Form FLR (M), Extend your stay in the UK as a partner or dependent child: what it is and where relationship evidence fits

FLR (M) is the Home Office application a partner already in the UK makes to extend their permission to stay as the partner of a British or Irish citizen, a settled person, or someone with refugee or humanitarian protection status. GOV.UK says you must now apply online. This guide summarises what the official pages ask for and where chat history fits next to the living-together evidence the Immigration Rules require.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-14

At a glance

Form: FLR (M), Extend your stay in the UK as a partner or dependent child
Agency: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
Filing fee: £1,407 (checked 2026-10-14) — When we checked, GOV.UK listed £1,407 for a partner application made from inside the UK, with the same fee for each dependant. You might also need to pay the immigration health surcharge, and you may be able to pay £1,000 extra for the super priority service. Fees change, so check GOV.UK and the Home Office fee tables on the day you apply. Official fee schedule.

What the form is for

Extend your permission to stay in the UK as a partner. GOV.UK says that if you extend your family visa you can stay for up to a further 2 years and 6 months, and that you can extend more than once.
Move from fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner permission to partner permission. GOV.UK says that after you marry or become civil partners you need to apply to extend your stay, and that if the application is approved you will have the right to work or study.
Continue towards settlement. GOV.UK says the earliest you can apply to settle is after living in the UK for 5 years continuously on a family visa as a partner; time on any other visa, or as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, does not count.
Extend the stay of dependent children included in your application.

Who can file it

You are in the UK with permission as a partner and want to extend it. GOV.UK says you can extend at any time before your current permission to stay expires.
Your partner must be a British or Irish citizen or settled in the UK, or be in one of the other groups GOV.UK lists, such as a person with protection status, or an EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic or Liechtenstein citizen with pre-settled status who started living in the UK before 1 January 2021.
GOV.UK says you and your partner must both be 18 or over and must intend to live together permanently in the UK. Appendix FM adds that you must have met in person, that your relationship must be genuine and subsisting, and that any previous relationship of either of you must have broken down permanently.
If you are married or in a civil partnership, Appendix FM says it must be valid. If you are unmarried partners, Appendix FM requires a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years before the date of application.
Appendix FM says you must not be in the UK as a visitor or with permission granted for 6 months or less, unless that permission is as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner or was granted pending the outcome of family court or divorce proceedings.
GOV.UK says children can be added as dependants if they are under 18 when you apply (or were under 18 when first granted permission) and do not live an independent life.

How and where it is filed

Apply online: GOV.UK withdrew the paper application form on 13 December 2018 and says you must now apply online. In the UK you apply through the UKVI family routes online service (“Application to remain in the UK on the basis of family life or private life”).
Timing: the Home Office caseworker guidance says applicants should be advised to apply no more than 28 days before their current permission is due to expire, or no more than 28 days before they complete 30 months in the UK with partner permission.
Fee waiver: if you cannot pay the fee, request a fee waiver online first. GOV.UK says you must apply for the fee waiver before you make your FLR (M) application.
GOV.UK says you will be told how to provide your documents when you apply, and that you will need to attend an appointment to provide your fingerprints and a photo (biometric information).
The online service says that, as part of the application, you are also applying for an eVisa, which GOV.UK describes as a digital record of your identity and immigration status.
Assisted digital help with the online form is available only for applications made in the UK, and it does not give immigration advice.

Evidence the instructions ask for

A current passport or other valid travel document, and proof of your immigration status: online proof if you have an eVisa, or your biometric residence permit (GOV.UK says a BRP can be used for 24 months after the expiry date printed on it, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first).
Proof of how long you have lived together, for example council tax bills. For an extension, Appendix FM asks for evidence covering the period since your last grant of permission as a partner, or a good reason for any time you did not live together (see below).
Your marriage or civil partnership certificate if you are married or in a civil partnership, and evidence that any previous marriage of either of you has ended, such as a divorce certificate.
Evidence that you meet the financial requirement, as set out in Appendix FM-SE. For employed people, GOV.UK gives examples such as bank statements showing the income, 6 months of payslips counting back from the day you apply, and a letter from the employer, dated and on headed paper.
Evidence of your English language level, or of an exemption (see the FAQ below).
Appendix FM also requires adequate accommodation for your family, without recourse to public funds, which your family owns or occupies exclusively.
Details of your partner (including their right to be in the UK), your children and your partner’s children, any previous immigration applications, any criminal convictions, and your National Insurance number if you have one.
A certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh.

