TL;DR
- FLR is not a visa in its own right: it is the Home Office family of Further Leave to Remain application forms, used from inside the UK to extend an existing leave.
- FLR(M) is the partner and spouse extension form under Appendix FM, with a 2026 Home Office fee of GBP 1,321 plus an Immigration Health Surcharge of GBP 1,035 a year per applicant.
- FLR(FP) is the family or private life form, used for routes under Appendix FM section R-LTRPT and for paragraph 276ADE private-life applications, also at GBP 1,321 in 2026.
- FLR(HRO) is the Home Office discretion form, used for applications outside the rules, and carries no Home Office fee in 2026.
- The May 2025 white paper "Restoring Control over the Immigration System" proposed extending the standard settlement qualifying period from 5 to 10 years, which directly reshapes the FLR(M) renewal cycle if enacted.
FLR is a form family, not a visa category
Walk past the conversational shorthand and "FLR visa" is technically wrong. FLR stands for Further Leave to Remain, and the term refers to a set of application forms used to extend a person's existing immigration permission from inside the UK. The visa, properly speaking, is whatever Appendix the applicant is granted leave under: Appendix FM for partners and parents, Appendix Private Life for long residence on private-life grounds, and so on. The FLR form is the procedural wrapper through which the extension is requested.
This distinction matters because each FLR form is paired with a specific eligibility framework in the Immigration Rules. Filing the wrong form, even with strong underlying eligibility, results in an invalid application and the loss of any in-time protection under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971.
FLR(M): partner and spouse extensions under Appendix FM
FLR(M) is the most-used FLR form. It is the extension route for partners and spouses already in the UK on a 2.5-year initial grant under Appendix FM. The applicant must continue to meet the relationship requirement, the financial requirement (GBP 29,000 minimum income in 2026, lowered from the earlier GBP 38,700 threshold by the May 2024 Statement of Changes), the English language requirement at B1 level for the second extension, and the accommodation requirement.
The 2026 Home Office fee for FLR(M) is GBP 1,321. On top sits the Immigration Health Surcharge at GBP 1,035 a year per adult and GBP 776 a year for children under 18, paid up-front for the full grant period. A standard 2.5-year FLR(M) grant therefore attracts an IHS line of GBP 2,587 per adult.
The grant period is 2 years and 6 months, with the applicant becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years of cumulative time on the partner route, subject to the white paper proposals discussed below.
FLR(FP): family and private life, including paragraph 276ADE
FLR(FP) is used where the applicant falls under the family or private-life provisions but does not fit the standard Appendix FM 5-year route. It is the form for applications under Appendix FM section R-LTRPT (parents of British children), for the 10-year partner route where the financial requirement is not met but there is a child or insurmountable obstacle, and for private-life applications under paragraph 276ADE of the rules.
The 2026 fee for FLR(FP) is GBP 1,321, the same as FLR(M). The Immigration Health Surcharge applies at the standard rate. A standard FLR(FP) grant is 2 years and 6 months, with settlement reachable after 10 years on this route, not 5.
FLR(HRO): the Home Office discretion route, no fee in 2026
FLR(HRO) is the form for applications that fall outside the rules and rely on the Home Office's residual discretion. The most common HRO scenarios are stateless persons under Part 14 of the Immigration Rules, applications based on exceptional circumstances, and certain leave-outside-the-rules cases for victims of trafficking or domestic violence outside the standard concession routes.
The 2026 Home Office fee for FLR(HRO) is zero. There is no application fee and no Immigration Health Surcharge in the standard discretionary case, although individual applications can be re-flagged for fee if the Home Office determines the case is in fact a standard rules-based application that has been mis-filed.
FLR(IR): the indefinite leave fall-back route
FLR(IR) is the form used where an applicant who is approaching settlement applies for a further period of limited leave rather than indefinite leave to remain, typically because one of the ILR conditions (Life in the UK test, B1 English, continuous residence) is not yet satisfied. It bridges the applicant to a position where ILR can be applied for cleanly.
The 2026 FLR(IR) fee is GBP 1,321 with the standard Immigration Health Surcharge, and the grant length depends on the underlying route the applicant remains on.
The May 2025 white paper: 5 to 10 years on the partner route
The white paper "Restoring Control over the Immigration System", published in May 2025, proposed extending the standard qualifying period for settlement on most routes from 5 to 10 years. For the FLR(M) partner route specifically, that would mean four FLR(M) extensions of 2.5 years each before ILR rather than two. The white paper signalled this as a future Statement of Changes rather than an immediate rule, and as of May 2026 the change had not yet been laid before Parliament. Applicants currently in cycle on the 5-year route are likely to be protected by transitional provisions when the change is enacted.
