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rands

21st November 2005, 19:03

Hello everyone,

I am new in this site. I am currently preparing for my fiance visa application. I need your advice regarding the application aside from the ones written in this site. I need to know what you think our CHANCES of getting a fiance visa.

Here is the case:

1. My fiance and i have met once for about a couple of weeks and we have known each other for 7 months. We have been committed for 5 months including online and until personal meeting.

2. We have evidence of this in the form of a. emails, b. greeting cards, c. photographs, and d. Yahoo Chat Log

Note that the emails and cards are only a few like 5-10 pcs as we usually use yahoo chat messenger and we chat for 3-5 hours. MY PROBLEM is most of our chats include very personal conversations which include sex and visa stuff and etc, which i think normal to a couple. PLEASE Advise on how to print this YAHOO CHAT LOG without the content but it included the entent of time of the chat cause as i see, it only shows the DATE, MY FIANCE NAME AND MY NAME.

3. The british fiance has complete papers.

THANKS a lot for your help.

Rands

walesrob

21st November 2005, 20:25

Pauldo

22nd November 2005, 10:00

ginapeterb

22nd November 2005, 11:45

Originally posted by rands@Nov 21 2005, 06:03 PM
Hello everyone,

I am new in this site. I am currently preparing for my fiance visa application. I need your advice regarding the application aside from the ones written in this site. I need to know what you think our CHANCES of getting a fiance visa.

Here is the case:

1. My fiance and i have met once for about a couple of weeks and we have known each other for 7 months. We have been committed for 5 months including online and until personal meeting.

2. We have evidence of this in the form of a. emails, b. greeting cards, c. photographs, and d. Yahoo Chat Log

Note that the emails and cards are only a few like 5-10 pcs as we usually use yahoo chat messenger and we chat for 3-5 hours. MY PROBLEM is most of our chats include very personal conversations which include sex and visa stuff and etc, which i think normal to a couple. PLEASE Advise on how to print this YAHOO CHAT LOG without the content but it included the entent of time of the chat cause as i see, it only shows the DATE, MY FIANCE NAME AND MY NAME.

3. The british fiance has complete papers.

THANKS a lot for your help.

Rands

Quoted post

Hello Rands,

Thanks for asking our advices regarding your personal set of circumstances, as my colleagues here at FilipinoUK have already told you, Rob has suggested I throw in my party peice, it wont be much different from my colleagues who have advised you on what you should do, yahoo chat transcripts are in themselves, not of much interest to ECO's (Entry Clearance Officers) in assessing your application, Im not sure, which one you are ? the applicant or the sponsor, what you must first do, is learn the terminology, for example, I always make clear in my writings on this forum and on my personal website, that the applicant which is the Filipino lady, has the task of convincing Entry Clearance Officers that the relationship is genuine, I often get asked by people, how do they do this or how is their decision reached ??

1. Quite simply their decision is based on a balance of probability !

How is this determined ?

Stage 1.

Evidence of Relationship[/B]

Evidence of Relationship is very hard for the ECO to not take into consideration, some sponsors have taken a rather blase attitude to this of late, and then complain when the applicant is refused a visa, for example, they seem to rely too much on E mails, chat logs, and one or two photos, as Paul has said, and Rob also has alluded too, there are too many Filipina's who establish relationships quickly via internet and then go for interviews, with foreign embassies, they may have been to different ones, in fact I know of one case, where a Filipina has been declined a visa 5 times with different foreign embassies, the US. the British, The German, the Dutch and the Italian Embassies.

Therefore, Entry Clearance Officers are normally very quick in picking out what they think is a short term long distance convenience relationship via internet, I would be honest with you even in my own situation Entry Clearance officers were quick to point out that my relationship with my wife started via internet, even though I had been to the Philippines 7 times in 2 years, and had spent over 3 months out of my working year, living in the Philippines, even though I had 6 ton of personal letters, and 3 albums of photos, and even though I had taken my then fiancee out of the Philippines for 3 overseas holidays, they still deemed it appropriate to question our sincerity in an interview, which I think you should at least have a look at, its on th is forum, somewhere in the UKvisas/British Citizenship section.

Therefore to complete the 1st stage, your evidence of relationship needs to be overwhelming, we always work on the principle, give them more than they are expecting, and then you have not left anything to chance.

For example, start writing nice hand written letters between the applicant and sponsor, the lettters should be formal, and well presented, make sure they have postmarks on, including local stamps, try and write at least 2 a week, (some people are going to tell you dont bother this is not neccessary !) they may be right ! and you might g et away with not having them, well some have got visas' without bothering to do this, thats the risk they took and its a risk you will take too, however, if you are that serious about getting a visa for the applicant, you will do everything possible not to leave the matter to chance, some sponsors in UK go to extraordinary lengths to make sure they have more than is required, In my own case I had a case file as thick as a book case on the subject, everything from Western Union money receipts, bank transfers, cards, letters, photo albums, gift receipts, photos of gifts sent, you name it I had it, when we showed p at the British Embassy, we had our things in 2 Rustans carrier bags, everyone looked at us, but we didnt care, the fact is, its your life and not theres, you only get one shot at this, if you are refused, an appeal can take up to 1 year, and then you come under the realms of the Asylum and Immigrations appeals Tribunal, representation is expensive at over £2500.00 per case, and to get it into court can take forever.

Still dont beleive me ? if you dont.....maybe you should think carefully, about what I have to say, and what others say, so, WRITE LETTERS NOW !!! Keep copies of everything, boarding cards, flowers receipts, just about anything you ever did, as for the 7 month thing, its ok, there is nothing wrong with that, you have met the applicant once, which fits the rules, remember what I said earlier, the ECO works on 1 thing, the balance of probability.

How is that defined ??

