Visa Extension For Spouse On 10 Year Route

Hi there. I was hoping you wonderfully people can answer some questions for me. My wife's visa renewal is due 3rd April 2024. We have all the paperwork in electronic format and are in the process of filling the form which should be done by end of tomorrow hopefully. Can I quickly get confirmation, is it the FLR (FP) form I need to fill?

Secondly, she arrived in UK in October 2015 and on our 1st renewal we applied on the FLR (M) 5 year route but due to some paperwork being incomplete even though earnings were above £18,600 we were told on our renewal letter that they are putting us on the FLR (FP) route. Since then we have renewed again on the FLR (FP) route and now we need to do so once more.

My question is will her 10 Year residency in the UK complete in October 2025 or will it be after this date (because when you initially apply when your spouse is another country it's just called a spouse visa and there is no such thing as a 5year or 10 year route at that time if I am correct)? And if so does she need to pay IHS fee for the duration up to October 2025 or for the full 2 year and 6 months. After this time we are looking to apply for ILR.

I do not wish to be overpaying with the cost of living crisis looking for so long. NB- we have 3 beautiful children born the UK if that helps with any questions being answered

Any answers are most welcome

Flr FP is correct

You have to pay IHS for duration of the visa, ie 2.5 years. You cannot choose to pay less.

Thank you for your response. But from the time the visa needs to be renewed (April 2024) till when her 10 years in the UK completes (Oct 2025) there is a timeframe of 1.5 years so if I have no choice but to pay IHS fee for 2.5 years then am I not due a refund?

Secondly with the info I have given in my 1st message can she apply for ILR from Oct 2025 or do we have to wait for a later date. Many thanks

Ilr is not a mandatory application at exactly the qualifying period, it can ne applied fpr later before visa expiry. When a person qualifies for ilr sooner than the visa duration, it is irrlevant to the IHS fee you have to pay when applying for an extenaion. They are two separate things.

You dont get an ihs refund if applying for ilr either. This is clealry stated on the ukvi ihs website.

She can apply for ilr when she meets the 10 year legal stay requirments.

Ok. But can she apply for ILR in October 2025 as it will have been 10 years continuous stay in the UK? I don't want to delay doing this as I can only imagine UK immigration laws getting more stricter in the future and so want to do this asap.

Please advise on dates so I can mentally prepare myself for what I need to do in the coming years. Many thanks once again.