Last reviewed: 2 June 2026
The UK Spouse Visa grants 33 months of initial leave to enter, after which the applicant applies for a 30-month extension on form FLR(M) and then for Indefinite Leave to Remain at the five-year point. The cohabitation and address evidence that supports the extension and the ILR application is built from the day of arrival, not assembled at the end, and applicants who delay setting up their UK financial, healthcare and digital-identity footprint may face an evidence gap at the extension stage. This post provides an overview of the essential steps to take after arriving in the UK on a UK Spouse Visa.
Access your UKVI account and check your eVisa
Spouse Visa holders now receive an eVisa (online immigration status) when their application is successful. Previously, immigration permission was issued in the form of a vignette in the applicant’s passport. The eVisa is held in the applicant’s UKVI account and is the official record of immigration status.
The applicant should sign in to the UKVI account using the credentials issued during the visa application process and confirm that the leave granted, the conditions, and the expiry date match what was approved. Then the applicant may travel to the UK with their eVisa.
The account is the source of every share code the applicant will need to prove status to employers, landlords and government services, so checking it is accessible before the first work or rental document is required is the safer course.
Guidance is on the GOV.UK page for your eVisa and UKVI account.
Prove your immigration status using a share code
When in the UK, employers, landlords and certain government services require evidence of immigration status before the holder can take up work, rent accommodation, or claim relevant entitlements. Since 6 April 2022, biometric cards have been removed from the lists of acceptable documents for manual right-to-work and right-to-rent checks, and the online share-code service is the standard route.
The share code is generated from the UKVI account on demand. The applicant generates a code, gives it to the employer or landlord along with the applicant’s date of birth, and the recipient verifies the status online. Each share code is single-use and expires after a short window, so the code should be generated close to the check rather than in advance. The two main services are prove your right to work to an employer and prove your right to rent in England. The eVisa or any remaining BRP is not given to the employer or landlord; only the share code is shared.
Open a UK bank account
A UK bank account is needed to receive salary, pay household bills and build the joint financial evidence that supports the future Spouse Visa extension and Indefinite Leave to Remain applications.
Most retail banks require proof of UK address to open a standard current account, which can be evidenced through a tenancy agreement, a council tax bill in the applicant’s name, or a utility bill at the shared address. Several digital banks offer accounts that can be opened with a passport and a UK address without a separate proof-of-address document, which is a useful first step shortly after arrival.
A joint account in the names of both partners is added once the standard documents are in place, and the joint account statements support the cohabitation evidence at the extension stage. The applicant should retain bank statements from the date of arrival; gaps in the statement run at the extension stage are a common evidence weakness.
To discuss building the extension and ILR evidence base from arrival, contact our immigration team on 0208 757 5751 or use our Contact Form.
Apply for a National Insurance number
A National Insurance (NI) number is not strictly mandatory for a Spouse Visa holder, but it is required by most UK employers in order to set up the payroll record and by HMRC to record National Insurance contributions and tax against the applicant’s name.
Where an NI number has not been issued, the application is made on the GOV.UK apply for a National Insurance number page using the applicant’s passport and proof of identity. The NI number can take up to four weeks to be issued, so the application is best made within the first month of arrival to avoid delays at the start of employment.
Register with a local GP
Spouse Visa applicants pay the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of the visa application, which provides access to NHS healthcare on the same terms as a UK resident. Registration with a local General Practitioner (GP) is the route into NHS primary care services.
NHS GP registration is open to anyone living in the UK regardless of immigration status, and proof of address is not required under the published NHS guidance on how to register with a GP surgery.
GP registration is recommended early after arrival because access to a registered GP supports continuity of care and provides a documented point of contact at the UK address that can be used as evidence of residence in the future. A confirmation of GP registration is one of the more easily evidenced cohabitation documents at the extension stage.
