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Spouse visa extension after 2.5 years: how the FLR(M) application works

The partner visa is granted in two blocks of about 2.5 years. The extension (GOV.UK's FLR(M) online application) costs £1,407 plus £2,587.50 health surcharge per adult, and you can apply any time before your permission expires. Most people must meet the financial requirement again, show you still live together, and prove English at A2 if A1 was used last time.

The first partner visa from outside the UK lasts 2 years 9 months. After that you must extend to keep going towards settlement. The extension is a separate application with its own fee, its own requirements and its own evidence.

This page explains how the extension works, using GOV.UK's family visa pages, the FLR(M) form page, Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules (updated 8 October 2026), the Appendix FM-SE evidence rules and the Home Office fee table dated 8 October 2026, all read on 9 October 2026. It describes the rules in general. It does not tell you whether your own application will succeed.

Three things people often get wrong are worth stating at the start. The financial figure is not automatically lower than the first time. The English level can go up. And time on some other visas, or as a fiancé(e), does not count towards settlement.

What the extension is and when you can apply

GOV.UK says that if you extend your family visa or switch to a partner visa inside the UK, you can stay for up to a further 2 years and 6 months, and you can extend more than once. The Rules (D-LTRP.1.1) grant leave "for a period not exceeding 30 months" and say the person becomes eligible to apply for settlement after a continuous period of at least 60 months on the partner route.

You must apply online. GOV.UK describes the FLR(M) page as the place to apply to extend your stay as the partner or dependent child of someone who is settled here, or who is a refugee or has humanitarian protection. The page explains that you check your eligibility first, and that guidance on completing the form and the evidence needed is within the online application.

On timing, GOV.UK says:

  • you can extend at any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires
  • if you are extending to stay with the same family member, you will only get up to 28 days left on your current stay added to your new visa

The second point matters for planning. Applying months early does not add months to the end of your permission. Only up to 28 days of unused time is carried over.

The applicant and the partner must both be in the UK when the application is made (R-LTRP.1.1(a)). The applicant must not be in the UK as a visitor, or with permission of 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 (E-LTRP.2.1).

Applying in time and what happens if you are late

Applying before your permission expires keeps your lawful stay going while the application is decided. The legal basis is section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971, which is covered in a separate article in this set. In short, if you apply before your leave runs out, your leave generally continues while the application is decided and while any review or appeal could be brought or is pending.

If your permission has already ended, you are an overstayer, and the Rules treat that differently. Part Suitability has exceptions for short overstaying in some cases, with time limits that are measured in days. Those limits are strict, and they are explained in the article on overstaying. Do not use this page for dates in that situation.

Two practical points apply to everyone.

First, check the expiry date on your eVisa, not the date you remember. GOV.UK's information page says you will need proof of your immigration status, with a share code if you have an eVisa, or your biometric residence permit (which you can use for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first).

Second, an application that is rejected as invalid costs £30 to process according to the fee table and does not protect your status. Check the form, the fee and the surcharge before you submit.

What the extension costs

The Home Office fee for an extension inside the UK is £1,407 per person. It is listed in the fee table dated 8 October 2026 as "Leave to remain – Other". Each dependant added to the application also costs £1,407.

The immigration health surcharge is paid with the application. GOV.UK's family visa page gives £2,587.50 per adult for 2 years and 6 months, and £1,940 per child under 18.

For one adult, the total is therefore £1,407 + £2,587.50 = £3,994.50.

GOV.UK also says that if you are applying from inside the UK you may be able to pay an extra £1,000 for super priority to get a faster decision. If you cannot pay the fee, the fee waiver must be applied for before you make the main application. The article on spouse visa costs sets out each fee and what sits outside the fee table.

The requirements the Home Office checks again

Section E-LTRP of Appendix FM lists the eligibility requirements for permission to stay as a partner. The extension is decided against all of them, not only against what changed since the first visa. In plain terms:

  • The partner. The partner must be a British citizen in the UK, settled in the UK, in the UK with protection status, or in one of the other listed categories such as limited leave under Appendix EU or permission as a stateless person (E-LTRP.1.2).
  • The relationship. It must be genuine and subsisting, any previous relationship of either person must have broken down permanently, and a marriage or civil partnership must be valid (E-LTRP.1.7 to 1.9).
  • Living together. The couple must intend to live together permanently in the UK, and the applicant must provide evidence that since entry clearance was granted, or since the last grant of leave, they have lived together in the UK or that there is good reason, consistent with a continuing intention to live together permanently in the UK, for any period in which they have not (E-LTRP.1.10).
  • Money. The financial requirement is covered in the next section.
  • Accommodation. The family must have adequate accommodation without public funds that they own or occupy exclusively. It is not adequate if it is overcrowded or contravenes public health regulations (E-LTRP.3.4).
  • English. Covered below.
  • Suitability. The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability.