Home Office rules for Entry Clearance Officers leave the burden proof with the applicant, that is the Filipina applicant, it is normally her, or (him) in cases now, where the applicant must satisfy the ECO in an oral interview, that the balance of probability is tilted in the favour of the applicant, that he or she will live together with the sponsor in the UK as man and wife together, or if the applicant is for a fiancee visa, that the applicant intends to carry out a marriage ceremony and that they will live together as man and wife after a marriage has taken place, if the applicant fails to satisfy the ECO a visa is refused, the ECO must then give written reasons for the refusal and the applicant can appeal within 28 days, the applicant can ask the applicant to be reviewed by an Entry Clearance Manager, who can alter the decision, but dont hold your breath, I know the Entry Clearance Manager at the British Embassy Manila, her name is Jacqueline Lewin, and trust me, you dont want to have to be referred to her, you wont get any favours from her.

The Key is to get it right first time round, so the applicant has to convince the Entry Clearance officer that they intend to live together as man and wife, this is sadly determined through an oral interview, this is a question and answer session, where the ECO atttempts to establish the facts of the relationship, the decision whether to grant a visa is at best an arbitrary one, in other words, his or her word is final, they will say it like this

(A) I am satisfied with your application and I will grant you a visa come back tomorrow at 3pm to collect your passport.

or

(B) I am n ot satisfied with your application and I refuse your visa to enter the United Kingdom I will issue you with my written reasons for coming to this decision you can appeal within 28 days, and I will give you information on how to do this.

That is about the crux of the mattter, if you wish to study further in this regard, please go and study a transcript of my wife's interview here:

ete and Gina Bennetts British Embassy Experience

Well where do i start, perhaps at the beginning, as some of you will know, I had flown out to Manila with a good freind of mine, Steve Smith from Glasgow, who was also visiting his wife in Cavite, sadly, they had to cancel their settlement visa interview which was for the 9th of June, as they do not have the required evidence of accomodation, and other important documents, it was decided that he should cancel...to leave for later date and not suffer the chance of a refusal to issue a visa.

Gina and I flew to Manila on Saturday afternoon, wanting to be in town, for two things

1. To take stock of our paperwork and prepare.
2. To do some role playing on the ECO/Applicant interview.

Well as you will see later, we actually had a gift horse thrown at us, to perhaps help some of you in the future, I think the Embassy actually made a mistake, in that they accidentally released the notes they had made about the interview from their point of view, when Gina called on Tuesday to collect her Passport with the nice UK Entry Clearance Visa stamped neatly in the back.

The Morning of Monday the 6th June 2005 interview appointment time 11.00am.

Working on the basis of "its better to be earlier than late" Gina and i awoke around 6.30am and had a hearty breakfast, we left the hotel, with our massive Rustans shopping carrier bag, with the following items inside.

1. Evidence of relationship File.
2. Large Album of Photos spanning 2 years of courtship.
3. File with Application Forms, NSO Docs, Birth Certs, Mutliple Copies of this and that.
4. Wedding Album
5. 6 Ton of personal letters (Just Kidding - Keith will understand this one)
6. Passports

We arrived at the Embassy at around 10.15am for our 11.00am time slot, on arrival we noted the prescence of 2 Philippine Marine Guards with M16's and 1 Police Officer, also a civilian security guard, we were asked to deposit our ID Card, although I was not asked to leave ID..Gina was.

We then went to Ground Floor reception, at reception a Filipina asked us what our business was, She asked if it was for Visa, we stated affirmative, I then tried to go upstairs to the 15th Floor, but was denied entry, on the grounds that Sponsors are not allowed up to the Visa Section as their is no where for them to wait, and they are not allowed in the Interview room.

At that point I tried to argue the situation, again to no avail, a polite smile, and that it is the British Embassy policy, I had to leave Gina and say goodbye, she then proceeded upstairs in the lift without me, no doubt Rob went through same situation as I did.

Their is no where to actually wait outside the Embassy, so i made freinds with the Marines and started a conversation about everything from "Do you have a loaded weapon, or full magazine" to the weather, they let me stay there, outside, whilst other filipinos were asked to move on, this is something to note for the future, to anyone who goes after me, there is little point in my view of the Sponsor husband or fiance actually hanging around as

1. The Applicant cannot take a cellphone in to call you.
2. You have no idea how long they will be as I will show you.

Gina left to go upstairs at 10.15am, I did not see her again until 12.30pm, and by this time she had still not been called forward for her interview.

Let me explain further.

Remembering now it is 30 degrees outside on the sidewalk, the traffic is bedlam, the noise is incredible, standing on the corner of Ayala and Makati Avenue, opposite the Shangri-la is the worse place to actually be, and outside the LV Locsin Building they are altering the road, so there is no path, its a dogs dinner, and hot.

I managed to find out, that all applicants are interviewed on the basis of Alphabetical order, this is ok in principle, but as I found out, if your maiden name is Yap as Gina's is, (and by the way, it does not seem to be a problem, if you are married and are interviewed as what is in your passport..i.e. your maiden name, this has no relevance, so dont go worrying about changing your wife's passport to her married name, this can take up to 1 month)

So applicants are interviewed from the A's through to the Y's etc, this meant that all applicants that turned up in the morning, and appointments started at 08.30am, this seems to be irrelevant, therefore, in my case, after standing outside for 2 and 3 quarter hours, I was sweating, sticky and tired, Gina came out with another lady who both said, they had not even been called.

They were told to come back at 2pm.

So Gina and I..and another guy who was stood with me, Kenny from Birmingham, and Steve and Lorna my freinds, we all went to the Ayala Centre Museum Cafe, incidentally, this is nice, about 100 yards to your left and easily spottable, we had a nice lunch there, and its air conditioned throughout.

--------------------
Pete_Admin

Gina and Pete's Website

The British Embassy Afternoon Session

At 2pm we all returned to the front of the LV Locsin building and said our Goodbyes kenny and I again chatted outside, the time seemed to drag, until about 4.30...now another 2.5 hours of hanging around, we were told we could go around the back of the LV Locsin Building and there was a coffee shop..hahaha if you could call it that.

We went around the back, its more like a mini mart, with a few seats and tables, the coffee is basically, a cup with dried coffee and you help yourself to hot water, its about 20 P a cup, actually, we did not sit their long as we were both worried that the girls would come out and we would miss them, again as I have previously stated, there is no way to know if your partner has emerged.

