hi everyone i am getting ready to send everything to my wife for her spouse visa app

[patrickm1978]

do you think this is ok for a history letter or would you change or add anything thanks



my name is patrick mcauley
i am the husband of Rotsen villariasa we got married on the 20th of august 2011
in my wifes home town of san fernando cebu .
our wedding was at st isidore roman catholic chuch
sadly my father patrick joe mcauley could not attend due to ill health
my mother doreen mcauley attended and my sister dorren ann mcauley both attended other family could not attend due to work and family matters.
ill give a brief history on how Rotsen and myself did meet.
well on march 2010 i was on a web site i joined called date in asia as i was looking to try find a soulmate and there i started chatting to Rotsen we exchanged messages there for a week or so then i asked Rotsen could we chat on yahoo messinger that way i could see her and she could see me. i remember the first time i seen her on cam she had the most beautiful warm smile i have ever seen. we both spoke about what we like in a partner. i told Rotsen i like a person that is family oriented and genuine and sincere rotsen also says she wanted to find someone with these qualities. at first we talked about our parents and siblings.
i told Rotsen i was the only son in my family and that i have 7 sisters 1 of them therisa that died and the others i told her that 4 are married and have husbands and they also have kids the other are not married yet.
Rotsen also spoke about her brothers and sisters and told me about her father and mother they live in tonggo san fernando just outside cebu
we spoke ever night on yahoo messinger some time for hours we did this for 3 months by this time i really was having very strong feelings for Rotsen i had fallen in love.
at this time i was working in a day care centre for adults with complex special needs and mental health problems i also was doing extra agency work in the hospital were i worked with nursing staff from cebu and davao i told them about Rotsen and asked about the phillippines i liked what i was told about the phillippines its a good catholic country and the people there are poor i guess but the one thing i notice was the people are very devoted to god and there families. i have a second cousin that is married to a woman for cebu they live in wales and they have 2 beautiful looking little girls and they seem so very happy.
i had 21 days holday time to take from my work and spoke to Rotsen i says i wanted to visit her as i must see her as now i had fallen in love for her she says she also had the same feelings. so on the Monday, August 9, 2010 i booked flights to come to visit Rotsen.
we were so excited to be meeting i arrived on the Friday, January 21, 2011 at manila i had to get a connecting flight to mactan airport cebu i arrived at Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 , 0555 am.
i collected my bags my hands were sweating and i felt nervious and excited i then walked out the arrivals hall and there she was wow she looked fantastic but she also was nervious
we went to her sisters place she lives with her sister and nephew jasper i was going to be staying there but myself and Rotsen also wanted to visit Bohol so we stayed in lapu lapu for some days then went to a booking shop and got sea jet tickets to take us to bohol we decided to stay in panglou for 5 days we hired a motorcycle and visited the chocolate hills
we seen tashiers and we visited the floting resturant and loboc river we even took the motorcycle a drive into tagbilaran.
i loved bohol so beautiful and peaceful at nights we walked on the beach no noise but the waves and the light from the moon reflecting from the water.
i told Rotsen i wanted to marry her she says yes i was so happy as was she we hugged and kissed i had never felf so happy as i did that day.
Rotsen told me her parents wish to see me and that the fiesta is on in san fernando so we went to her parents house i was feeling a bit shy to meet everyone but everyone was great Rotsen parents were such nice people they made me feel right at home. all her cousins and aunts and uncles all chatted to me i really enjoy to spend time with them they all were really into basketball and wanted me to play so that was fun also Rotsens parents have a small store there they sell groceries.
Nestor Rotsens father me and him got on very well he took me to see a cockfight and asked will i help him in his store to sell some drinks for the fiesta so we sold drinks and i asked him when i was alone with Nestor would he give his blessing for me to marry his daughter he says yes and we spoke about what we want for the future i told him i want to raise a family in the catholic faith and just to be happy i promise id look after his daughter Rotsens mum Maria was so happy for us also communication was difficult as she did not speak english but i felt i can understand her she had a very warm smile and she such a lovely woman when i spoke to her Rotsens or her sister Priz would tell het what i was saying and let me know what i says i really enjoyed this time with my soon to be inlaws.
we went back to cebu and everyday we went out for a meal in the big malls there sm or ayala everyday we done shopping and went to the cinema often we even play tin pin bowling at night in Babag Dos there was a kideoke we went there myself Rotsen Priz sometimes Efran young Jasper Rotsen & Priz really lovely singers it was fun going up there for the BBQ and to listen to them sing.
the next time we went to the mall i wanted to have a meal in a place there me and Rotsen love and had visited many time called Ria ri ken on the way we passed a shop called oro jellary i say to Rotsen lets have a look before we eat so we went in a we seen rings we like so i bargain the shop keeper and we bought our engagment rings the feeling i got when i seen Rotsen put her ring on made me and her very happy what a perfect day we had .
soon i was to return back home i asked Rotsen to visit me i would pay for everything she says she would need a visa so i got the required documents and we sent away the tourist visa it was not long until the eco contact Rotsen refusing her a visa to come here for the 5 months i was sponsering the visa and everything they Rotsen would have needed i would have provided even my parents had given writen approval for Rotsen to visit but it was refused we could have made appeals but i say dont bother as i had planed to come back soon to marry Rotsen. the day i had to go home it was hard we both crying but i had to go i promised ill be back soon to make her my wife.
every month i send moneygrams to my wife to support her living costs as she has no work not because she dont want to work its really hard to get a job there i know this only to well as i have friends from cebu and they have told me its near impossible to get work unless you you go to another place to find it. plus there is no benifts system in the phillippines so for this reason i send my wife any money she needs she only knows all she has to do is ask.