Where relationship evidence fits

For an extension, Appendix FM (paragraph E-LTRP.1.10) asks for evidence that, since you were granted entry clearance or your last permission to stay as a partner, you and your partner have lived together in the UK, or that there was a good reason, consistent with a continuing intention to live together permanently in the UK, for any period in which you did not. This part does not apply if you are in the UK as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner.
The relationship must still be genuine and subsisting, and you must have met in person (paragraphs E-LTRP.1.6 and E-LTRP.1.7).
GOV.UK says relationship evidence should come from the government, a bank, a landlord, a utility provider or a medical professional, confirm your relationship with your partner, and be less than 4 years old. Its examples include a tenancy agreement, utility bills or council tax bills confirming that you live at the same address or pay bills together, a joint bank statement, and a letter from your doctor or dentist confirming that you live at the same address.
Time apart: the caseworker guidance says limited periods outside the UK must be for good reasons that are consistent with your intention to live together permanently in the UK, such as work, holidays, training or study. If one or both of you spent most of the period overseas, there may be reason to doubt that intention; each case is judged on the reasons for travel, the length of absence and whether you travelled and lived together while outside the UK.
The guidance ranks supporting documents that can confirm a relationship is genuine in three tiers, tier 1 being the most valued and tier 3 the least. Tier 1 includes a tenancy agreement, council tax bill, utility bill, marriage certificate and joint bank statement; tier 3 includes message transcripts, photographs, greetings cards, train and flight tickets, and documents from more than 4 years before the application date. The list is not exhaustive, and decision makers evaluate the evidence in the round.

What chat history can help show

Good reasons for time apart: dated messages around a work trip, course or holiday abroad can corroborate the reason you give for a period when you did not live together, and show that the relationship continued. They support your explanation; they do not replace it.
Ongoing commitment: for couples who cannot live together because of work, study or cultural reasons, GOV.UK lists communicating regularly among the ways to show an ongoing commitment, alongside supporting each other financially, caring for any children you have together and spending time together as a couple. For an extension, this supports but does not replace evidence that you have lived together since your last grant, or of a good reason for any time apart.
Context for your shared life: a short, dated selection of everyday messages can sit alongside the tier 1 documents that show you live together, but it carries less weight than those documents.

Before you include chat history

Message transcripts are in tier 3, the least valued tier, in the Home Office caseworker guidance. Lead with tier 1 documents such as a tenancy agreement, council tax bills, utility bills or joint bank statements.
Messages do not show where you live. The extension rule asks for evidence that you have lived together in the UK since your last grant, and GOV.UK gives council tax bills as an example of that proof.
Focus on the period since your last grant. The guidance puts documents from more than 4 years before the application date in tier 3, and GOV.UK asks for relationship evidence that is less than 4 years old.
Any message that is not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation.
Do not alter or fabricate messages. The caseworker guidance says submitting false documents or evidence, whatever the motive, may lead to refusal.

Common mistakes

Looking for the paper FLR (M) form. GOV.UK withdrew it on 13 December 2018 and says you must now apply online.
Letting your current permission expire before you apply. GOV.UK says you can extend at any time before your current permission to stay expires.
Applying more than 28 days before your permission expires or before you complete 30 months as a partner. The caseworker guidance says you may then not meet the residence period needed to settle and may need to apply for a further period of permission instead.
Applying as a fiancé(e) after getting engaged while in the UK as an unmarried partner. GOV.UK says to apply to extend with the same visa status you have now.
Reusing an A1 English result when extending after 2.5 years. GOV.UK says that if you passed A1 for your first visa you need at least A2 in speaking and listening, and that if you were given an exemption you need to pass a test at level A1; the caseworker guidance adds that this does not apply if you again qualify for an exemption.
Using the wrong income threshold. The £18,600 level applies only if you first applied as a partner (including as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner) before 11 April 2024 and are extending that visa with the same partner; otherwise GOV.UK gives £29,000.
Living-together evidence that does not cover the period since your last grant, or no explanation for time spent apart.
Relying on chat logs and photos (tier 3) instead of tier 1 documents such as tenancy agreements, council tax and utility bills or joint bank statements.
Asking for a fee waiver after submitting the application. GOV.UK says the fee waiver must come first.
Documents that are not in English or Welsh without a certified translation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still apply for FLR (M) on a paper form?