We saw plenty of Filipina's coming out, who we stopped and asked them what they had applied for, there had been many refusals, but as I had previously thought, and now can put it to rest, the majority of applications in the daytime are for Student, Work and dependant Visa's a category which we have rarely discussed on the Forum.

Dependant Applications are for Filipino's who have relatives in the UK on permament work visas, I.E. Nurses and other skilled people under the "Skilled Migrant programme"

Most of the refusals we met, were dependants who had applied to join their relatives, there were we found out, only 7 Applicants who had gone up to the Embassy that day, (we got this information out of the Guard, who told us how many Settlement applications had slipped pas him)

The interesting thing I then found out, was that any applicant who showed up for an afternoon appointment was actually being interviwed before my Gina who had arrived at 10.15am, a bit shitty but true, Gina was in fact the last applicant to be interviewed that day.

When Gina arrived at 10.30am, she told me she sat until 11.00am, and was relieved of the following.

1. The VAFW2004
2. The current Fee P27,300
3. A Covering Letter I had written.
4. Our NSO Marriage Certificate
5. Her NSO Birth Certificate
6. Her Passport.

These were the only things taken, it was not until her Interview was she then asked to produce the following

1. My Divorce Decree Absolute.
2. 2nd Copy of Legal Capacity for Marriage
3. Evidence of Accomodation.
4. Bank Statements.
5. Letter from my Employer Stating Salary and Commissions for last 2 years.
6. Copy of NSO Marriage Certificate.

Although I had made it known to the ECO that I was at the Embassy, and available to be interviewed if necessary, a good thing in my view as I shall show you later, the ECO did not once ask for me, the decision to grant the visa was purely made on the basis of the Application with the Applicant and her responses.

The Interview

The reason I am able to relate the interview word for word, is that when Gina went on Tuesday at 3pm to collect her Visa, they Embassy I think has made a mistake in that they gave us a full transcript of the Interview and i can reveal the following.

1. The Interviewer now transcribes the Interview and does not write anything, having a PC Available in the Room.
2. The Interviewer also makes a summary of his her opinion on the Applicants Sincerity, and the decision to grant or refuse a visa is arbitrary, and not objective as we had been led to beleive, something of which i find disturbing.

So how did it go...something Like this.

1. Hello Mrs Bennett I understand you have applied in your Maiden name, did you complete this application ?

A Yes i did.

2. Are you fit and well to be interviewed today ?

A Yes I am.

3. Would you prefer the Interview to be completed in your native Language or in English.

A English please.

4. Very well..So this is your application, are the answers contained within this document you have submitted correct ?

A Yes they are.

5. Can you tell me How you first made contact with your husband ?

A I met Peter on Yahoo chatting and we exchanged E Mails.

6. So why were you on the Internet ?

A Just looking for a freind ?

7. Come on, surely you were looking for a husband to get you out of the Philippines were you not ?

A No I was just looking for a nice freind, but yes actually a foreign one.

8. So really then, it would be true to say, you wanted a foreign husband, isnt that the case ?

A Not really, but I suppose I would prefer a foreign husband to my own kind.

9. Why is that ? is it because you want to go to UK For a better life ?

A No I am happy here with my Job as an office Manager I never really thought about the UK in that sense.

10. Come on you can do better than that, is that the real reason, are you really expecting me to beleive that you dont want a better life ?

A. Well everyone does dont they, but as long as I can take care of my husband I will be happy if he lives here in the Philippines.

11. Did your husband ever talk of coming to live with you here in the Philippines ?

A Yes he loves it in my country, but he does not think he could make a living here.

12. I see. so how much does he earn then ?

A He earns xxxxx to xxxxx but he has not earned as much as he has been to see me 4 times last year.

13. When did he propose to you or did you propose to him ?

A He proposed to me in Ilo Ilo City on 12th March 2004.

14. So if i decide to refuse you a visa, what will you do, end your life or something like that (ECO Laughs)

A No actually I will ask my husband to come and live with me, although i think he will never be happy as he cant make the money he makes in UK.

15. So what attracted you to your husband ?

A His qualities

16. Come on you can do better than that, their must be things you can tell me why you were attracted to him ?

Well he is generous, and loving, he is caring, I like his sense of humour, and honest with me, and I trust him.

17. So would you say then that this is the reason you wanted a foreign husband, because that is what you wanted wasnt it ?

A Well not neccessarily a foreign husband, but a husband with those qualities, I always thought British men were like that...

18. Why does your husband not own a house ? oh yes I Can see, he is divorced recently isnt he ?

A Yes he was, he lost the house to the former wife.

19. Oh yes So the ex wife got it all did she (ECO Laughs) ?

A Yes she got it all..but my husband has rented a house for me to live in.

20. Does you husband have family ?

A Yes he does, his Mother is called...xxxx his Father is xxxx his Sister is xxxx and her children are called xxxxxxx.

ECO Says : "Mrs Bennett I am satisfied with your application and your answers, I am happy to grant you a visa, will you please come back tomorrow at 3pm, as it is too late to issue it today, I will then have all your documents returned to you, before you go, were you happy with the style of interview, and how you have been treated today. ?"

A well..its ok

ECO Says: (Laughing) come on, just ok ?

A Well i am happy to receive my visa thank you.

ECO Thank you also...Enjoy the rest of your day.

This effectively concludes my answer to your query, you may also wish to go to a website I built for people like you, its at http://www.british-filipino.com you might also wish to point your browser to the Uk Entry Clearance Section, also look out for other pages over Xmas this year, entitled

The British Embassy Manila personal Experiences.

Hope this helps.

Best of Luck Pete

Admin

22nd November 2005, 12:16

That cut'n'paste is magic eh Pete? :) :P

ginapeterb

22nd November 2005, 12:22

Originally posted by admin@Nov 22 2005, 11:16 AM
That cut'n'paste is magic eh Pete? :) :P

Quoted post

it is Keith, and how else could I do it but for cut and paste hehehe, but my answers are more elaborative dont you think kieth ?

Admin

22nd November 2005, 16:26

Your answers should get you a good job in the Finacial Times, uesful and highly detailed......which is a lot more than the crap that paper publishes :lol:

rands

22nd November 2005, 16:47

Hi Pete & Gina, all of you guys on this wonderful site!

