You can apply for an extension or renewal of your spouse visa (5 years route) if you are already in the UK with a spouse visa granted under the 5 years route and you meet all the eligibility requirements for the grant of extension under the 5 years route as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. An application for spouse visa renewal under the 5-year route can be submitted online 28 days before the expiry of your current leave to remain as a spouse.
An application for a spouse visa extension (5-year route) is made online using the FLR (M) form. An application for a spouse visa extension under the 5-year route can be submitted to the Home Office UKVI via the Super Priority Service to receive a decision within 24 hours. As a result of a successful application for renewal of spouse visa under the 5-year route, the applicant will be granted further leave to remain for 30 months (2.5 years) under the 5-year route.
Premium Solicitors, open 7 days a week and 365 days a year, are specialist UK immigration solicitors. The high quality of UK visa and immigration services provided by our best team of fully qualified and experienced SRA-regulated immigration solicitors is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.
Free Immigration Advice for Extension of Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)
Our specialist spouse visa solicitors can provide 5 minutes of free immigration advice on your application to extend your spouse visa from inside the UK. Ask a question to our specialist team of spouse visa solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice with our specialist spouse visa solicitors for your application for an extension of your spouse visa (5-year route).
Specialist Spouse Visa Solicitors
Our spouse visa solicitors specialise in applications for extension of a spouse visa (5-year route) from within the UK. As one of the best spouse visa solicitors, we have successfully helped thousands of clients with their spouse visa applications under the 5-year route. Our highly experienced and fully qualified spouse visa solicitors offer fast, friendly, reliable, and fixed-fee advice and legal representation for extension of a spouse visa (5-year route) from inside the UK.
Meet Our Team of Spouse Visa Solicitors in London
At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our spouse visa solicitors in London. We understand that immigration matters are life-changing events, and our team is here to guide you through every step of the spouse visa process with professionalism and care.
Our team comprises a diverse group of spouse visa solicitors with extensive experience and knowledge. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.
Arshad Mahmood
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Tushita Scalzullo
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Nargis Khodadady
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Asad Malik
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Alina Rizvi
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Victoria Gbenoba
Specialist UK Immigration SolicitorOur team of expert spouse visa solicitors and lawyers is proficient in English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Marathi, Farsi, Italian, and German, enabling us to communicate effectively with you regarding your immigration matters.
Schedule Your Consultation With Our Spouse Visa Solicitors
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Our spouse visa experts are ready to assist you with your spouse visa concerns. Book your appointment today for personalised guidance and support.
What are the Requirements for a Spouse Visa Renewal (5 Years Route)?
The eligibility requirements for an extension of a spouse visa under the 5-year route from inside the UK include the following:
Immigration status requirement: The applicant must be currently in the UK under a spouse visa (5-year route) and must apply for renewal before the expiry of his/her leave.
Relationship requirement: The applicant must be the spouse of a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee / humanitarian protection status holder, a Turkish Businessperson visa holder or a Turkish Worker visa holder. The applicant's relationship with the UK sponsor must be genuine and subsisting, and appropriate evidence of the genuineness and subsistence of the marriage should be provided in support of the application for a spouse visa extension.
Suitability Requirement: The applicant should meet the suitability requirements as set out in Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules.
Financial requirement: The applicant should meet the financial requirement for an extension of a spouse visa (5-year route). The financial requirement can be met through
- income of the applicant and/or UK sponsor from employment or self-employment; and/or
- savings of the applicant and/or the sponsor; or
- through the rental income of the applicant and/or the sponsor.
Accommodation requirement: The applicant must provide evidence that there will be adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, for the family, including other family members who are not included in the application but who live in the same household and who own or occupy it exclusively.
English Language Requirement: The applicant must meet the English language requirement to demonstrate English proficiency at CEFR level A2, as required by the UK Immigration Rules.
Can I Apply for a Spouse Visa Renewal Through Super Priority Service?
As specialist spouse visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI), and its commercial partners, TLSContact, to provide Super Priority Service for spouse visa renewal applications. If you submit your application through Super Priority Service, a decision will be made within 24 hours.
