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Overseas government employees

Image of employees of an overseas government in the United Kingdom.

Extending your visa

This page explains how you can apply to extend your stay as an overseas government employee in the United Kingdom. Before you read this information you should make sure you meet the eligibility requirements for this category.

As an overseas government employee you will initially be given permission to stay in the United Kingdom for a maximum of two years. At the end of this two year period you can apply to extend your stay in the United Kingdom providing you are still employed by the same government or organisation. You should make your application before your permission to stay in the United Kingdom ends.

You can apply to extend your stay for a further three years.

Once you have been continuously employed as an overseas government employee in the United Kingdom for five years you can apply to stay in the United Kingdom permanently. This is called settlement. You should read the section on settlement for details.

How to apply

We call extending your stay applying for further leave to remain. To apply for an extension of stay as an overseas government employee you must use application form FLR(O). This application form and the accompanying guidance notes are available to download on the right side of this page. You should make sure you read the guidance notes fully before you make your application.

You will need to provide us with the following documents to support your application:

  • your passport;
  • a letter from your employer confirming he/she want to continue to employ you;
  • evidence that you can support and accommodate yourself without help from public funds.

You should provide the original document unless there is a good reason why you cannot.

You will need to pay a fee to cover the cost of processing your applications; you should read the page on cost for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is my immigration status while my application is being decided?

    If you make an application before your authorised stay ends, your existing immigration status will continue until your application is decided, even if the decision is not made until after the end of your permitted stay. If your existing visa or other permission to stay here allows you to work, you can continue to do so until your case is decided.

Application forms

Extension of stay in the United Kingdom (other categories)

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