Thank you for the details, Pete! I truly appreciate this and I think i have to rather work on this for awhile and wait until things are a little better than what we have now. I now understand how the British Embassy does their work in the Philippines.

It will have to be a waiting game for awhile and see what happens. Instead of risking it earlier and having to wait for an appeal, i'd rather wait and build it up first. It is surely an investment and an emotional challenge.

If its not just really too expensive to travel to Manila this Christmas, we would be spending it together, but we might wait for it till January. Well, if anybody can recommend a good travel agent in UK, much better! he he Let me know pls....

Thanks again!!!

Rands

Admin

22nd November 2005, 18:32

You can always write letters (I mean old fashioned writing) on about 30 sheets of paper (each of you), waffle on about any old crap, and date each of them with a 4 day spread, backdated :)

This is the problem with today's lot, it's all electronic, no hard paperwork. Me & the missus had over 200 written letters each, loads of photos, birthday,xmas,special, card etc...... The file we handed in was around 1.5" thick :o

walesrob

22nd November 2005, 19:10

Originally posted by rands@Nov 22 2005, 03:47 PM

If its not just really too expensive to travel to Manila this Christmas, we would be spending it together, but we might wait for it till January. Well, if anybody can recommend a good travel agent in UK, much better! he he Let me know pls....

Thanks again!!!

Rands

Quoted post

I would wait till the New Year. A quick search on Expedia shows cheapest flight only option in December from Heathrow to be averaging £1300 whereas mid Jan for about £450..

Try:
Expedia (http://www.expedia.co.uk/default.aspx)

Last Minute.com (http://www.lastminute.com/)

CheapFlights UK (http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/flights/Manila/)

rands

22nd November 2005, 19:23

wow Rob, thats cool! Thanks a lot for this info.

Admin

22nd November 2005, 19:27

So my advice was uncool then :(

rands

22nd November 2005, 20:18

Originally posted by admin@Nov 22 2005, 07:27 PM
So my advice was uncool then :(

Quoted post

:D Hey Keith, thanks too for the info. Well, probably, i would just meet my fiance by January where there is cheaper flight and we can also spend more time together and even go to some other places in Asia.

Thanks again!

Rands

Admin

22nd November 2005, 21:48

Try Vietnam.....Gary Glitters having a wonderful time there :lol: :lol: :rolleyes: :unsure:

rands

16th December 2005, 14:22

Hi guys!!!

I just want to share on how to print the YAHOO archive that lists only the date and frequency of chat. As one of you said before that the ECO does not really have to know what is being talked about in the conversation, which is the same with the Telephone Bills, where in, the content of the call cannot be disclosed for private reasons.

HOW: It is done by using the PRINT SCREEN function/ button of your keyboard or also called, SCREEN CAPTURE. Open the Yahoo Archive that lists the dates of your chat since you met and then press, PRINT SCREEN Button on the keyboard. Open a Word Document, then right click your mouse on the bank sheet and click paste. There you get a copy of what you see on your screen, which is your Yahoo Archive. Do it again for the rest of the dates that are not captured on the first one until you complete it.

ANOTHER resources that you can also refer to for sample questions aside from very helpful site of Pete and Gina, try this site,
http://www.londonelegance.com/transpondia/faq.shtml

Rands

ginapeterb

16th December 2005, 20:47

Originally posted by rands@Dec 16 2005, 01:22 PM
Hi guys!!!

I just want to share on how to print the YAHOO archive that lists only the date and frequency of chat. As one of you said before that the ECO does not really have to know what is being talked about in the conversation, which is the same with the Telephone Bills, where in, the content of the call cannot be disclosed for private reasons.

HOW: It is done by using the PRINT SCREEN function/ button of your keyboard or also called, SCREEN CAPTURE. Open the Yahoo Archive that lists the dates of your chat since you met and then press, PRINT SCREEN Button on the keyboard. Open a Word Document, then right click your mouse on the bank sheet and click paste. There you get a copy of what you see on your screen, which is your Yahoo Archive. Do it again for the rest of the dates that are not captured on the first one until you complete it.

ANOTHER resources that you can also refer to for sample questions aside from very helpful site of Pete and Gina, try this site,
http://www.londonelegance.com/transpondia/faq.shtml

Rands

Quoted post

Rands. hey what have you got against my site...its the best in the world..and everyone knows it...the 200 plus hits a week prove it.....hahahah

Admin

16th December 2005, 23:10

Some of the hits will be spyders :o

andypaul

17th December 2005, 00:58

Originally posted by rands@Nov 21 2005, 07:03 PM
Hello everyone,

I am new in this site. I am currently preparing for my fiance visa application. I need your advice regarding the application aside from the ones written in this site. I need to know what you think our CHANCES of getting a fiance visa.

Here is the case:

1. My fiance and i have met once for about a couple of weeks and we have known each other for 7 months. We have been committed for 5 months including online and until personal meeting.

2. We have evidence of this in the form of a. emails, b. greeting cards, c. photographs, and d. Yahoo Chat Log

Note that the emails and cards are only a few like 5-10 pcs as we usually use yahoo chat messenger and we chat for 3-5 hours. MY PROBLEM is most of our chats include very personal conversations which include sex and visa stuff and etc, which i think normal to a couple. PLEASE Advise on how to print this YAHOO CHAT LOG without the content but it included the entent of time of the chat cause as i see, it only shows the DATE, MY FIANCE NAME AND MY NAME.

3. The british fiance has complete papers.

THANKS a lot for your help.

Rands

Quoted post

Just wanted to let you know that My Wife and I we just cut and paste the Chat log History in my case to Paint. Which just showed times dates and that we talking every day. We didn't have records from day one as both of us did not think of switching yahoo's delete archive after a set amount of days off.

