# VAF4A Online Form Question - 'How long do you intend to stay in the UK?'



## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

The online VAF4A form has this question:

'How long do you intend to stay in the UK?'

My Japanese wife is applying for a visa to 'join family in the UK'. This is her first visa application.

Which answer should she give:

A] Forever

B] For 2 and a half years. (Effectively, until her visa runs out.)


If she says 'forever' then it may look as if she intends to stay illegally after her visa expires (which she doesn't).

But if she says 'For 2 and a half years' it may look as if she doesn't really want to begin the 'settlement route', because it sounds like she does not want to settle in the UK.

Maybe I'm making too much of this question! Can anyone tell me how they responded to this question?

Thankslane:


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

2 1/2 years.


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks Nyclon.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

It's always safe to state the length of your visa you are going for, in this case 30 months (actually 33 months to give you a 3-month cushion to arrange travel and relocation). In theory you can put 'indefinite', as it's your intention to settle in UK, but you aren't applying for settlement on this visa and whether you can actually stay indefinitely is subject to further applications (two more) and whether you are approved or not. Also people can change their mind.


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Thank you Joppa.

I have one more question about using the online form on Visa4UK:

Some fields seem to have a limit on characters you can enter.

For example, on the question that asks you to state the issuing authority of the passport, my wife wanted to enter 'MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS' but it would only let her enter so much so she entered 'MINISTRY OF F.A.' and made a note in the extra information section at the end of the application about this.

Does everyone encounter this problem, or is this something to do with the browser we are using?

Thanks


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

That would be fine.


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks for your help.


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## keemnal (May 25, 2014)

Laurie17 said:


> The online VAF4A form has this question:
> 
> 'How long do you intend to stay in the UK?'
> 
> ...


I put "permanently as wife" because it is a settlement visa and I was in the mindset of proving my intention to remain in the UK. I hope they don't think this means I am planning to stay on illegally. That would be a completely false impression.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

They will probably understand that but the correct answer is to state the length of the visa you are applying for.


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