FLR(M) - Questions about 1st Extension!!

[NeilJ]

Hello,

I have seen various FLR(M) extension posts but they are mostly addressed according to users scenarios.

So here is my scenario:

Q1: Proof of cohabitation for 2yrs?
We just have council tax bill on joint name(s) as my partners name was put on automatically by council when i removed the single person discount in Nov 2017. So, presenting x4 jointly named documents and x2 individually addressed documents from different sources are out of question. However, each of us has more than "6 different sources" to prove cohabitation. Being a sponsor and British citizen i can prove mine without any issues but for my partner; she has the following sources since Nov-17 but how should we "evenly spread" them is a potential problem?

1. National Insurance Number (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
2. Driving License (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
3. Bank Statement (Can be spread evenly)
4. NHS Registration (How should we spread evenly as its one off)
5. GP Registration (Can be spread evenly/oddly by showing appointment letters)
6. Electrol Registration (How should we spread it evenly) as its one off)

7. Council Tax (in Joint names and we personally didn't want to use in order to avoid mixing different sources)
8. Maternity Exemption Certificate(s)
9. Car Insurance

Any advise on how should we evenly spread the first 6 sources would be helpful?

Q2: Secondly, spouse visa expiring Aug-2020, so we are planning on submitting the 1st renewal straight after completing the 30 Months period, NOT WITHIN 28 days before completing the 30 Months period, NOR 28 days before visa expiring. So hopefully shouldn't be a problem?

Q3: Thirdly, Being a sponsor; the way am proving cohabitation is by evenly presenting "6 different document" by writing a covering letter. (1. Credit Card Bill, 2. Bank Statement, 3. Water Bill, 4. Gas Bill, 5. Electric Bill, 6. TV License) all of them goes out via direct debits so they all would be in a bank statement. So summarising and explaining them in a cover letter and attaching "x2 bills of each source (6 months apart, can do 4 months too)" to cover the 2yrs period since we started living together in Nov 2017. Hopefully that would satisfy the case worker? Is that make sense or have i got completely the wrong end of the stick?

Appreciate the response.

Thanks

[seagul]

1. All of the documents you listed will be acceptable because they are from at least 3 sources but they must cover the last 2 years with even gaps like 3-4 months.

2. Your choice but preferably unless the immigration rules/personal circumstances are not going to change the exension should be applied very close to expiry to minimize the every single chance of shortfall towards qualifying period to ILR.

3. No need of covering letter if 6/12 documents are covering the last 2 years.

[NeilJ]

Thanks for your response Seagul.

1. Understand that but it invites the question "HOW" should we spread these resources evenly (ref 1,2,4,6) as most of the sources don't do regular correspondence unless change of circumstances (like address change etc). Any suggestion would be appreciated?

2. Understood

3. Understood

[seagul]

Thanks for your response Seagul.

1. Understand that but it invites the question "HOW" should we spread these resources evenly (ref 1,2,4,6) as most of the sources don't do regular correspondence unless change of circumstances (like address change etc). Any suggestion would be appreciated?

If an evidence from one source is dated lets say 3 months ago then now you can use the evidence from different source and so on. A lot of evidences generated once a year like council tax, water bill, tenancy agreement etc but you can add other evidence from other sources in between.

[NeilJ]

I understand the pattern here which perfectly make sense for Sponsor (myself) to prove the cohabitation. However, the same pattern doesn't work for my partner as she only got 2 sources (Bank Statement & GP Registration) that she can evenly present to cover the 2yrs period; rest of of the sources hardly do any correspondence (Electrol, DVLA and NI). So, if you could just keep my partner's sources in mind and advise how should we evenly present them that would be great; UNLESS if only one of us had to prove the cohabitation. Remember we aren't using sources on joint names as we haven't got four of them.

[seagul]

I understand the pattern here which perfectly make sense for Sponsor (myself) to prove the cohabitation. However, the same pattern doesn't work for my partner as she only got 2 sources (Bank Statement & GP Registration) that she can evenly present to cover the 2yrs period; rest of of the sources hardly do any correspondence (Electrol, DVLA and NI). So, if you could just keep my partner's sources in mind and advise how should we evenly present them that would be great; UNLESS if only one of us had to prove the cohabitation. Remember we aren't using sources on joint names as we haven't got four of them.

There are several kind of correspondences which almost everyone receive and the same can also meet the requirement such as dvla, hmrc notification, car insurance, voter letter, Nino letter, hospital letters, mobile bill, p60/p45 or anything etc. If you both getting individually addressed letters then they aren't needed to be exactly under same dates as long as evenly spread by 3-4 months (maybe here you are confused).

[NeilJ]

Well, am totally with you Seagul but my partners have very limited sources. I have highlighted them below again with an explanation and these are the ONLY sources my partners can use.

So from Nov-2017:

1. National Insurance Number (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
No correspondence since March 2018 when the NiNo was first issued.

2. Driving License (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
No correspondence since Dec 2017 when the prov. license was issued.

3. Bank Statement (Can be spread evenly)
Can be spread from Dec 2017

4. NHS Registration (How should we spread evenly as its one off)
Can be spread from Dec 2017 as some of her appointment letters came from NHS.

