Flr (Getting Another One)

[lamonster]

Hi,

My wife and I got married in the UK 4 years ago.

She has been here on a FLR visa since - and we were going to get ILR this time round but we had a baby 2 years ago, and with me at work, my wife just hasn't had the time to study (and going to college was impratical due to child care costs).

I was going to get her to college this September to get the English part of equation sorted out, and her current FLR runs out in August.

I was just looking at the new FLR forms - and it now says you need the LITUK Test / English requirement for the FLR now.

About to tear my hair out now, as she is not very confident about doing the computer test and was looking forward to going to school and boosting her confidence with language with other people in the same position.

Have I read this right - or as I saw on another forum this only applies to people outside the UK applying (she does have a close friend who just got another FLR without passing the test so hope this is the way it works now).

If she does need the lituk test and she can't pass it in time, what happens, no visa, and she has to go back to Thailand?

[Eff1n2ret]

It's not the "Life in the UK Test" that she will have to pass for FLR, it's this one:-

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsfragments/26-english-language-partners

One example of what the test is like is here:-

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=5A42B129484A0208

Skip the first 3 minutes which is just waffle.

Get her booked for a test as soon as poss and make sure you get her FLR application in before her current leave expires.

She'll still have to take the Life in the UK test if/when she applies for ILR.

[lamonster]

Thanks! Having taken a look at that test - I don't think she will have a problem with it other than needing a confidence boost, bit of fish out of water experience for her. Also I just noticed - its A1 in Speaking and Listening that are the critical parts of the test - so I guess that's the part I should get her to focus on?

Does anyone have any experience with test centres in London or Surrey they could share with me?

Are there any 40 hour i.e. 1 full time week training courses out there with the test at the end about that anyone knows of or can recommend?

I take it ILR is still just the life in the UK test?

I believe she qualifies for ILR having been here for over 4 years now - unless they changed the requirements for that?

In people opinion which of the two tests is easiest?

LIUKT I actually have the content in Thai so can clear up any miss-understanding pretty easily. She was supposed to start a course back in September for exactly this test, but she had to go home for a month due to her father passing away, so she was not in any mood for school when she got back and I never noticed they changed the rules again, just wish I had kept my ear to the ground on it.

[7by7]

The A1 test is the easiest, it is a test of her basic understanding of spoken English.

The LitUK test is written and harder.

She is time qualified for ILR, but must have a valid leave to remain in the UK when she applies. So if she cannot take the LitUK test, or a suitable course, before her current leave expires she will need to obtain FLR, and to apply for that she need the A1 test first.

[bobrussell]

Give your local college a ring. ESOL courses are run in many of them and can be great fun. They will help your wife increase in confidence as well. Some of them have crèche facilities which may help you with the childcare. The courses are generally one day a week and are quite short days (my wife goes to the local college in Southampton).

There is no need to do the Life In The UK test if your wife moves from one ESOL level to the next. Make sure the college are willing to write a letter that meets the requirements of the UKBA (stating that it includes citizenship materials).

The cost is £200-300 a year here but may be higher for the first year for students from outside the EU. Many on my wife's course are eastern Europeans and seem to pay a tenner!

She has enjoyed the classes and gained considerably in her understanding of the sometimes rather odd ways of the UK!

FLR is a very expensive way of staying in the UK compared to ILR!

[lamonster]

Give your local college a ring. ESOL courses are run in many of them and can be great fun. They will help your wife increase in confidence as well. Some of them have crèche facilities which may help you with the childcare. The courses are generally one day a week and are quite short days (my wife goes to the local college in Southampton).

There is no need to do the Life In The UK test if your wife moves from one ESOL level to the next. Make sure the college are willing to write a letter that meets the requirements of the UKBA (stating that it includes citizenship materials).

The cost is £200-300 a year here but may be higher for the first year for students from outside the EU. Many on my wife's course are eastern Europeans and seem to pay a tenner!

She has enjoyed the classes and gained considerably in her understanding of the sometimes rather odd ways of the UK!

FLR is a very expensive way of staying in the UK compared to ILR!

I had her booked to start a course exactly like that one back Sept 2010 - however - her father passed away in July and she didn't get back to the UK until Aug, and was not in the right state to start a course she was really down for a bit after as can be expected).

This is when I thought, never mind ILR can wait a bit another FLR is hardly end of the world now after the fiasco that we went through to get here Fiance visa, I thought I would check up on the forms couple months in advance of needin to apply and bam new requirement I missed in the news back in November time.

She is now craming for the LITUK, to do the ILR route (not as social as the coure would have been but beggers can't be choosers) which she seems to be doing ok on the practive tests and she has not read all the book yet, I am having to explain some of the stuff to her but she is doing ok so far.