FLR(FP) Applications: The 10-Year Partner Route Explained
When you can’t meet every spouse visa requirement, the FLR(FP) route can still let you stay with your partner in the UK. Our London immigration solicitors build EX.1 and Article 8 cases that stand up to Home Office scrutiny.
An FLR(FP) application is how someone already in the UK asks the Home Office for permission to stay with their partner under the “family and private life” 10-year route. It’s used when they can’t meet every requirement of the standard 5-year spouse visa, usually the financial or immigration-status requirements. If the application succeeds, the applicant gets 30 months’ leave at a time and can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 10 years in total.
Because the route depends on proving exceptions, not ticking boxes, FLR(FP) partner applications are among the most evidence-heavy and most often refused family applications. Adam Bernard Solicitors prepares FLR(FP) cases from our High Holborn and Upton Park offices in London. Our solicitors are regulated by the SRA.
What is the FLR(FP) 10-year partner route?
The 10-year partner route lets a partner of a British citizen, settled person, refugee or person with humanitarian protection stay in the UK when they meet the relationship and suitability requirements but not all of the 5-year route requirements. It is set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. The key exception is paragraph EX.1.
In practice, applicants use this route when:
- the couple can’t meet the £29,000 minimum income requirement
- the applicant is in the UK without valid leave (for example, an overstayer or someone whose visa was curtailed), so the 5-year route’s immigration-status requirement can’t be met
- the applicant entered the UK on a visit visa or other route that doesn’t allow a switch into the partner route
- the couple are applying from inside the UK and it would be unjustifiably harsh to expect the applicant to leave and apply from abroad
If you do meet every requirement, the faster 5-year route is almost always better. See our spouse visa extension (FLR(M)) page.
FLR(M) vs FLR(FP): which route applies?
| FLR(M): 5-year route | FLR(FP): 10-year route | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it’s for | Partners who meet all Appendix FM requirements | Partners who meet relationship and suitability requirements but rely on EX.1 or exceptional circumstances |
| Financial requirement | Must meet £29,000 (or savings/exemption) | Not required if EX.1 applies |
| English language | Required (A2 at the first extension) | Required unless EX.1 applies |
| Leave granted | 30 months | 30 months |
| Time to ILR | 5 years | 10 years (4 grants) |
| Home Office fee (2026) | £1,407 | £1,407 |
| Fee waiver available? | No | Yes, if you can’t afford it |
Already on the 10-year route but now meet the 5-year requirements? You may be able to switch from the 10-year to the 5-year route. For an overview of every further leave option, see our FLR solicitors London page.
EX.1: the exception at the heart of FLR(FP)
Paragraph EX.1 lets the Home Office grant leave even when the financial, English language or immigration-status requirements aren’t met. There are two limbs.
EX.1(a) – a child. The applicant has a genuine and subsisting parental relationship with a child who is under 18 (or was under 18 when the application was first made), is in the UK, and is either a British citizen or has lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years. It must also be unreasonable to expect the child to leave the UK. The child’s best interests are a primary consideration. Parents applying on this basis should see our dedicated Parent of a British Child visa page.
EX.1(b) – a partner. The applicant is in a genuine and subsisting relationship with a partner who is in the UK and is a British citizen, settled in the UK, or has refugee leave or humanitarian protection, and there are insurmountable obstacles to family life with that partner continuing outside the UK.
EX.1(b) is where most partner cases are won or lost.
What counts as "insurmountable obstacles"?
Paragraph EX.2 defines insurmountable obstacles as very significant difficulties that the couple would face in continuing family life together outside the UK, which couldn’t be overcome or would cause very serious hardship for the applicant or their partner. It is a high threshold. Inconvenience, a drop in living standards or a preference to stay in the UK won’t meet it.
Factors the Home Office and the tribunal treat as capable of meeting the test include:
- Serious health conditions of either partner where adequate treatment is not accessible in the other country
- Risk to safety, for example where the relationship would not be accepted in the applicant’s country (such as same-sex or inter-faith couples)
- The British partner’s ties, such as care responsibilities for a disabled or elderly relative in the UK
- Legal barriers, where the UK partner could not lawfully live or obtain residence in the applicant’s country
- Language, cultural and practical barriers, but only in combination with other factors, rarely on their own
Evidence is decisive. Strong applications include medical evidence, expert country reports, witness statements and a detailed legal representations letter that applies the test to the facts. Home Office decision-makers follow the published family life, private life and exceptional circumstances guidance. We build every submission around it.