5. GP Registration (Can be spread evenly/oddly by showing appointment letters)
Can be spread from Dec 2017

6. Electrol Registration (How should we spread it evenly) as its one off)
Can only be spread year apart when council sends letters out to confirm the number of residents nearer to the elections.

So based on above it covers 4 sources but she needs 6.

[NeilJ]

Well, am totally with you Seagul but my partners have very limited sources. I have highlighted them below again with an explanation and these are the ONLY sources my partners can use.

So from Nov-2017:

1. National Insurance Number (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
No correspondence since March 2018 when the NiNo was first issued.

2. Driving License (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
No correspondence since Dec 2017 when the prov. license was issued. However, she has passed theory test and attempted practical test few times, so we got correspondence from DSA. So this can be used as well.

3. Bank Statement (Can be spread evenly)
Can be spread from Dec 2017

4. NHS Registration (How should we spread evenly as its one off)
Can be spread from Dec 2017 as some of her appointment letters came from NHS.

5. GP Registration (Can be spread evenly/oddly by showing appointment letters)
Can be spread from Dec 2017

6. Electrol Registration (How should we spread it evenly) as its one off)
Can only be spread year apart when council sends letters out to confirm the number of residents nearer to the elections.

So based on above it covers 5 sources but she needs 6. one more, one more!!

[seagul]

Well, am totally with you Seagul but my partners have very limited sources. I have highlighted them below again with an explanation and these are the ONLY sources my partners can use.

So from Nov-2017:

1. National Insurance Number (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
No correspondence since March 2018 when the NiNo was first issued.

2. Driving License (How should we spread it evenly as its one off)
No correspondence since Dec 2017 when the prov. license was issued. However, she has passed theory test and attempted practical test few times, so we got correspondence from DSA. So this can be used as well.

3. Bank Statement (Can be spread evenly)
Can be spread from Dec 2017

4. NHS Registration (How should we spread evenly as its one off)
Can be spread from Dec 2017 as some of her appointment letters came from NHS.

5. GP Registration (Can be spread evenly/oddly by showing appointment letters)
Can be spread from Dec 2017

6. Electrol Registration (How should we spread it evenly) as its one off)
Can only be spread year apart when council sends letters out to confirm the number of residents nearer to the elections.

So based on above it covers 5 sources but she needs 6. one more, one more!!

Each evidence can covers at least 3-4 months and then another evidence can cover next 3-4 months and so on. For example national insurance letter dated Nov 2017 then Driving licence dated Feb 2018 then bank statements dated May 2018, GP letter dated Aug 2018 and so on. Not evidences from each source need to cover the whole period of 2 years.

[NeilJ]

Great! Thanks Seagul. So in summary; minimum 6 evidence spread evenly (4 months apart) covering 2yrs period since we started cohabiting.

Here's to conclude my scenario; So from Nov 2017:

1. DVLA - Dec 2017 (Exactly Dated Document)
2. NiNo - Mar 2018 (Exactly Dated Document; from here onwards end month not included etc Mar 2018)
3. Bank Statement - Aug 2018 (April 2018 to July 2018 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from Aug 2018)
4. NHS Letter - Jan 2019 (Sep 2018 to Dec 2018 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from Jan 2019)
5. GP Letter - June 2019 (Feb 2019 to May 2019 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from June 2019)
6. Electrol - Nov 2019 (Jul 2019 to Oct 2019 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from Nov 2019)

Then

Applying for 1st extension Jun 2020 (Expiring start of Aug 2020)

That covers Nov-2017 to Nov-2019. I can cover the remaining period from Dec 2019 till run up to the application submission by attaching another source (car insurance) but think that would be unnecessary as we only need to prove 2yrs cohabitation since we started living together as per FLR(M) guidance notes.

[seagul]

Great! Thanks Seagul. So in summary; minimum 6 evidence spread evenly (4 months apart) covering 2yrs period since we started cohabiting.

Here's to conclude my scenario; So from Nov 2017:

1. DVLA - Dec 2017 (Exactly Dated Document)
2. NiNo - Mar 2018 (Exactly Dated Document; from here onwards end month not included etc Mar 2018)
3. Bank Statement - Aug 2018 (April 2018 to July 2018 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from Aug 2018)
4. NHS Letter - Jan 2019 (Sep 2018 to Dec 2018 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from Jan 2019)
5. GP Letter - June 2019 (Feb 2019 to May 2019 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from June 2019)
6. Electrol - Nov 2019 (Jul 2019 to Oct 2019 = Exact 4 months, hence evidence from Nov 2019)

Then

Applying for 1st extension Jun 2020 (Expiring start of Aug 2020)

That covers Nov-2017 to Nov-2019. I can cover the remaining period from Dec 2019 till run up to the application submission by attaching another source (car insurance) but think that would be unnecessary as we only need to prove 2yrs cohabitation since we started living together as per FLR(M) guidance notes.

Sources seems fine. But if you intend to apply in June 2020 then you will need the evidences from June 2018 - June 2020 for which you still have sufficient time to prepare & organize. Also unless the immigration rules/personal circumstances are not changing the extension should be applied very close to expiry to avail the maximum length of visa to avoid any single chance of shortfall in qualifying time for ILR.

[NeilJ]

Understood! Thanks for your help Seagul.