Start collecting cohabitation evidence from day one
The Spouse Visa extension at the 30-month point and the ILR application at the five-year point both require evidence of a continuing genuine relationship and cohabitation across the qualifying period. The evidence is built from the day of arrival, not assembled retrospectively.
The strongest cohabitation evidence is documentary, dated, and from independent sources covering the full residence period. Joint bank account statements, joint utility bills, joint council tax bills, tenancy agreements or mortgage statements in joint names, NHS records at the shared address, and correspondence addressed to both partners at the same address all carry weight.
The Home Office’s evidence framework looks for six items of address-evidenced cohabitation across the qualifying period at the extension stage; gaps of more than six months can attract a request for further information. Setting up joint household arrangements in the first three months of arrival is the most reliable way to ensure the evidence is in place when needed.
Plan the timing for the FLR(M) extension
The Spouse Visa extension on form FLR(M) is submitted before the initial 33-month leave expires. The 30-month extension is granted on the same partner route, and ILR is applied for at the end of the five-year period.
The applicant should diarise the visa expiry date on arrival and plan to submit the FLR(M) application no later than 28 days before expiry.
The financial requirement at the extension stage is currently £29,000 per year for applicants whose initial application was made on or after 11 April 2024. The English language requirement at the extension stage is met at CEFR level A2. The English language requirement and the cohabitation evidence both need to be in place at the date of application, not in the weeks before; preparation typically begins around six months before submission.
What Works in Practice
The applicants who reach the FLR(M) extension and the later ILR application with the cleanest evidence base typically set up the UK household arrangements in the first two months of arrival. Joint tenancy, joint utility account, joint council tax, joint bank account, and shared NHS GP registration in the first 60 days produce documentary evidence covering nearly the entire 30-month period before the extension is due.
To discuss the FLR(M) extension or your early evidence-gathering plan, contact our team on 0208 757 5751 or use our Contact Form.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
The Spouse Visa is on a five-year route to settlement, and the work the applicant does in the first weeks of arrival shapes the evidence base for the extension at 30 months and the ILR application at five years.
Setting up the eVisa access, the joint household arrangements, the GP registration and the bank account at the start of the visa period is the most reliable way to avoid an evidence gap at the extension stage.
The Whytecroft Ford immigration team is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority and assists Spouse Visa holders across the full five-year route, from arrival administration through FLR(M) extension to ILR. The firm reviews the applicant’s evidence base, identifies any gaps before the extension is filed, advises on the financial requirement evidence, and prepares the FLR(M) and ILR applications against the rules in force at each date.
To discuss your Spouse Visa or the FLR(M) extension with the team, contact us on 0208 757 5751 or use our Contact Form.
Frequently asked questions
No. Biometric Residence Permits ceased to be issued from 31 October 2024.
Yes. The Spouse Visa permits employment in the UK without restriction. The employer will run a right-to-work check using a share code generated from the UKVI account.
Digital banks typically open a basic account within a few days using a passport and a UK address. Traditional retail banks may take longer because of the in-branch identity verification and address verification steps. Where the applicant needs an account quickly to receive salary, a digital bank is typically the fastest route.
Yes. The Spouse Visa is a multiple-entry visa during the validity period. Each absence is recorded; the cumulative time outside the UK is not in itself a barrier to the extension or ILR, but extended absences can affect the cohabitation evidence base. Travel during the initial 33 months should be planned so that the relationship continues to be evidenced as continuing.
The FLR(M) extension is applied for in the period before the initial 33-month leave expires; the application can be submitted up to 28 days before the visa is set to expire and must be submitted before the expiry date. Submitting late is an immigration breach and affects subsequent applications, so the date should be diarised on arrival.
Written and reviewed by Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team, authorised and regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration number F201900075. All guidance is researched against primary sources, including Appendix FM and Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules and the Home Office’s published guidance at GOV.UK. Reviewed every six months, or sooner following a relevant rule change. Last reviewed: 2 June 2026.