The grant carries a condition of no recourse to public funds. GOV.UK says that on a family visa you can work and study, and you cannot usually claim benefits or other public funds.

Evidence of the relationship is not fixed by the Rules in the same way as the money documents. GOV.UK says relationship evidence should come from a government body, bank, landlord, utility provider or medical professional, should confirm your relationship, for example that you live together or share expenses, and should be less than 4 years old. The documents article lists the examples GOV.UK gives.

The financial requirement at extension stage

This is the requirement that most often changes between the first visa and the extension, so it is worth stating precisely. The detail is in the article on the financial requirement. In short:

  • If your first partner application was on or after 11 April 2024, the extension is judged on the same figure as the first visa: specified gross annual income of at least £29,000, or the savings combination, or the benefits route (E-LTRP.3.1).
  • If your first application was before 11 April 2024 and was successful, and you are applying with the same partner, the transitional requirement of £18,600 applies, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each further child, capped at £29,000 (E-LTRP.3.5 to 3.8). GOV.UK says the same.
  • At extension stage, income from the applicant's own lawful work in the UK can be counted, which is not true in an application from outside the UK (E-LTRP.3.2).
  • Self-employed income is assessed over the last full financial year, or the average of two (FM-SE 13(e)).

Evidence must usually cover the six months before the application, and anything dated by reference to the application date must be no more than 28 days old (FM-SE 1(l)). If you changed jobs, had a period of unpaid leave or moved to self-employment in the last year, the calculation rules in FM-SE can produce a different figure from the one on your payslip. Those cases deserve a careful read of FM-SE paragraphs 13 to 16.

If the financial requirement is not met, GOV.UK says you may still apply if a child in the UK is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave, or if refusal would breach human rights. Appendix FM then applies the exceptional-circumstances route (GEN.3.1), and permission is granted on the 10-year route.

English language at extension

English is the second requirement that can change. The Rules (E-LTRP.4.1A) say that where the applicant previously met the requirement by passing a speaking and listening test at level A1, and now seeks further leave to remain as a partner after 30 months in the UK, they must show English at A2 instead.

GOV.UK's Knowledge of English page puts the same rule in plain terms:

  • If you passed level A1 for your first visa, you need to pass at least A2 in speaking and listening to extend after 2.5 years.
  • If you passed A2, B1, B2, C1 or C2, you can use that result again, as long as your test certificate has not been withdrawn by the test provider.
  • If you were given an exemption, you will need to pass a test at level A1.

People can also meet the requirement by being a national of a listed majority English-speaking country or by holding a degree taught in English, and people aged 65 or over are exempt. A test taken for a UK visa must also be one the Home Office approves. GOV.UK's SELT page says a result must be on the approved list, sat at an approved location and awarded in the two years before the date of application. A longer note is in the article on spouse visa English requirements.

Because test booking depends on availability, people who plan ahead often book the test well before they plan to apply. GOV.UK says you should be able to take a test within 28 days of booking, but it may not be at the nearest location.

Special situations: fiancé(e)s, engagement and the sponsor's status

A few situations change the usual extension.

Fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa. That visa lasts 6 months. After you marry or enter a civil partnership, you apply to extend. GOV.UK says that if the application is approved you will have the right to work or study. If the marriage did not take place during the period of leave, E-LTRP.1.11 requires a good reason and evidence that it will take place within the next 6 months, and the grant in that case is for no more than 6 months with a prohibition on employment (D-LTRP.1.1). Time as a fiancé(e) does not count towards the 5 years needed for settlement.

Engaged while in the UK as an unmarried partner. GOV.UK says that if you become engaged, do not apply to extend as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner. Apply to extend with the same visa status you have now.

Partner with protection status. If your partner claimed asylum after 2 March 2026 and their permission ends in less than 2 years and 6 months, GOV.UK says your permission will end at the same time as theirs.

Relationship ended or sponsor died. The partner route depends on the relationship continuing. GOV.UK's overview says that people who had partner permission when they were the victim of domestic abuse, or when their partner died, may be able to apply to settle. Each of these has its own rules and its own GOV.UK page.