GOV.UK withdrew the paper application form on 13 December 2018 and says you must now apply online. In the UK you apply through the UKVI family routes service. If you cannot pay the fee, you request a fee waiver online before you make your application.

When should I apply to extend my UK spouse visa?

Before your current permission expires. The Home Office caseworker guidance says applicants should be advised to apply no more than 28 days before their permission is due to expire, or no more than 28 days before they complete 30 months in the UK with partner permission. Applying earlier may mean you do not meet the residence period you need to settle. If you extend to stay with the same family member, GOV.UK says up to 28 days left on your current stay is added to your new visa.

How much does an FLR (M) application cost?

When we checked on 14 October 2026, GOV.UK listed £1,407 for a partner application made from inside the UK, with the same fee for each dependant. You might also need to pay the immigration health surcharge, and you may be able to pay £1,000 extra for the super priority service. Fees change, so check GOV.UK on the day you apply. If you cannot afford the fee, request a fee waiver before you make your application.

Do WhatsApp or other chat messages count as evidence for FLR (M)?

They can be submitted, but they are not a named requirement. The Home Office caseworker guidance places message transcripts in tier 3, the least valued tier of supporting documents, and says decision makers evaluate the evidence in the round. For an extension, the key relationship evidence is that you have lived together in the UK since your last grant, so lead with documents such as a tenancy agreement, council tax bills or joint bank statements, and use messages to support specific points such as the reason for a period apart. Translate anything that is not in English or Welsh.

We spent time apart since my last visa. Is that a problem?

Not necessarily. Appendix FM accepts a good reason for any period you did not live together, if it is consistent with a continuing intention to live together permanently in the UK. The caseworker guidance gives work, holidays, training or study as examples, and says that spending most of the period overseas may raise doubts about that intention. Appendix FM asks for evidence of this, so explain each period apart and include evidence of the reason.

Do I need to take another English test to extend?

For an extension after 2.5 years, it depends on the level you passed for your first visa. GOV.UK says that if you passed A1, you need to pass at least A2 in speaking and listening; if you passed A2 or higher, you can reuse that result as long as the test provider has not withdrawn the certificate; and if you were given an exemption, you need to pass a test at level A1. The caseworker guidance adds that this does not apply if you again qualify for an exemption.

Which income threshold applies to my extension?

GOV.UK says partners usually need a combined income of at least £29,000 a year. If you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 (including as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner) and you are extending that visa with the same partner, the threshold is £18,600 a year, plus extra amounts for certain children. If your partner receives one of the benefits GOV.UK lists, you do not need to meet a minimum income requirement, but GOV.UK says you need to show you and your family have enough money to house and support yourselves.

How long will I be given, and when can I settle?

GOV.UK says that if you extend you can stay for up to a further 2 years and 6 months, and you can extend more than once. The earliest you can apply to settle is after 5 continuous years in the UK on a family visa as a partner; time as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, or on any other visa, does not count.

I came to the UK on a fiancé(e) visa. Do I extend after the wedding?

Yes. GOV.UK says that after you marry or become civil partners you need to apply to extend your stay in the UK, and that you will have the right to work or study if the application is approved. In the UK you apply online through the family routes service. The rule asking for evidence that you have lived together since your last grant does not apply while you are in the UK as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner.

How long does an FLR (M) decision take?

GOV.UK publishes usual decision times on its partner and spouse page. For applications made inside the UK, the time depends on whether you meet the financial and English language requirements, and GOV.UK says you may be able to pay for a faster decision. Check that page on the day you apply.

Related guides and templates

Official sources

GOV.UK — Extend your stay in the UK as a partner or dependent child: form FLR (M) (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Apply online (form FLR (M)) (checked 2026-10-14)
UKVI online service — Application to remain in the UK on the basis of family life or private life (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Family visas: apply, extend or switch (overview) (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Family visas: Apply as a partner or spouse (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Family visas: Financial requirements if you’re applying as a partner or spouse (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Family visas: Information and evidence you must provide (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Family visas: Knowledge of English (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Family visas: After you apply (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence (checked 2026-10-14)
Home Office — Family life (as a partner or parent) and exceptional circumstances, version 29.0 (caseworker guidance) (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — UK visa fees (Home Office immigration and nationality fees) (checked 2026-10-14)
GOV.UK — Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 October 2026 (checked 2026-10-14)

Not legal advice. PartnerProof turns WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage exports into dated, chronological PDF evidence you can print and add to your package. It does not fill in or file UKVI forms. Try it free →