We explained this in one of our letters from the two of us. We did have phone records for both mobile (Text and calls when i couldn't be bothered/unable to get a decent line on alpha and a print out of all our alpha telecom records. But when Cavas courier turned up with a oversized Jiffby bag my wife could not fit them all in so we just sent the last six months.
As well as sending wage slips, bank copies, Propety details both orignal and copies, we also sent a small powerpoint presentation with information, descrptions,measurments(important as you must have a room exclusively for you and your wife which is more than 50 sq feet thats not a bathroom or kitchen) and photos of all rooms in my flat.

I also printed up as well a print out of all my direct debits/standing orders each month from my online bank account and made notes showing how these would change once my wife was here. I also gave a breakdown of how my money was spent each month for example direct debit total,food other regular payments not made by direct debit. This showed that i had quite a bit over the amount paid to a person on income support, which im think is about 50 plus pounds a week. Which im led to belive used by the appeals procedure to see if you have enough money left over after expenses to support your Wife.

Sounds over the top but i work in IT and thats how i have learned to get a pay rise/major purchase on behalf of my department etc. Ensure that the person making the decisions has so much information they should have no doubt in there mind. People are naturally lazy unless you present the Information to them its unlikely they will look for it themselves

So we sent all the requested paperwork

Passports, Birth certficates,CNI,NSo Marriage cert,CFO paperwork when my wife went to change her surname to mine in her passport. ETC

We sent in as many cards (was not that many as we prefered the speed of email/messagner/sms) receipts from fedex parcels, gift cards from presents and flowers i sent. Sent a series of Photos of us together, with members of family and friends also of course of the wedding. We sent print outs of Emails at least one a month,Yahoo chat history print outs,phone records. Bank statments, Print outs of Money transfers

But I think more importantly we sent in a series of Letters.

1 A letter from My Wife

2 A letter from Myself

3 A letter on my Finacial situation now and once my wife was in the UK. With as i mentioned before a page printed from my Banks website showing all my Direct Debits now and once my wife arrived. This was to show that we could support her while she was finding work.

4 Mini Brochure of My Flat. Showing it was suitable accomdation for the two of us to live in under British Law.

Basically we put oursleves in the shoes of the Embassy and thought what do they need?

They need the proof that we have met Photos, plane tickets,hotel recepits etc

Proof that we spend every waking moment chatting if possible and were madly in love.

Proof that we had adqueate accomadation in the uk. With a room only used by us which was over 50sq ft, which i owned and was paying all the bills on.

Proof that we had the finacial income to support both of us with out requiring help from the goverment.

Also proof that my wife was equipped to get a job in the UK Job market in the shape of an ielts certifcate showing she had obtained a grade 6 (Same as nurses/care workers require im told) Which is more proof she will not be a burden on the state.

I think what shocked us most was how after so much rushing about and worry all we had back was our orignals, My wifes passport with the magic stamp and tucked into the jiffy bag a sheet of A5 paper (with for some reason the requirments to get a Visa to the US printed on the reverse) with basic groups of the requirments, with tick boxes alongside.

Like all those on here My Wife and I worked and worried like crazy to sort all the paperwork out. I had doubts when i was rushing to sort the paperwork out if i should bother with all the extra typing, proof checking etc. But im so glad i burned the midnight oil as it saved my wife from having to go though the nerve racking experience of an Interview at the Embassy.

The main piece of advice i want to offer to others treading the same path as us. Is to make sure you treat the Visa Application as importantly as you can. The Ceo and the office staff who sort the paperwork want an easy life im sure, so if you put all the paperwork on a plate it is going to help.

Make sure all the Paperwork is easy to find and all indexed so the CEO can find easily. Make sure its neat and put together with loving care. Treat the Folder as you would your Loved One. Those of you who have handled CV's or tenders from sales people should all to well know that the ones well put together and easy/enjoyable to read are far more likely to make the reader pay more attention to whats inside them than one poorly put together.

But it goes without saying that the content matters as well. But as Pete has written before a CEO has to review the facts and also make a "judgement" about if they think the Couple are really in love or not. A shoddy, hastily made up Folder of edvidence could make them inclined to think that the couple don't really care about one another.

Well i think i have ramabled enough all ready. So i will just wish you good luck in your Application :D

rands

17th December 2005, 15:45

Originally posted by ginapeterb@Dec 16 2005, 08:47 PM
Rands. hey what have you got against my site...its the best in the world..and everyone knows it...the 200 plus hits a week prove it.....hahahah

Quoted post

OMG Pete, your site is fab, i am sure a lot of prospective husbands and wives will learn a lot from your site and it is so giving of you to have done that.

Rands

rands

17th December 2005, 15:47

Originally posted by andypaul@Dec 17 2005, 12:58 AM
Just wanted to let you know that My Wife and I we just cut and paste the Chat log History in my case to Paint. Which just showed times dates and that we talking every day. We didn't have records from day one as both of us did not think of switching yahoo's delete archive after a set amount of days off.

We explained this in one of our letters from the two of us. We did have phone records for both mobile (Text and calls when i couldn't be bothered/unable to get a decent line on alpha and a print out of all our alpha telecom records. But when Cavas courier turned up with a oversized Jiffby bag my wife could not fit them all in so we just sent the last six months.
As well as sending wage slips, bank copies, Propety details both orignal and copies, we also sent a small powerpoint presentation with information, descrptions,measurments(important as you must have a room exclusively for you and your wife which is more than 50 sq feet thats not a bathroom or kitchen) and photos of all rooms in my flat.

I also printed up as well a print out of all my direct debits/standing orders each month from my online bank account and made notes showing how these would change once my wife was here. I also gave a breakdown of how my money was spent each month for example direct debit total,food other regular payments not made by direct debit. This showed that i had quite a bit over the amount paid to a person on income support, which im think is about 50 plus pounds a week. Which im led to belive used by the appeals procedure to see if you have enough money left over after expenses to support your Wife.

Sounds over the top but i work in IT and thats how i have learned to get a pay rise/major purchase on behalf of my department etc. Ensure that the person making the decisions has so much information they should have no doubt in there mind. People are naturally lazy unless you present the Information to them its unlikely they will look for it themselves

So we sent all the requested paperwork

Passports, Birth certficates,CNI,NSo Marriage cert,CFO paperwork when my wife went to change her surname to mine in her passport. ETC

We sent in as many cards (was not that many as we prefered the speed of email/messagner/sms) receipts from fedex parcels, gift cards from presents and flowers i sent. Sent a series of Photos of us together, with members of family and friends also of course of the wedding. We sent print outs of Emails at least one a month,Yahoo chat history print outs,phone records. Bank statments, Print outs of Money transfers

But I think more importantly we sent in a series of Letters.