Exceptional circumstances (GEN.3.2) when EX.1 is not met
If EX.1 doesn’t apply, leave can still be granted under paragraph GEN.3.2 where refusal would cause unjustifiably harsh consequences and breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The decision-maker must weigh the public interest factors in section 117B of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, including English language ability, financial independence and whether the relationship formed while the applicant’s status was precarious or unlawful.
For Article 8 claims outside the family rules, see our human rights applications page.
FLR(FP) fees and processing times in 2026
The Home Office fee for an FLR(FP) application is £1,407 per person, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year for adults (£776 for under-18s). For a standard 30-month grant, that’s £2,587.50 IHS per adult. Current fees are in the Home Office immigration and nationality fees table.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee (per applicant) | £1,407 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (adult, 30 months) | £2,587.50 |
| Priority service (optional) | £500 |
| Super Priority service (optional) | £1,000 |
Fee waiver: unlike FLR(M), an FLR(FP) applicant who can’t afford the fee can apply for a fee waiver first. If the waiver is granted, the application fee and IHS are both waived. The waiver request needs full financial disclosure (bank statements, accommodation and support details), so it must be prepared as carefully as the main application.
Processing time: standard in-country family applications are usually decided within about 8 weeks, but complex EX.1 cases often take longer. Apply before your current leave expires. A valid in-time application keeps your existing conditions in place under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 while it’s pending.
Recent rule changes affecting the partner route
- Partners of refugees (HC 259, from 30 July 2026): since 2 March 2026, refugees and people with humanitarian protection receive 30-month grants. Their partners granted leave under Appendix FM now get leave in line with the remainder of the sponsor’s grant, not a full 30 months. See the HC 259 explanatory memorandum. We explain every change in our HC 259 guide.
- Earned settlement proposals: the government has proposed longer qualifying periods for settlement on many routes. Anyone on the 10-year route should get advice before each extension. See our analysis of the earned settlement announcement.
Other FLR(FP) applications and where to find them
FLR(FP) is also used for parents, children and long-resident applicants. Each has its own page:
- Parent of a British or 7-year child: Parent of a British Child visa
- Children applying with or after a parent: Child visa to join parents
- 20 years’ residence, half-life or 7-year child (private life): Private life application, governed by Appendix Private Life
- All UK family visa routes, including from abroad: UK family visa
If your FLR(FP) application is refused
An FLR(FP) refusal is usually a refusal of a human rights claim, so it normally carries a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, not administrative review. Deadlines are short: 14 days from the decision if you’re in the UK. Our immigration appeals team handles these cases. Where there’s no right of appeal, judicial review may be available.
Why instruct Adam Bernard Solicitors for FLR(FP)
- Evidence-led representations: we draft a full legal submission that applies EX.1, EX.2 and GEN.3.2 to your facts. We don’t send a bare form.
- Fee waiver preparation alongside the main application, so the case isn’t delayed
- Route strategy: we check whether you can use the 5-year route now, or switch to it later, so you don’t spend longer on the 10-year route than you need to
- Two London offices (High Holborn and Upton Park), plus video consultations by Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp or Skype
- SRA-regulated solicitors, more than 15 years in practice and over 15,000 clients served
Speak to our FLR(FP) solicitors today: call 0207 100 2525 (24/7) or book a free consultation.
FLR(FP) frequently asked questions
What does FLR(FP) stand for?
Is FLR(FP) a 5-year or 10-year route?
How much does an FLR(FP) application cost in 2026?
Can I apply for FLR(FP) if I have overstayed?
What is the difference between EX.1 and GEN.3.2?
Can I switch from FLR(FP) to FLR(M)?
Can I work on FLR(FP) leave?
What happens if my FLR(FP) application is refused?
This page is for general information only and doesn’t constitute legal advice. Rules and fees last checked 30 September 2026.
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