Section 3C protection during an FLR application
An FLR application submitted before the existing leave expires triggers section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. That section automatically extends the existing leave (and all the conditions attached to it, including the right to work and the right to NHS access) until the application is decided. If the FLR application is refused, section 3C leave continues during any in-time administrative review or appeal. The protection ends only when the application is finally refused with no further appeal route open, or when the applicant withdraws.
Filing FLR after the existing leave has expired loses section 3C protection. The applicant becomes an overstayer at the moment the original leave ended, and the application is at risk of being refused on suitability grounds. The 14-day overstay grace period under paragraph 39E of the Immigration Rules is the narrow exception, requiring a good reason for the delay.
Documentary evidence common to all FLR forms
Each FLR form requires a defined evidence bundle. For FLR(M), the partner relationship is evidenced by a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate, joint financial documents covering the previous 2.5 years (bank statements, council tax bills, tenancy agreements), and the financial requirement evidence (6 months of payslips or 12 months of self-assessment returns). For FLR(FP), child birth certificates and shared-care evidence are central. For FLR(HRO), the discretionary case statement and supporting witness letters are the core of the bundle.
The Home Office's document checklist is updated periodically through the GOV.UK page for each form. Submitting the application without a checklist item present is not always fatal: the caseworker may issue a request for further information rather than refuse outright, particularly on partner-route applications where the evidence base is otherwise strong.
What this means in practice
An applicant first granted leave as a partner in October 2023 sits on the 5-year route. Their first FLR(M) extension is due in April 2026. They submit FLR(M) with the 2026 fee of GBP 1,321 plus an IHS line of GBP 2,587 for the 2.5-year grant, plus the same again for their spouse-dependant child if applicable. The extension is granted to October 2028. They become eligible to apply for ILR in October 2028. If the May 2025 white paper proposals are enacted in 2027 with transitional protection for in-cycle applicants, this applicant retains the 5-year pathway and reaches ILR in 2028 as planned.
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How we verified this
The FLR form structure and 2026 fees were cross-checked against the Home Office fee schedule on gov.uk and the Appendix FM guidance at gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-family-members, accessed May 2026. The Immigration Health Surcharge figure of GBP 1,035 a year for adults is the rate set on 6 October 2023 and unchanged through 2026 per the GOV.UK healthcare surcharge page. Paragraph 276ADE references the Immigration Rules Part 7. The May 2025 white paper "Restoring Control over the Immigration System" was consulted in its published form on the GOV.UK publications service. Section 3C in-time protection traces to the Immigration Act 1971 on legislation.gov.uk.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for informational and educational purposes only. Kaeltripton.com is an independent UK editorial publisher, not authorised or regulated by the FCA or OISC. Nothing on this page constitutes immigration, legal or visa advice. Always verify with GOV.UK or an OISC-registered adviser before acting. ICO registered ZC135439.
Frequently asked questions
Is FLR a type of visa?
No. FLR stands for Further Leave to Remain and refers to a family of application forms used to extend an existing UK immigration permission from inside the country. The underlying visa is whichever Immigration Rules Appendix the applicant holds leave under, such as Appendix FM for partners.
How much does FLR(M) cost in 2026?
The 2026 FLR(M) Home Office fee is GBP 1,321. The Immigration Health Surcharge sits on top at GBP 1,035 a year for adults and GBP 776 a year for children, paid up-front for the 2.5-year grant period, so a typical adult application carries an IHS line of GBP 2,587 in addition to the form fee.
What is the difference between FLR(M) and FLR(FP)?
FLR(M) is the standard 5-year partner route under Appendix FM. FLR(FP) is the 10-year family and private life route, used where the financial requirement is not met but there is a qualifying child or insurmountable obstacle, or for private life applications under paragraph 276ADE of the Immigration Rules.
Does FLR(HRO) attract a fee?
No fee applies in 2026 for a properly classified FLR(HRO) application, and the Immigration Health Surcharge does not apply in the standard discretionary case. The Home Office may reclassify an application as a standard rules-based application if it concludes the discretion route was not appropriate.
What does the May 2025 white paper do to FLR(M)?
The white paper proposed extending the standard qualifying period for settlement from 5 to 10 years on most routes. For FLR(M) that would mean four 2.5-year extensions before indefinite leave to remain rather than two. The change has not been laid before Parliament as of May 2026 and transitional protection for in-cycle applicants is expected.
Can I work while my FLR application is being decided?
Yes, in most cases. Section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends the conditions of the previous leave (including the right to work) while an in-time application is pending. The protection ends if the application is withdrawn or finally refused with no further appeal pending.