i started to look for flights to return there and booked to come back the day before her birthday.
but before coming back to cebu much planning was needed as we were having a catholic wedding and i needed to get the parish her in north ireland to send some documents there to allow us to have a catholic wedding.
we hired a wedding planner and they done everything for us Rotsen picked her dress and the the bridal party gowns and ordered a suit for her and her father and brothers
when i returned Rotsen was waiting me at the airport in manila we were so excited cause i arrived on a weekend the embassy was closed and i had to stay in manila until i got the the embassy to exchange my cni we arrive at the embassy and seen the clerk she looked at our documents and told us that Rotsens senimor was more then 3 months old so it was no good so we could not get a local certificate of freedom until she got a new senomar from the dfa we were very upset we had all out lugauge with us and wedding rings i bought the day before plus my ipad and ipod.
we got a taxi to drive us to the dfa it picked us up outside the embassy and drove us to the dfa we got out the taxi and i went to get our luggage out the trunk and the driver drove of with everything we asked for help from the police and even asked at the embassy could they look there cctv to see the taxi that collect us but they says they could not help we went on the radio and live tv trying to get the driver to bring our things back but no luck. Rotsen was in tears so was i but i told Rotsen look we can not allow this to spoil our plans we can relace everything .so we went back the the dfa and got the document the embassy was asking then they posted it out to us then we had to visit the partia office for obtain a marriage licence and attend a pre cana senomar then on the 20th we got married it was fantastic such a beautiful wedding and buy this time i did not really worry about the things that were stole from us in manila the only thing that dissaponted me my father not being able to attend due to his health. but the service we beautiful Rotsen look like a angel i fely very proud that day when he says you can now kiss your bride.
the reception was in singl mountain resort it was great everthing was perfect all rotsens family were there i think about 200 persons at least family and friends after the reception we went on honeymoon to the midtown hotel for 2 nights them barefoot beach resort moalboal for a week.
the time of our wedding i was there six weeks in total and when i return back home i really felt badly hurt to be far from my wife
i told rotsen that she would have to pass a english test at a1 level in order to be able to make a spouse visa application so we found a centre in cebu were she took and passed her test
we were told by the test centre that she would have her certificate in 2 weeks so we were happy but weeks turned into over 4 months i had contacted the test centre 100s of times and also city and guilds in this time and found out that her certificate was being held in hong kong due to the test centre disputing a invoice
i then made contact with the international manager from city and guilds and he shed light on our situation and told us he would give our certificates if i sent payments to there account in hong kong i was very angry as i had allready made payments to the centre in cebu but they did not forward them to city and guilds so i asked my wife to contact the police in cebu after doing this city and guilds sent my wifes certificate
this caused so much stress for us and anger as this was holding up our application but now rotsen has her certificate and all her other required documents we will make her application as soon as possible
i will be back in cebu on the 1st of april for 2 weeks i would have loved to have been there for more time but due to the work i do its not possible
when i am back in cebu we plan to visit bohol again with rotsen parents bohol is a wonderful place and i have very happy memories there for when rotsen and i last visited
i live with my parents in our large family home and my parents are fully supportive to myself and rotsen we will have our own living room and bedroom and toilet and dinning area the only thing that will be shared is the kitchen this house is bought and we can live here rent free forever i pay some bills direct from my bank account they are taken by direct debit i have savings in my credit union account to give myself and rotsen a healthy start
i have a fairly good salary that i get on the 27th or 28th of every month from my employer triangle housing i have a fully time contract and i can get as much over time as i like
i love my job i care for adults with learning disabilities here in my home town of ballycastle to do this job it requires that we are very professional and to care for our tennents in a person centred way making there lives more managable by promoting independent living skills my co workers from my current job and my last work are 100% behind me and rotsen and are there for me when i need them.
my local mep ian pasliey have given him fully support to rotsens visa application as has my local parish priest father daily also my sisters aunts uncles and cousins are behind us to give support and encouragement.
i love my wife so much and am excited to start our married live here in ballycastle and i pray to god above and our blessed virgin mary that we can be reunited to enjoy our married life.
when i was in cebu i seen many agency that offer help with visa application but i know they are not good and often abuse and exploite to turn a quick buck
so we are doing everything ourselfs getting all our documents rotsen shall fill in her form and submit it when i send the documents she needs from me.
i am a honest a decent man that just has only one wish to be with my wife rotsen we love one another and we feel a great deal of pain right now we chat on yahoo and skype or on the phone but its not enough we miss to hold one anothers hand and to kiss and cuddle
we dont need or ever want public funds i was getting dla for epilepsy but i have since contacted them to have this payment stopped as i dont wish it to effect rotsens application to join me here soon
if you have to contact me for further information please do so if it would help in anyway
from Patrick McAuley
Salamat po

[lastlid]

WOW. Long letter. But it reminds me of our own. I always said after that we should have submitted a box of kleenex tissues with our application as I felt the ECO would be in tears having read my letter :icon_lol:

One thing. Make sure any dates you quote in your letter tie in with relevant hotel dates, receipt dates etc etc where applicable. Make sure your dates in your letter tally with your other documents.

