Hi to you all, I am in the process of helping my gf to fill in the VAF1 and have got a couple of questions that maybe some one could help us with.

We are applying for a Tourist Visa for her to visit here and I am not sure about the duration of the visa, there are many to choose from, 6months to 10 years. I think a 6 month visa will suit our needs for now especially as we will hopefully be applying for a spouse visa early in 2009 but there again, are we better applying for a longer duration visa just in case we have to put our plans back a few months?

My second question is regarding the following extract I have copy/pasted for convenience;

6.10.17 If someone other than yourself is paying for all or any part of this visit, how much money will they give you?

Please provide full and current, independent and verifiable documentary evidence to support this. Please state currency e.g. US Dollars or UK Pounds Sterling

I will be booking her flight and paying for the application but at the moment, we can not give an exact figure for the cost of everything involved…………….how can we provide evidence if we haven’t booked the flight and paid for the application? Would it be easier to send her the money to cover the expenses so she can provide that as evidence……….If this is the case I am worried because I was hoping I could book her flight from here in the UK using the internet to find a good deal on the flight.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated

Many thanks

As a first visit your g/f should apply for a visa of six months' validity. Indeed, the longer-validity visit visas still only allow the holder to stay for a maximum of six months at a time.

I wouldn't worry too much about that question on the application form: just answer it as you see fit. Something along the lines of "my sponsor will pay for my trip as the expenses arise." You will then have to show that you have the wherewithal, either through income or savings or both, to pay for the trip.

Scouse.

Just to add a small rider,I asked almost the same question here a few months ago about this same question.Following the advice from scouse I put the same wording and also covered this in my sponsor letter.

When my g/f submitted the form, the person in the application centre crossed this out and said she should put a specific amount in other wise they(the Embassy) would return the form.As I was not allowed in with her, she just followed the instructions by the person at the counter and put in £2000.

It would appear that there is some confusion about this actual question and maybe the application centre have been told to do this by the Embassy.

We got the visa ok but I am not sure what would have happened if she had not altered the form.

Essentially, it's the visa applicant's form and s/he can complete it as they see fit. The application centre staff have their own idea of what it required without it necessarily being a true reflection of the reality. Indeed, the visa application form is a legal document and the application centre staff should not under any circumstances be advising people on how to complete forms, as they are not qualified to give immigration advice.

It's a dangerous game for them to play with the forthcoming change in the rules. I wonder what would happen if the VAC member of staff were to suggest a figure which the visa officer then decreed to be out of keeping with the sponsor's income? Technically, this could be deception and it could have been perpetrated by the embassy's own agents.

When I've previously submitted such complaints to the embassy, they've insisted that the application centre member of staff had no recollection of having compelled a visa applicant to have amended a form and that any alterations were independently made by the applicant - evident poppycock.

Scouse.