1 A letter from My Wife

2 A letter from Myself

3 A letter on my Finacial situation now and once my wife was in the UK. With as i mentioned before a page printed from my Banks website showing all my Direct Debits now and once my wife arrived. This was to show that we could support her while she was finding work.

4 Mini Brochure of My Flat. Showing it was suitable accomdation for the two of us to live in under British Law.

Basically we put oursleves in the shoes of the Embassy and thought what do they need?

They need the proof that we have met Photos, plane tickets,hotel recepits etc

Proof that we spend every waking moment chatting if possible and were madly in love.

Proof that we had adqueate accomadation in the uk. With a room only used by us which was over 50sq ft, which i owned and was paying all the bills on.

Proof that we had the finacial income to support both of us with out requiring help from the goverment.

Also proof that my wife was equipped to get a job in the UK Job market in the shape of an ielts certifcate showing she had obtained a grade 6 (Same as nurses/care workers require im told) Which is more proof she will not be a burden on the state.

I think what shocked us most was how after so much rushing about and worry all we had back was our orignals, My wifes passport with the magic stamp and tucked into the jiffy bag a sheet of A5 paper (with for some reason the requirments to get a Visa to the US printed on the reverse) with basic groups of the requirments, with tick boxes alongside.

Like all those on here My Wife and I worked and worried like crazy to sort all the paperwork out. I had doubts when i was rushing to sort the paperwork out if i should bother with all the extra typing, proof checking etc. But im so glad i burned the midnight oil as it saved my wife from having to go though the nerve racking experience of an Interview at the Embassy.

The main piece of advice i want to offer to others treading the same path as us. Is to make sure you treat the Visa Application as importantly as you can. The Ceo and the office staff who sort the paperwork want an easy life im sure, so if you put all the paperwork on a plate it is going to help.

Make sure all the Paperwork is easy to find and all indexed so the CEO can find easily. Make sure its neat and put together with loving care. Treat the Folder as you would your Loved One. Those of you who have handled CV's or tenders from sales people should all to well know that the ones well put together and easy/enjoyable to read are far more likely to make the reader pay more attention to whats inside them than one poorly put together.

But it goes without saying that the content matters as well. But as Pete has written before a CEO has to review the facts and also make a "judgement" about if they think the Couple are really in love or not. A shoddy, hastily made up Folder of edvidence could make them inclined to think that the couple don't really care about one another.

Well i think i have ramabled enough all ready. So i will just wish you good luck in your Application :D

Quoted post

Hey Andypaul,

Thank you so much for this sharing! It helps a lot too! Merry Christmas!!!

Rands

Admin

17th December 2005, 16:16

QUOTE button works then :lol:

ginapeterb

17th December 2005, 22:07

Originally posted by rands@Dec 17 2005, 02:47 PM
Hey Andypaul,

Thank you so much for this sharing! It helps a lot too! Merry Christmas!!!

Rands

Quoted post

Rands, the quote button is a wondeful thing di ba ?

Admin

18th December 2005, 10:33

OY!! I'll take it away......kids of today huh?? :lol: :lol:

Philip

18th December 2005, 11:28

You must have one room at least 50ft square? That cant be right?

:unsure:

andypaul

18th December 2005, 21:39

Originally posted by manila bound@Dec 18 2005, 11:28 AM
You must have one room at least 50ft square? That cant be right?

:unsure:

Quoted post

Sorry meant 50 square Feet which i thought bloody hell thats big. But it works out to quite a small area, i think off the top of my head it is about the size of a small "Box" bedroom in an average british house.

Quote below from one of the Home office website to ensure you and your wife are not in overcrowded accomdation the below describes the requirments

"Account is only taken of rooms with a floor area larger that 50 sq feet and rooms of a type used either as a living-room or bedroom; kitchens or bathrooms etc are not included."

Due to living and owning a propety in London i can only afford a small flat thats why i wanted to ensure the CEO knew my Flat was perfectly within the regulations, and not "need more Information".

Seemed to work as even with the Embassy canceling My wifes Interview and pickup of paperwork at the last moment due to a policy change. Throwing both of our lives into total Chaos for a few days. We ended up with my wifes Visa about 5 days before her Interview was supose to be due :)

But now i realise the toughest part of is still to come, sorting out my wifes Bank Account, College,national insurance,doctors,dentist and finding her work etc. All this while the wifes comes to terms with the lovely weather we have at this time of year.

Philip

19th December 2005, 13:16

Originally posted by andypaul@Dec 18 2005, 08:39 PM
Sorry meant 50 square Feet which i thought bloody hell thats big. But it works out to quite a small area, i think off the top of my head it is about the size of a small "Box" bedroom in an average british house.

Quote below from one of the Home office website to ensure you and your wife are not in overcrowded accomdation the below describes the requirments

I still live with my folks(dont laugh :P) but we'll have two bed rooms, one of which will be our tv/living room, it's small though, as is my bedroom, more worries!!!!!! :blink:

andypaul

19th December 2005, 22:48

Originally posted by manila bound@Dec 19 2005, 01:16 PM
I still live with my folks(dont laugh :P) but we'll have two bed rooms, one of which will be our tv/living room, it's small though, as is my bedroom, more worries!!!!!! :blink:

Quoted post

Well im sure at least one of those rooms is over the size, im sure your Dad has either the plans or a rough idea of the size of the rooms. If not two mintues with the tape measure should reasure you.