Our spouse visa Solicitors can prepare and submit your spouse visa extension application faster and secure a decision more quickly through Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait months (sometimes years) for a decision on your application.
How to Apply for an Extension of Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)?
To apply for an extension of your spouse visa (5-year route), you should take the following steps:
- Complete the online application form FLR (M) on the UKVI website.
- Submit the completed application online by paying the Home Office UKVI fees, which include the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
- Book your biometrics appointments with TLSContact by creating an account on the TLSContact web portal.
- Upload all the supporting documents online before the biometrics enrolment appointment date.
- Attend your biometrics enrolment appointment. You should take your BRP card, your passport, and your biometrics appointment letter with you to your biometrics appointment.
- Wait for a decision on the application, which will normally be made within 3 to 6 months if submitted through the standard service and within 24 hours if submitted through Super Priority Service.
Transitional Financial Requirement for Extension of Spouse Visa
The Home Office UKVI has introduced the transitional financial requirements for an applicant who made their first application as a fiancé(e), proposed civil partner, or as a partner before 11 April 2024 and who was granted permission as a fiancé(e), proposed civil partner or as a partner on the five-year route to settlement as a result of that application. According to paragraph E-LTRP.3.5 of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, a person who has permission as a partner on the five-year route to settlement, or as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, at the date of application, must meet the transitional financial requirement of income which is £18,600 gross per year if they made an application for entry clearance or permission to stay as a fiancé(e), proposed civil partner or partner under Appendix FM before 11 April 2024, which was successful. Under the new rules, where the financial requirement exceeds £29,000 due to the number of children in the family, the applicant will only need to provide evidence of a gross annual income of £29,000.
The transitional financial requirement of £18,600 per year applies to applicants applying for permission to stay with the same partner for whom they were last granted permission. Applicants applying for permission to stay with a new partner must meet the financial requirement of £29,000 gross per annum.
The applicant must provide evidence that the UK sponsor's gross annual income is at least equivalent to the income as given in the table below:
| Applicant | Income Required |
| Applicant applying with no children | £18,600 gross per annum |
| Applicant applying with 1 non-settled / non-British child | £22,400 gross per annum |
| Applicant applying with 2 non-settled / non-British children | £24,800 gross per annum |
| Applicant applying with 3 non-settled / non-British children | £27,200 gross per annum |
| Applicant applying with 4 or more non-settled / non-British children | £29,000 gross per annum |
What are the Various Sources of Income to Meet the Financial Requirements?
Where the applicant has to meet the minimum income threshold, the financial requirement can generally be met in the following 5 ways:
- Income from salaried or non-salaried employment of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). This is referred to as Category A or Category B, depending on the employment history.
- Non-employment income, e.g. income from property rental or dividends from shares. This is referred to as Category C.
- Cash savings of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant, above £16,000, held by the partner and/or the applicant for at least 6 months and under their control. This is referred to as Category D.
- State (UK or foreign), occupational or private pension of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant. This is referred to as Category E.
- Income from self-employment, and income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK, of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). This is referred to as Category F or Category G, depending on which financial year(s) is/are being relied upon.
What is the Adequate Maintenance Requirement for Extension of Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)?
Where the applicant’s partner is in receipt of any of the following benefits or allowances in the UK, the applicant will be able to meet the financial requirement at that application stage by providing evidence of “adequate maintenance” rather than meeting an income threshold of £18,600 or above:
- Carer’s Allowance.
- Disability Living Allowance.
- Severe Disablement Allowance.
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
- Attendance Allowance.
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
- Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme.
- Police Injury Pension.
If the applicant’s partner is receiving one of the above benefits or allowances on behalf of their child, the applicant will be able to qualify by meeting the financial requirement through “adequate maintenance.” The evidence required to demonstrate that the applicant’s partner is in receipt of a specified benefit or allowance is specified in Appendix FM-SE.
What is the Formula for Calculating Adequate Maintenance?
