If you’ve submitted an online FLRFP fee waiver request and are waiting for a decision, you can submit your main application in the same category before the waiver decision is made. In this case, the fee waiver submission date remains your official application date. Once your FLRFP application becomes valid (you’ve given fingerprints), you can switch to a Skilled Worker visa.

Two routes: with a fee waiver and in parallel with payment

The new rule, introduced on 8 October, relates to paragraph 34G of the Immigration Rules. The key point: the application date is determined by the date the fee waiver request was submitted, not the date of the main application.

First option: you received a fee waiver decision and submitted your main application within 10 working days. This means your application date is the date the fee waiver was submitted.

Second option: you submitted a fee waiver but the review is taking a long time, and during that period your financial situation improved. You can submit a paid application even before the fee waiver decision is made. If you do this, the application date will still be the fee waiver date, and the waiver decision itself becomes irrelevant.

Important condition: only the same category

If you submitted a fee waiver for Family Life Relative, the main application must be in the same category — either paid or free (if you receive a positive waiver decision). You cannot submit a fee waiver for one category and then submit a paid application for another, such as Skilled Worker.

Trying to switch to a different category is a common mistake. While the fee waiver is being considered, any main application must be in the same category.

Application validity: fingerprints are mandatory

Key point: your FLRFP application is only considered valid after you’ve provided fingerprints within the mandatory timeframe. This is necessary for paragraph 3C (continuation of leave) to apply.

Only once the application becomes valid can you switch to a different category, such as a Skilled Worker visa. Switching is not possible before fingerprints are given.

When you can switch to Skilled Worker

General pattern: submit FLRFP → give fingerprints → application becomes valid → now you can switch to Skilled Worker.

This means you’re not obliged to wait for the fee waiver decision. If your finances allow you to pay for the main application, you can consider other visa categories — you are not bound by the original fee waiver.

Paragraph 34G4: updated in the Immigration Rules

The rule is contained in paragraph 34G4 of the updated Immigration Rules. It directly addresses situations where a person’s financial situation changes while the fee waiver is being considered. If you’re planning to change something during the application review process, be sure to study this paragraph carefully, as the conditions there are strict.