10 feet by 5 feet =50 sq ft
3.048 metres by 1.524 metres = 4.65 m sq

Which is not a big area at all.

letting the embassy know you have two rooms and showing they are exclusively for you both even if both of them were under the size mentioned would most likely be ok. If the rooms join onto one another they would be acting as one room if the door was open/removed i guess ;)

Philip

19th December 2005, 22:53

Originally posted by andypaul@Dec 19 2005, 09:48 PM
Well im sure at least one of those rooms is over the size, im sure your Dad has either the plans or a rough idea of the size of the rooms. If not two mintues with the tape measure should reasure you.
10 feet by 5 feet =50 sq ft
3.048 metres by 1.524 metres = 4.65 m sq

Which is not a big area at all.

Phew, it's bigger than that, no prob! .
:D

andypaul

20th December 2005, 22:19

Originally posted by manila bound@Dec 19 2005, 10:53 PM
Phew, it's bigger than that, no prob! .
:D

Quoted post

See no need to worry :)

rands

29th December 2005, 19:00

Originally posted by andypaul@Dec 17 2005, 12:58 AM
Just wanted to let you know that My Wife and I we just cut and paste the Chat log History in my case to Paint. Which just showed times dates and that we talking every day. We didn't have records from day one as both of us did not think of switching yahoo's delete archive after a set amount of days off.

We explained this in one of our letters from the two of us. We did have phone records for both mobile (Text and calls when i couldn't be bothered/unable to get a decent line on alpha and a print out of all our alpha telecom records. But when Cavas courier turned up with a oversized Jiffby bag my wife could not fit them all in so we just sent the last six months.
As well as sending wage slips, bank copies, Propety details both orignal and copies, we also sent a small powerpoint presentation with information, descrptions,measurments(important as you must have a room exclusively for you and your wife which is more than 50 sq feet thats not a bathroom or kitchen) and photos of all rooms in my flat.

I also printed up as well a print out of all my direct debits/standing orders each month from my online bank account and made notes showing how these would change once my wife was here. I also gave a breakdown of how my money was spent each month for example direct debit total,food other regular payments not made by direct debit. This showed that i had quite a bit over the amount paid to a person on income support, which im think is about 50 plus pounds a week. Which im led to belive used by the appeals procedure to see if you have enough money left over after expenses to support your Wife.

Sounds over the top but i work in IT and thats how i have learned to get a pay rise/major purchase on behalf of my department etc. Ensure that the person making the decisions has so much information they should have no doubt in there mind. People are naturally lazy unless you present the Information to them its unlikely they will look for it themselves

So we sent all the requested paperwork

Passports, Birth certficates,CNI,NSo Marriage cert,CFO paperwork when my wife went to change her surname to mine in her passport. ETC

We sent in as many cards (was not that many as we prefered the speed of email/messagner/sms) receipts from fedex parcels, gift cards from presents and flowers i sent. Sent a series of Photos of us together, with members of family and friends also of course of the wedding. We sent print outs of Emails at least one a month,Yahoo chat history print outs,phone records. Bank statments, Print outs of Money transfers

But I think more importantly we sent in a series of Letters.

1 A letter from My Wife

2 A letter from Myself

3 A letter on my Finacial situation now and once my wife was in the UK. With as i mentioned before a page printed from my Banks website showing all my Direct Debits now and once my wife arrived. This was to show that we could support her while she was finding work.

4 Mini Brochure of My Flat. Showing it was suitable accomdation for the two of us to live in under British Law.

Basically we put oursleves in the shoes of the Embassy and thought what do they need?

They need the proof that we have met Photos, plane tickets,hotel recepits etc

Proof that we spend every waking moment chatting if possible and were madly in love.

Proof that we had adqueate accomadation in the uk. With a room only used by us which was over 50sq ft, which i owned and was paying all the bills on.

Proof that we had the finacial income to support both of us with out requiring help from the goverment.

Also proof that my wife was equipped to get a job in the UK Job market in the shape of an ielts certifcate showing she had obtained a grade 6 (Same as nurses/care workers require im told) Which is more proof she will not be a burden on the state.

I think what shocked us most was how after so much rushing about and worry all we had back was our orignals, My wifes passport with the magic stamp and tucked into the jiffy bag a sheet of A5 paper (with for some reason the requirments to get a Visa to the US printed on the reverse) with basic groups of the requirments, with tick boxes alongside.

Like all those on here My Wife and I worked and worried like crazy to sort all the paperwork out. I had doubts when i was rushing to sort the paperwork out if i should bother with all the extra typing, proof checking etc. But im so glad i burned the midnight oil as it saved my wife from having to go though the nerve racking experience of an Interview at the Embassy.

The main piece of advice i want to offer to others treading the same path as us. Is to make sure you treat the Visa Application as importantly as you can. The Ceo and the office staff who sort the paperwork want an easy life im sure, so if you put all the paperwork on a plate it is going to help.

Make sure all the Paperwork is easy to find and all indexed so the CEO can find easily. Make sure its neat and put together with loving care. Treat the Folder as you would your Loved One. Those of you who have handled CV's or tenders from sales people should all to well know that the ones well put together and easy/enjoyable to read are far more likely to make the reader pay more attention to whats inside them than one poorly put together.

But it goes without saying that the content matters as well. But as Pete has written before a CEO has to review the facts and also make a "judgement" about if they think the Couple are really in love or not. A shoddy, hastily made up Folder of edvidence could make them inclined to think that the couple don't really care about one another.

Well i think i have ramabled enough all ready. So i will just wish you good luck in your Application :D

Quoted post

Hello Andypaul,

I just want to know if when you cut and paste the yahoo chat log, did you edit your conversation? of course, there should be some private or personal talk which you dont want the eco to know....

Also, please share the type of folders you used to present your documents...

Thanks a lot!

Rands

Philip

29th December 2005, 19:10

Originally posted by rands@Dec 29 2005, 06:00 PM
Hello Andypaul,

I just want to know if when you cut and paste the yahoo chat log, did you edit your conversation? of course, there should be some private or personal talk which you dont want the eco to know....

Rands

Quoted post

It seems he just copied and pasted the chat history which shows the dates on which you have had YM chats and the id's, not the actual yahoo chats themselves.

The general consensus seems to be, do not show the actual chats.

andypaul

29th December 2005, 23:09

Originally posted by manila bound@Dec 29 2005, 07:10 PM
It seems he just copied and pasted the chat history which shows the dates on which you have had YM chats and the id's, not the actual yahoo chats themselves.

