CornishCowboy Spouse visa journey-questions/updates/info

Seem to have a new question/confusion. We've got all documents to send and have submitted a new application. I'm on the vfs site to sign up for a priority application BUT it now makes you register and upload documents? Is that a new process? I can't seem to find any way around this.

Seem to have a new question/confusion. We've got all documents to send and have submitted a new application. I'm on the vfs site to sign up for a priority application BUT it now makes you register and upload documents? Is that a new process? I can't seem to find any way around this.

It shouldn't do that, I don't think - at least, no one else has mentioned having to do that - because you have to mail all your documents to New York.

Are you definitely selecting the correct priority processing option?

You need to make sure you have selected the right processing centre, which for you will be:

USA - Application Support Centre

And you need this priority service:
https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/us/en/premium-services/priority-visa-for-settlement

Unfortunately, I can't get any further than that page without submitting a visa application myself and registering.

Thanks for your help but yes confirmed a few times it's correct priority processing. In previous posts I made the mistake of submitting application before it was necessarily ready and had to cancel everything. That error makes me think this is something new. I swear I didn't do this last time but now seems to force you to even when choosing Application Support Center.

It's really weird. I'm also convinced the website is wrong. We are making a blank document to just upload as we are still definitely submitting everything in paper to NY. We are wondering if possible to get through that screen to the payment page.

Thanks for your help but yes confirmed a few times it's correct priority processing. In previous posts I made the mistake of submitting application before it was necessarily ready and had to cancel everything. That error makes me think this is something new. I swear I didn't do this last time but now seems to force you to even when choosing Application Support Center.

Yeah, it could be a new thing... the whole application system is new and no one on the forum has gone all the way through it from start to finish yet, so we're not really sure how it's all working.

Looking through the VFS Global USA webpages though, there doesn't seem to be any mention of having to upload any documents at all... and actually, if I do a Google search, it comes up with pages (for other countries) that it says mention uploading supporting documents, but when you actually go to that page, there is nothing about uploading on it!

I'll write another post in a bit detailing how we got around that upload documents. It was weird and I'm convinced the VFS website is garbage.

Quick question to double check-Form VAF4A Appendix 2 states you must fill out VAF4A. The official website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-uk-visa-for-family-settlement-form-vaf4a though states that this is for North Korea only.  We will not fill out VAF4A.

Thanks again,

I'm convinced the VFS website is garbage.

You are not wrong! It is utter garbage!

The online form from replaces the VAF4A in all countries but North Korea so you're correct, no paper VAF4A for US applicants.

I'll write another post in a bit detailing how we got around that upload documents. It was weird and I'm convinced the VFS website is garbage.

Quick question to double check-Form VAF4A Appendix 2 states you must fill out VAF4A. The official website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-uk-visa-for-family-settlement-form-vaf4a though states that this is for North Korea only.  We will not fill out VAF4A.

VAF4a is just the paper version of the online application. It is not accepted in the US (or any country except North Korea).

So, when it says you need to fill out VAF4a, they mean you have to complete the online application form.

In fact, for the last couple of years, the VAF4a form wasn't even available through that link anyway. If you clicked on it and tried to open the form, it came up with a one-page PDF that said something like 'Please wait... you will be redirected', but as it was a PDF, nothing happened . Looks like they have finally put the actual form back up again now.

Wanted to report my experience purchasing Priority access for the application. The VFS Global site forced us to register. When registering we had to enter basic info like passport number. That makes sense I guess but the strange part is it forced us to upload supporting documents like financial, accommodation documents.

We knew this was incorrect as we'd be mailing them only. After trying to get past this screen a few times we saw we'd have to put something in the field to advance to payment. We created a PDF saying 'mailing in documents' and had to then upload that PDF at about 10 different steps. Finally after getting through that we were able to submit payment. I then was able to print my receipt. The receipt has a third page stating documents uploaded but I'm not including that in the application as it just states 'mailing in documents' like ten times.

As a final side note VFS emailed the receipt to me. The PDF was password protected. Hmm, I tried using the password for my VFS account which didn't work. So literally you can't retrieve the receipt they emailed to you because it's password protected. That site is insanely bad...

You are not wrong! It is utter garbage!

The online form from replaces the VAF4A in all countries but North Korea so you're correct, no paper VAF4A for US applicants.

Sorry to bombard this thread but I’m confused about the VAF4A. Is there an actual online application for it now? I’m getting all our documents together to reapply and I manually filled out Appendix 2 of VAF4A as I did for my first visa application. I don’t see any of the questions included in the online visa application so I’m a bit confused. Thank you so much!

Sorry to bombard this thread but I’m confused about the VAF4A. Is there an actual online application for it now? I’m getting all our documents together to reapply and I manually filled out Appendix 2 of VAF4A as I did for my first visa application. I don’t see any of the questions included in the online visa application so I’m a bit confused. Thank you so much!

The online application is the equivalent of the VAF4A form.  It's been like that for years. You need Appendix 2 in addition to the online application.

The online application is the equivalent of the VAF4A form.  It's been like that for years. You need Appendix 2 in addition to the online application.

I got it right after posting, thanks. So I’m clear, Appendix 2 is still a form that is printed and manually filled in? Thanks, again.

Sorry to bombard this thread but I’m confused about the VAF4A. Is there an actual online application for it now? I’m getting all our documents together to reapply and I manually filled out Appendix 2 of VAF4A as I did for my first visa application. I don’t see any of the questions included in the online visa application so I’m a bit confused. Thank you so much!

VAF4a has been an online form for many years now. The paper VAF4a has not been accepted in the US for more than a decade, because it was replaced with the online form years ago.

However, this is NOT to be confused with the VAF4a Appendix 2 form, which is something different.

There are two forms you have to fill out:

1. the online application form (or if you are in North Korea, you fill out VAF4a)... this is a generic application form containing general questions about the applicant (and it's pretty much the same for all visa types)

2. the paper VAF4a Appendix 2... this is the second half of the fiance/spousal visa application and contains all the questions about how you meet the spousal visa requirements (finances, accommodation and relationship).

VAF4a has been an online form for many years now. The paper VAF4a has not been accepted in the US for more than a decade, because it was replaced with the online form years ago.

However, this is NOT to be confused with the VAF4a Appendix 2 form, which is something different.

There are two forms you have to fill out:

1. the online application form (or if you are in North Korea, you fill out VAF4a)... this is a generic application form containing general questions about the applicant (and it's pretty much the same for all visa types)

2. the paper VAF4a Appendix 2... this is the second half of the fiance/spousal visa application and contains all the questions about how you meet the spousal visa requirements (finances, accommodation and relationship).

Thank you! With the change to NYC I was afraid other major components had changed too.

I got it right after posting, thanks. So I’m clear, Appendix 2 is still a form that is printed and manually filled in? Thanks, again.

Yes. 

As a final side note VFS emailed the receipt to me. The PDF was password protected. Hmm, I tried using the password for my VFS account which didn't work. So literally you can't retrieve the receipt they emailed to you because it's password protected. That site is insanely bad...

Did you manage to access the receipt?

You used to be able to download the receipt from your account on the VFS Global website as well, so is that a possibility?