Also, if you can, put in capital letters at the start of each sentence and full stops at the end of each sentence. It isnt a grammar test, it just helps the reader. And maybe a lines worth of space between each paragraph too.

[Steve.r]

Overkill.... simplify it. I never read it all as I fell asleep. It's a bit Mills & Boon :)

I really dont think they need such a detailed account, keep to the facts, times, dates etc etc

Maybe bullet point flights, hotels, meetings, the real important stuff. I dont need to know what you had for breakfast or if it was raining on the second day or romantic strolls on the beach.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great story of love, but I think too much. :)

And as Lastlid says, make sure you use proper grammar, capitals and full stops.

[Rosie1958]

Overkill.... simplify it. I never read it all as I fell asleep. It's a bit Mills & Boon :)

I really dont think they need such a detailed account, keep to the facts, times, dates etc etc

Maybe bullet point flights, hotels, meetings, the real important stuff. I dont need to know what you had for breakfast or if it was raining on the second day or romantic strolls on the beach.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great story of love, but I think too much. :)

And as Lastlid says, make sure you use proper grammar, capitals and full stops.

I was thinking exactly the same as Steve and didn't finish reading it either. An important point to remember is that the officials that view the applications see so many and are really only interested in the facts. Submiting so much detail could end up with important facts being ignored. (I know when I receive very long CVs for job applications I always bin them.) Good luck with your application :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Terpe]

Please don't take as negative we just want to be sure the ECO will see the key facts.
I agree with steve, it's overkill. There's just too much that's irrelevant. I'm sure good memories for you both, but not objective enough.

The ECO's work under a target regime. They need to 'work' a set number of applications in set period of time.

Please cut at least 75%
Put in chronological order and have headings and key information in bold to make it easy to read and easy to see key issue you want the ECO to see.
Without some changes the ECO may well miss some important issues.

Focus on the key isssue that the ECO needs to know:-

- Outlining how and where you met
- How long you have been together
- How you have maintained contact
- Important events and meetings between yourselves
- The date and location of your marriage, who attended and plans you have made
for living in the UK

Although not essential, it can sometimes be helpful to include references or a listing of the different broad 'sections' of supporting documentary evidence.

Make it as easy as possible for the ECO to access and verify that key evidence he needs.
Keep it simple and above all be honest about everything. If there are exceptional circumstances about the application, anything complicated or unusual
about your application or if you need to seek some special concession, it should be clearly explained here.

If you've separated for longer than say than 3 or 4 months prior to the application also say how you maintained 'intervening devotion'. This would normally take the form of phone records or other forms of communication. Keep in mind that 'intervening devotion' means "evidence of contact" and not a complete transcript of each and every chat. Periodic examples are enough.

Just trying to help Patrick. Good luck.

[joebloggs]

paragraphs you need are

how you met

details about your job, savings.

and your accommodation

and your relationship now and in the future.

[lastlid]

I had a quick squint at ours this morning as I had forgotten, its a long while since I wrote it ( August). I separated the chief sections of the letter by paragraph. I was advised to try and make it a little bit interesting to brighten up the ECOs day. I was thinking of using headers but ultimately didn't as the paragraphs did the job well enough. It came to a page and a half of A4.

It ran much like Joe's listing above but included brief summaries of our face to face meetings in the Philippines. For example I mentioned our visit to her uncles crocodile farm, to liven it up a bit :omg:. This was matched by one of the photos that we enclosed in the photo portfolio of me and the wife holding a crocodile simultaneously (it had its mouth taped up and was a small one) so the letter tied in with the other evidence.

[joebloggs]

For example I mentioned our visit to her uncles crocodile farm, to liven it up a bit :omg:. This was matched by one of the photos that we enclosed in the photo portfolio of me and the wife holding a crocodile simultaneously (it had its mouth taped up and was a small one) so the letter tied in with the other evidence.

have you been to the Croc farm on Palawan, it was nearly as smelly as Liverpool :cwm24:

[lastlid]

have you been to the Croc farm on Palawan, it was nearly as smelly as Liverpool :cwm24:

No, not Palawan. There's one in Cavite. I dont recall it being smelly as such. But then that wasn't what I was focussed on at the time, I was more concerned with not being their meal for the day. :omg: Any smell would have been emanating from me. :D The farm isn't really a tourist attraction, just a farm per se.

Liverpool's a lot nicer these days. Liverpool 1 and all that. I was pleasantly surprised when I went there in November. Just like Manchester has changed a lot since I first moved there in 1985.

I thought the Suarez affair smelled a bit though.

[Dedworth]

Good luck with the application Patrick