The general consensus seems to be, do not show the actual chats.

Quoted post

Yes thats what we did. we ended up with several pages of screen shots with dates and it looked just like a phone bill would who you contacted and when. Ours showed at least everyday we made contact.

With regards to folders I had sent out a few of various types. When My Wife had to send in the paperwork, it was rushed for various reasons.

But basically the paperwork was placed in our case into both the orignal and photocopies folders in order, with a contents page and deviders. These two folders were placed into the big jiffy bag the cava courier man had. I'm sure the paperwork requirments will have changed since we were asked. But make sure you keep your paperwork organised from day one will save you loads of headaches later on.

oh Its best to keep paperwork loose no staples, we were informed by the Embassy.

On the checklist we recieved back the items mentioned were as typed below. With a check box alongside. This might give you an idea of the things that they are looking for. But as others have mentioned best to put every piece of information/evidence revelant to the case which helps the CEO make a judgment.

Also please note the requirments constantly change and are slightly different for each couples application.

Application form vaf2

Passport picture

Visa fee

Passport ( in maiden name and maried name)

Full copy of sponsor's passports

Letter of Support (from Sponsor) Then in section called Evidence Adequate Accommodation

Moratgage Documents or

Rent Book

Evidence of Permanent Residence (unless sponsor is uk national) which they ticked for me

Two more tick boxes with other: written besides

The Next section was Evidence of sponsors Financial capacity

Evidence of employment

Bank statment

Other:

Other:
Evidence of contact (with sponsor) -optional

Telephone Bills

Personal Letters/Emails

Others: for ours had pictures noted down
next section called Sponsorered by Spouse

Additioinal copies of sponsor's passport

Marriage Contract on NSO Security Paper

Birth certficates of chilldren on NSO Security paper

Annulment or divorce papers (if applicable)
section called Sponsered by Fiancee

Birth Certficates of Children on NSO Security Paper

Annulment or Divorce Papers (If applicable)
Last section Unmarried or same sex dependents

Evidence of previous cohabitation

Sorry its so rough just quickly typed out the list.

rands

1st January 2006, 19:26

Hi Andypaul,

May i ask if you could give us the letter pattern for the wife's letter? Thank you so much and happy new year!

Rands :D

andypaul

2nd January 2006, 00:26

Originally posted by rands@Jan 1 2006, 07:26 PM
Hi Andypaul,

May i ask if you could give us the letter pattern for the wife's letter? Thank you so much and happy new year!

Rands :D

Quoted post

Hi

Well starts out with the normal basic Letter start

My Wifes address

Entry Clearance Officer
British Embassy Manila
15th Floor
LV LOCSIN Building
6752 Ayala Avenue
1226 Makati City

Dear Sir/Madam

Then My wife Wrote a short letter about the Folders and the Information contained. She then described in her own words a basic outline how we met, how we kept in contact, met in person etc.
My Wife described her current situation, talked about her qualfications/skills she has which would be revelant for work in the UK so that she would not be a burden to public funds.
How she had improved her English, made contact/friends as best she coud with my friends and family in the uk. Researched the uk and our local area etc.

Nothing to indepth but it gave my wifes point of view and answered many of the questions which might be asked in a typical interview.

Hope this helps and a happy new year to you also Rands

JustSomeGuy

14th January 2006, 11:07

Originally posted by ginapeterb@Nov 22 2005, 11:45 AM
(and by the way, it does not seem to be a problem, if you are married and are interviewed as what is in your passport..i.e. your maiden name, this has no relevance, so dont go worrying about changing your wife's passport to her married name, this can take up to 1 month)

Quoted post

I'm told that now this really does matter, A Friends new wife had her application rejected in September due to not having her passport in her new name. After this was corrected the visa was issued without any interview.
Of course a very full folder helped ;-), I do wonder how much it was helped by their wedding photos, which showed she was accepted by his family and friends by us all turning up in Manila for the wedding.

The wedding was a life changing experience for me too, because it was then that I met someone that would become my lady. We got engaged on 1/1/06 in front of her family and friends, and we are arranging the wedding for the end of the year. I've spent the last 45 days staying with her family (returned yesterday)

(oh it appears to be cheaper to fly your close family and best man to Manila and pay for a good sized wedding than to have a small wedding here....other friends can pay their own way ;) )

Dave,

andypaul

14th January 2006, 14:58

With regards to changing the Wifes name to yours or not. Of course its a personel decision and like Pete rightly says increases the time taken. As in our case My wife had to go to the CFO for a letter to give to the DFA along with her old passport to get a new one.

There is no Law to say a woman takes a mans name, but even in "PC" uk, if you introdce yourself as Mr Smith and Wife, it will be in most cases assumed your Wife is Mrs Smith.

From the Embassy's point of View it might be thought odd that the Woman is not wanting to change her name to her Husbands. The CEO might think hmm is she not really in love with her Husband. Is it jst a marriage of convience?

If your wife was not to change her name to yours (as is quite within her rights in both countries) then i would make sure in covering letters this is explained clearly.
It should be a matter just between the two of you but like a lot of things regarding the Visa application the CEO will feel they need to know.

If my Wife had decided to keep her name, i would have made sure we both mentioned it in our covering letters, explaining why we feel its right. Mention Equal opptunties and im sure the Embassy will be very wary to challenge it. They wouldn't ask a man from the phillipines to change his name to his wife's if applying for a Visa to the UK so why should they ask a Woman to do so?

Also stating what we would use for our Chilldrens surname (example Smith marcos) if we were to have etc. So we show that we have thought though the decision and its not just so its convient and hurries up the application. We shouldn't have to do this but its worth accepting that you have to suspend what you belive is right and follow the rules the Embassy set.

An extra paragraph of explaining may solve the issue, who knows..

Having said that My Wife actually wanted to change her Surname to mine, which we were both happy with. Even today in the UK its thought worth doing by most Women unless they feel strongly about it. For one simple fact it makes life easier it seems with regards to paperwork and officialdom. This is the Advice i got from Women already in the UK of all ages and backgrounds.