for their ILR that sounds very similar to my situation, and it was just basic questions about the relationship, which is stressful, but we should be fine. We spend every day together, and we work from home.

So if it is just that, we will be fine, I think, but it is stressful. We have the savings am not sure there is anything else it could possibly be going over the app.

"It went great actually. Was a remote interview in a place in Birmingham. They interviewed us separately and asked what I would classify as general knowledge questions about each other/the house where we live, which was easy. I got the approval email the next morning.

We never got any clarification on why they requested the interview. The actual interviewer was a professional interviewer and wasn't Home Office so that's still a mystery. Good bit is that it all went seamlessly. Bad bit was the stress, having to take a day off work, and the cost of fuel driving up to Birmingham.

Example questions which they asked both of us:

What colour is the carpet in your bedroom?
What's in your back garden?
What are his parents names? Have you met them?
Same with siblings.
How did you meet?
Who is older?
Who proposed to who and how?
What's his favourite food?
What common interests do you have?
What makes him angry?
Any future plans?

As I went first the interviewer did try to catch him out on small details in his questioning (he proposed over text and the interviewer asked "so how did you propose, over the phone?). But obviously we know our life so that was to no avail.

Thank you for asking, I appreciate you thinking of me/us."

In the bad old days of Immigration Enforcement, visits to the homes of suspect sham marriages applicants were referred to as "toothbrush visits"
Check the bathroom - one toothbrush... one only person living here... sham marriage interview. Same for only clothes in the wardrobe from one party to the marriage...

The interview has almost certainly been sparked by something they don't like in the paperwork submitted. As you say his name not appearing in standard form on the banking, having two houses will raise a red flag (it is a not well done you, but more of a why... and are you just really living apart?), running a business together is great but they think - cheap labour in return for visa and so the perverse thinking does on.

Be prepared for strange questions about mundane things. These interviews can be more slanted to proving the negative rather than gathering information to support the positive. There is no need to rehearse answers - just agree to be bluntly honest in the answers given and if you can't remember - say so and please do not give an answer to fill the empty void.

If your partners English is not good they will probably poke and prod at how he passed his SELT and will not be offering a translation service.

Good luck

Thanks for the tips. I very much appreciate them. I am sure we will be fine. Even if not, we have the funds to fight them until the end, and it is real, so we will win. It just grates me that it is all money and time and stress, and most people do not have the money or time to fight them.

the poor get abused and the rich buy there justice its sick really

Frontier Mole wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 19, 2024 1:29 pm

In the bad old days of Immigration Enforcement, visits to the homes of suspect sham marriages applicants were referred to as "toothbrush visits"
Check the bathroom - one toothbrush... one only person living here... sham marriage interview. Same for only clothes in the wardrobe from one party to the marriage...

The interview has almost certainly been sparked by something they don't like in the paperwork submitted. As you say his name not appearing in standard form on the banking, having two houses will raise a red flag (it is a not well done you, but more of a why... and are you just really living apart?), running a business together is great but they think - cheap labour in return for visa and so the perverse thinking does on.

Be prepared for strange questions about mundane things. These interviews can be more slanted to proving the negative rather than gathering information to support the positive. There is no need to rehearse answers - just agree to be bluntly honest in the answers given and if you can't remember - say so and please do not give an answer to fill the empty void.

If your partners English is not good they will probably poke and prod at how he passed his SELT and will not be offering a translation service.

Good luck

Thanks for the tips. I very much appreciate them. I am sure we will be fine. Even if not, we have the funds to fight them until the end, and it is real, so we will win. It just grates me that it is all money and time and stress, and most people do not have the money or time to fight them.

the poor get abused and the rich buy there justice its sick really

Frontier Mole wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 19, 2024 1:29 pm

In the bad old days of Immigration Enforcement, visits to the homes of suspect sham marriages applicants were referred to as "toothbrush visits"
Check the bathroom - one toothbrush... one only person living here... sham marriage interview. Same for only clothes in the wardrobe from one party to the marriage...

The interview has almost certainly been sparked by something they don't like in the paperwork submitted. As you say his name not appearing in standard form on the banking, having two houses will raise a red flag (it is a not well done you, but more of a why... and are you just really living apart?), running a business together is great but they think - cheap labour in return for visa and so the perverse thinking does on.

Be prepared for strange questions about mundane things. These interviews can be more slanted to proving the negative rather than gathering information to support the positive. There is no need to rehearse answers - just agree to be bluntly honest in the answers given and if you can't remember - say so and please do not give an answer to fill the empty void.

If your partners English is not good they will probably poke and prod at how he passed his SELT and will not be offering a translation service.

Good luck

Just to update this to assist anyone in a similar situation. This was a relationship interview very, very strange. They did it for the FLR(M), but it might be because the first visa was issued over covid and was very complex and we are guessing if it was not for covid they would have done the interview on the first visa and they wanted to confirm it all on the renewal

We smashed the interview very simple if in a genuine relationship