Decision times. GOV.UK says an inside-UK application where you meet the financial and English requirements usually gets a decision within 8 weeks. If you do not meet them, it currently takes about 12 months. An appointment for fingerprints and a photograph follows the application.

After the extension

GOV.UK says the earliest you can apply to settle is after living in the UK continuously for 5 years on a family visa as a partner. Time on other visas, or as a fiancé(e), cannot be included. The settlement application is a separate application with its own fee, listed in the fee table at £3,226, and a separate set of requirements.

If you are refused, the options depend on the grounds and the letter. The article on spouse visa refusals explains what the Rules provide.

GOV.UK's information page says you must give details of any previous immigration applications and any criminal convictions, so people with an unusual history often ask a regulated adviser to review the extension before they submit it.

Finding a regulated adviser

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number so you can check them on the official register. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work in general; it does not tell you what to do in your own case.

Questions people ask

How much is the spouse visa extension fee in 2026?

The Home Office fee is £1,407 per person, from the fee table dated 8 October 2026, plus the immigration health surcharge of £2,587.50 per adult for 2 years 6 months (GOV.UK). That is £3,994.50 for one adult.

When can I apply to extend my spouse visa?

GOV.UK says you can extend at any time before your current permission expires. If you extend with the same family member you only get up to 28 days left on your current stay added to the new visa, so applying very early does not add time.

What is the income requirement for a spouse visa extension?

If your first partner application was on or after 11 April 2024, it is £29,000 gross a year (or the savings route). If it was before that date and you are extending with the same partner, the transitional figure is £18,600 plus £3,800 and £2,400 for children, capped at £29,000.

Do I need to take another English test to extend a spouse visa?

If you passed level A1 for the first visa, you need at least A2 in speaking and listening to extend after 2.5 years. If you passed A2 or higher you can reuse the result while the certificate is not withdrawn, and if you were exempt you need A1.

How long does a spouse visa extension take?

GOV.UK says an application made inside the UK where you meet the financial and English requirements usually gets a decision within 8 weeks. If you do not meet them, it currently takes about 12 months.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • UK spouse visa cost in 2026: the application fee, the health surcharge and what else you pay — A partner or spouse visa costs £2,064 if you apply from outside the UK and £1,407 if you apply from inside it, plus the immigration health surcharge (£3,105 for the first 2 years 9 months from outside the UK, £2,587.50 for an extension). Settlement (ILR) is a separate £3,226. These are the 8 October 2026 fees and are per person.
  • Spouse visa financial requirement: how the £29,000 minimum income works — For a first partner application, the Immigration Rules require specified gross income of at least £29,000 a year, or cash savings of £16,000 plus 2.5 times any shortfall. A lower £18,600 figure applies only to people who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner. Loans, benefits such as Universal Credit and property equity do not count.
  • Spouse visa English requirement: A1, A2 and B1 explained — Partner applicants must show English at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening for the first visa, and A2 at the extension after 30 months if A1 was used before. You can meet it by nationality of a listed country, a degree taught in English, or an approved SELT taken within two years. People aged 65 or over, and some with disabilities, are exempt.
  • Spouse visa documents: what UKVI asks for, and the rules on how to present them — A UK partner application needs your identity documents, your partner's details, proof of relationship, specified financial evidence (for example 6 months of payslips with bank statements and an employer letter), English evidence, a TB certificate if you are from a listed country, and certified translations. Missing or out-of-date documents are the commonest reason for avoidable refusals.
  • Section 3C leave: your status while a decision is pending — If you apply to extend or change your UK leave before it expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends that leave on the same conditions until the application is decided, and while an appeal or administrative review is possible or pending. It does not apply to late or invalid applications, and it ends if you leave the UK.
  • Overstayed your UK visa: what the rules say — Overstaying means staying after your permission has ended. Under Part Suitability a short gap can be disregarded in limited cases (an application within 14 days with a good reason beyond your control, or after an in-time application was refused or rejected). Overstayers have no right to work, rent or claim benefits, and leaving can trigger re-entry bans of 12 months to 10 years.
  • Spouse visa refused: options and deadlines — A refused UK partner (spouse) application is not on the administrative review list. You can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal only if the decision refused a human rights claim, which your decision letter should say; the deadline is 14 days in the UK or 28 days outside it and the fee is £82 or £144. Otherwise the usual step is a new application at £2,064 (outside the UK) or £1,407 (inside), plus the healthcare surcharge.