Hello all

I am in the process of filling out the online vaf4a form and would like to know if i submit the form now,how long will it stay on their register?

We are planning on applying for a UK settlement visa in May this year as i have to have 6 months of bank statements showing i can fulfill the

financial requirement.I want to send everything over to her as i am in the UK at the moment and want her to go to regent house at the beginning of May and hopefully the visa will be ready in August as i am going over to Thailand on the 16th of August and booked a flight for her and our daughter to come back here on the 31st of August with me.Hopefully the visa will be granted before we return as it will be just short of 4 months and i've heard it usually takes 3 months for uk settlement visas to be decided.If anyone could clear this up for me as i want all the paperwork to be over there by early May at the latest.

Thanks in advance

Hi There,

From memory i think you must book your appointment within 30 days of the application - Also, after 7 days if you saved the form it deletes anyway (if you dont update it). Therefore, you are probably best to complete it 3 weeks before you apply.

Best of luck

Processing times vary according to demand, but since the new rules came into effect three months seems normal.

The visa will be valid for 33 months from the date of issue, but she will only need to have lived in the UK for 30 months in order to apply for FLR, the next stage.

So she has up to three months between the visa being issued and having to enter the UK for the first time.

In addition, she can ask in the application that the visa's start be postdated for up to three months; but if she does this she cannot use the visa until the date it starts.

Look at current processing times this is in excess of 12 weeks.