The Home Office UKVI will use the following formula to determine whether you meet the adequate maintenance requirement for the extension of a spouse visa from inside the UK:
A – B ≥ C (A minus B is greater than or equal to C)
Where:
A is the net income (after deduction of income tax and National Insurance contributions);
B is housing costs (Rent and Council Tax); and
C is the amount of Income Support an equivalent British family of that size can receive.
What is the Immigration Status Requirement for Extension of Spouse Visa (5-year route)?
The immigration rules require that the applicant must meet the immigration status requirement to successfully extend a spouse visa (5-year route) from inside the UK. For an application for an extension of a spouse visa under the five-year route to succeed, the applicant must be currently in the UK with leave to remain as a spouse granted under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules and should be seeking an extension of a spouse visa by submitting an extension application. It is also possible to apply for an extension of a spouse visa within 14 days of the spouse visa expiring; any such out-of-time application will be treated as an overstayer, but it can still succeed under the 5-year route if the applicant has not overstayed for more than 14 days. If the applicant has overstayed for more than 14 days, they may be able to apply for leave to remain under the 10-year spouse visa route.
What is the English Language Requirement for Extension of Spouse Visa (5-Year Route)?
The applicant must provide specified evidence that he/she:
- is a national of a majority English-speaking country; or
- has passed an English language test in speaking and listening at a minimum of level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages with a provider approved by the Home Office, UKVI; or
- has an academic qualification recognised by UK Ecctis to be equivalent to the standard of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or PhD in the UK, which was taught in English; or
- is exempt from the English language requirement because at the date of application:
- the applicant is aged 65 or over;
- the applicant has a disability (physical or mental condition) which prevents the applicant from meeting the requirement; or
- there are exceptional circumstances which prevent the applicant from being able to meet the requirements prior to entry to the UK.
Can I Switch from the Spouse Visa 10-Year Route to the Spouse Visa 5-Year Route?
If you are in the UK under a spouse visa (10-year route), you can apply for switching to a spouse visa (5-year route) at any time during the validity of your leave under the 10-year route. You should ideally switch to the 5-year route as soon as you meet both the financial and English language requirements. Your time for the ILR under the 5-year route will start from the date you are granted initial leave under the 5-year route, and all the time you spent under the 10-year route cannot be combined with the time spent under the 10-year route. We can prepare and submit your application through Super Priority Service, so you receive a decision within 24 hours.
Can I Appeal Against the Refusal of a Spouse Visa Extension Application?
If your application for an extension of your spouse visa has been refused by the Home Office UKVI and you have been given the right to appeal against the refusal decision, you should file an appeal with the First Tier Tribunal within 14 days of the refusal decision. The appeal against the refusal decision can be successful on the grounds that the decision to refuse is not in accordance with rules or in contravention of your right to private and family life as envisaged under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). An Immigration Judge at the First Tier Tribunal will hear and determine the appeal. Our specialist spouse visa solicitors can provide the legal services you need to represent you in your spouse visa appeal to challenge the refusal decision.
How Can Our Spouse Visa Solicitors Help?
Our specialist team of spouse visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation for your spouse visa extension application on a fixed fee basis. Our spouse visa solicitors can legally represent you in your spouse visa extension application and carry out all the work on your application until a decision by the Home Office UKVI on your spouse visa extension application. The immigration casework to be carried out by our immigration solicitors regarding your spouse visa extension application will entail the following:
Advice on requirements: Our spouse visa solicitors will advise you on the requirements you need to meet for your spouse visa extension application to be successful.
Documentary advice: Our spouse visa solicitors will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your spouse visa renewal application.
Assessing documents: Our spouse visa solicitors will assess your documents to ensure that all documents you provide in support of your spouse visa extension application comply with the requirements of the immigration rules.
Completing the application form: Our spouse visa solicitors will complete the relevant form for your spouse visa extension.
Submitting an application through Super Priority Service: If required, our spouse visa solicitors will submit your spouse visa extension online through Super Priority Service to obtain a decision within 24 hours.
