UK visa paper forms

[Trevor1809]

Can you no longer get paper forms for UK visas?

My wife is applying for a family visa for her son. She is getting "help" from somebody or other and as usual with Thailand I think that she is getting duff information. Like she needs to supply her Thai bank book. Given that she lives in the UK and this is for a family visa what has got to do with the visa application.

I want to look at a family via application but now I can only see this by making an actual application. I started a dummy application in the name of M Mouse and now it wants to go through the damn application page by page.

Surely I can see a blank application with all the questions without having to actually make an application?

[Upnotover]

You have to fill in the forms online, print the completed application and sign it.

The financial questions ask who is paying for the trip, how much it costs, how much it will cost the applicant personally, etc. If her son is not financing it all himself then his sponsor (your wife?) does need to provide financial information which could include a Thai bankbook, depends where the money is I suppose.

It doesn't take too long to go through the form, especially for a dummy run as you can skip quite some questions.

[Upnotover]

....or look at this.....seems pretty much the same as the online one.....https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255355/vaf1a.pdf

[bigyin]

You can make the application a bit at a time and save it. You don't have to do it all at once. So when you get to a bit that you need to think about just save it and resume when you are ready. Probably easier if you do the actual application.

[Trevor1809]

Looks like it is the VAF1B that applies. I would rather have a marked up paper copy then I can see what I still have to answer. I can look at it on the bus or on the train. Then do the final version on line. I am not sure I agree with drive the Government has to do every thing on line.

[SantiSuk]

Da_mn online thing kept crashing for me Monday (logging me out without warning and on other occasions bringing up 'lost connection to secure server' screens, both of which resulted in dissolved input). My connection is not brilliant but is TOT ADSL and I don't have these problems to this extent elsewhere. Discovered need to save at very regular intervals and for longer text input (like additional information) needs to be drafted offline and then pasted in. Over 2 days it has taken me about 4 hours to complete a child application* when 2 should have been long enough.

Their beta system (in testing on us guinea pigs) is absolute rubbish. Cheap systems job by the look of it. Clunky as f_c_. A million miles away from the sophistication of the HMRC tax return/tax accounting system. Shall write a complaint (online) later today.

If they insist on online forms they need to do far better than this. Paper option should be offered until they get it right.

*Recognising that applications for a child are more data consuming than for an adult

[Upnotover]

Looks like it is the VAF1B that applies. I would rather have a marked up paper copy then I can see what I still have to answer. I can look at it on the bus or on the train. Then do the final version on line. I am not sure I agree with drive the Government has to do every thing on line.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255356/vaf1b.pdf