Booking an appointment with the application centre: After the online submission of your application for a spouse visa extension, our spouse visa solicitors will book your appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics.
Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist spouse visa solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your spouse visa extension application to explain all the relevant legal requirements for your application to be approved by the Home Office UKVI.
Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our spouse visa solicitors will upload online all the supporting documents to be considered in support of your spouse visa extension application.
Follow-up work: Our spouse visa solicitors will handle all follow-up until the Home Office UKVI issues a decision on your spouse visa extension application.
Why Choose Us for an Extension of a Spouse Visa (5-Year Route)?
There are several reasons you can choose our London-based spouse visa solicitors and lawyers to handle your application to extend your spouse visa from inside the UK. The main reasons include the following:
High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of the best spouse visa solicitors in London provides high-quality legal services for extending a spouse visa from inside the UK. The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.
Remote Legal Services: Our specialist spouse visa solicitors and lawyers can provide you with expert spouse visa advice and legal representation remotely from our offices in London. Using modern technology, our specialist spouse visa solicitors and lawyers can handle your application for an extension of your spouse visa remotely, without you needing to visit our offices. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome clients into our offices, if this is their preference, we are proud to offer our legal services for spouse visa applications remotely to save you time and travel costs.
Open 7 Days A Week: We are open seven days a week and pride ourselves on providing dedicated spouse visa advice and legal representation.
All Work Carried Out By Qualified Specialist Immigration Solicitors: Our specialist team of fully qualified and experienced spouse visa solicitors, who have extensive experience dealing with spouse visa applications, will carry out all the casework on your application for an extension of your spouse visa in the UK.
Fast Track Visa Service: Our experienced and qualified spouse visa solicitors will prepare and submit your application for an extension of your spouse visa in the shortest possible time using the fast-track process. Where possible, our spouse visa solicitors will submit your spouse visa application through the Super Priority Visa Service to obtain a decision within 24 hours.
Free Immigration Advice Online: Our specialist team of spouse visa solicitors and lawyers can provide one-off free immigration advice online for an extension of a spouse visa in the UK via our website enquiry form.
Fixed Fees With Payment Plan: Our spouse visa solicitors and lawyers charge reasonable, affordable fixed fees for an application to extend a spouse visa. You can pay our fixed fee in two instalments: half when we start working on your spouse visa application, and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.
How Much Does Extension of Spouse Visa (5 Years Route) Cost?
The costs associated with your application are outlined below:
Our Fixed Fees for Your Application
Our fixed fee for processing your application ranges from £1,000 + VAT to £1,500 + VAT. Our fixed fee will cover all our work on your application, including advising on documents, checking your documents, completing the application form and submitting the application online, booking an appointment for biometrics enrolment, preparing a cover letter in support of the application, uploading all supporting documents to be considered in support of the application, and carrying out all other follow up work until decision by the Home Office UKVI on your application.
Our agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of your case and the volume of work involved in your application. You will make an initial payment of half our fee when we start working on your matter, and the remaining half is due once we have fully prepared the application and it is ready for submission.
Unable to afford the cost of the full service? You have the option to book an appointment online for our one-off immigration advice and consultation service for a fixed fee of £100 (including VAT) or our immigration document checking service for a fixed fee of £300 (including VAT).
UKVI Fees for Your Application
In addition to our fixed fee for assisting you with your application, you are also required to pay the Home Office UKVI fees. The UKVI fee for your application is £1,407, and there is an additional charge of £2587.50 for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Therefore, the total amount payable to the UKVI for the application is £3,994.50.
Additionally, you can pay an additional £1,000 as a Super Priority Service fee to have your application decided within 24 hours.
Get a Fixed Fee Quote for Your Immigration Matter
At Premium Solicitors, we believe in transparency and simplicity. We offer fixed-fee quotes for our specialist UK visa and immigration services.
Ready to get started? Use the link below to request a fixed-fee quote tailored to your needs.
How to Engage Us for Your Immigration Matter?
You can instruct immigration solicitors in London at Premium Solicitors for your immigration matter by getting in contact with us using one of the following means of contact:
Call Us: 0044 20 3930 3900
Email Us: info@premiumsolicitors.co.uk
Complete Enquiry Form: Send your enquiry through our website enquiry form
Book an Appointment Online: You can book an appointment with one of our specialist immigration solicitors in London for detailed immigration advice and consultation on your immigration matter.
What Are Our Other Spouse Visa-Related Services?
- Spouse Visa UK
- Entry Clearance for Spouse Visa UK
- Switching to a Spouse Visa UK (5 Years Route)
- Switching to a Spouse Visa (10 Years Route)
- Extension of Spouse Visa (10 Years Route)
- ILR as a Spouse (5 Years Route)
- ILR as a Spouse (10 Years Route)
- Family Visa UK
- In-Country Immigration Appeals
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Spouse Visa Extension (5 Years Route)?
The following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about an application for an extension of a spouse visa under the 5-year route:
A spouse visa extension under the 5-year route allows individuals already in the UK as a partner of a British citizen or settled person to extend their stay for a further 30 months. This is the second stage of the 5-year route leading to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
You should apply before your current spouse visa expires, ideally within 28 days before its expiry. Late applications can result in overstaying, which may negatively impact your immigration status.
To qualify for a spouse visa extension (5 years route) under Appendix FM, you must meet the following requirements:
- You are in a genuine and subsisting relationship
- You are living together in the UK
- You meet the financial requirement
- You satisfy the English language requirement
- You meet the accommodation requirement
- You pass the suitability requirements (good character, no immigration breaches)
Applicants must meet the minimum income threshold, which is currently:
- £18,600 per year (standard requirement) if you submitted your initial spouse visa application before 11 April 2024. Additional income is required for dependent children
- £29,000 per year if you submitted your initial spouse visa application after 11 April 2024
- Adequate maintenance requirement if you are receiving certain benefits and are exempt from meeting the financial requirement of £18,000 or £29,000
Income can be from employment, self-employment, savings, or a combination of sources, subject to strict evidential rules.
Yes. You must demonstrate that your relationship is genuine and ongoing. This may include:
- Joint bank statements
- Utility bills
- Tenancy agreements or mortgage documents
- Official correspondence addressed to both partners
You must meet at least A2 level English (CEFR) unless exempt. This is higher than the A1 level required for the initial spouse visa application.
If successful, you will be granted an extension of 30 months (2.5 years) under the 5-year route. After completing 5 years in total on the spouse visa route, you may become eligible for ILR.
Yes. A spouse visa allows full access to employment and self-employment in the UK without restrictions.
If you do not meet all the requirements, you may be placed on the 10-year route to settlement, which requires a longer period before qualifying for ILR.
You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) 28 days before completing 5 years (60 months) on the spouse visa 5-year route, provided you meet all eligibility requirements.
- Standard Service: decision within 8 weeks
- Super Priority Service: decision within 24 hours
The documents required for the spouse visa extension (5-year route) may vary depending on the applicant's circumstances. Key documents may include:
- Valid passport
- eVisa
- Proof of relationship
- Financial documents (payslips, bank statements, employer letter, etc)
- Proof of accommodation
- English language certificate
No. If you leave the UK while your application is pending, your application may be treated as withdrawn.
Under the UK immigration Rules, there is no specified residence requirement for extending a spouse visa. However, as the spouse visa is a settlement category, it is expected that the applicant intends to live permanently in the UK with the UK sponsor. Long absences from the UK may raise questions about the applicant's intention to live permanently in the UK with the UK sponsor.
At Premium Solicitors, our specialist spouse visa solicitors provide:
- Free initial assessment
- Fixed-fee spouse visa extension services
- Document checking and preparation
- Full representation for FLR(M) applications
- Super Priority Service for a decision within 24 hours
We ensure your application is accurate, complete, and compliant with the latest UK immigration rules.
- Experienced UK immigration solicitors
- High success rate in spouse visa applications
- Transparent fixed fees with no hidden costs
- Fast turnaround and priority services
- Remote services available worldwide
- Open 7 days a week