Got it!!!

[ivor&mel]

Just heard from Mel... she had the interview today... and now has the fiancee visa!!! Oh... I can't believe it! She has it!! I'm too excited to say anything coherent at the moment! I'll fill you in on the details once I get to know them... just been talking on Chikka for now. All I know is that without this forum, we would not have got the visa... thanks to everyone who has helped and been supportive these past few weeks. Weeks? Seems like an eternity! But we're there!

Oh.. now what's the best way to get her over here? I want to go back there to be with her for the CFO stuff, then get tickets out of there, hopefully Cebu to Manchester. Still a lot to sort out, I guess... but.. WE HAVE THE VISA!!!

Thanks again, especially to Pete of course, without whom none of this would have been possible. Oh.. I'm going... before this turns into an Oscar speech!

Ivor

[walesrob]

Congratulations Ivor and Mel :)

Nice to hear of so many success stories on this forum lately.

I'll tell you what I did when Elsa got her visa (exactly 1 year ago this week!) - I got her a one-way to Hong Kong from Manila, then I flew out and met her in HK, and we both came back with BA, plenty of cheap flights Hong Kong to London if you buy the ticket in Hong Kong. Another option would be one of the many Gulf carriers -i.e. Emirates, Qatar, Gulf Air or via Singapore to Manchester. Post back if you need any more ideas/prices/info.

[Admin]

Congratulations :Wave:

The British Embassy in Manilla is currently being tested for drug & alcohlol abuse :D

[Eljohno]

Congrats Ivor & Mel!!!

[equaliser]

Congratulations to you both , Ivor and Mel

I have just sent out my documents to the Phils and my fiancee Ashley will be applying very soon. We would love to hear about the interview and how it went.

Best wishes

Brian

[ivor&mel]

Thanks for everyone's good wishes. And good luck with your application, Brian. I won't get any details about what happened in the interview till Mel gets home and back on Yahoo tomorrow. All I can gather so far is that the interview was scheduled for 8am there, but no idea what time it actually took place. I got a txt around 7am here saying she had to go back to the Embassy at 4pm/8am "to get the results", which alarmed me somewhat... Did they not tell her the result when the interview finished?? Why would they delay a decision? I spent a few nail-biting hours before she finally told me she had the visa!

Anyway, all the learning and Q/A sessions must have paid off. It's been hard work and stressful at times, but the result has been worth every gallon of blood we've sweated :) Just don't make me go through it ever again!

Ivor

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by ivor&mel@Mar 7 2006, 10:12 PM
Thanks for everyone's good wishes. And good luck with your application, Brian. I won't get any details about what happened in the interview till Mel gets home and back on Yahoo tomorrow. All I can gather so far is that the interview was scheduled for 8am there, but no idea what time it actually took place. I got a txt around 7am here saying she had to go back to the Embassy at 4pm/8am "to get the results", which alarmed me somewhat... Did they not tell her the result when the interview finished?? Why would they delay a decision? I spent a few nail-biting hours before she finally told me she had the visa!

Anyway, all the learning and Q/A sessions must have paid off. It's been hard work and stressful at times, but the result has been worth every gallon of blood we've sweated :) Just don't make me go through it ever again!

Ivor

Quoted post

Just got to add my congrats to all the others. I've been through the whole lot three times now, but it was still nail biting each time, waiting for the final decision.

My mum in law had two interviews on her 'big day', and spent over 8 hours in the embassy. Anything can happen in that place!

[ginapeterb]

Originally posted by ivor&mel@Mar 7 2006, 09:12 PM
Thanks for everyone's good wishes. And good luck with your application, Brian. I won't get any details about what happened in the interview till Mel gets home and back on Yahoo tomorrow. All I can gather so far is that the interview was scheduled for 8am there, but no idea what time it actually took place. I got a txt around 7am here saying she had to go back to the Embassy at 4pm/8am "to get the results", which alarmed me somewhat... Did they not tell her the result when the interview finished?? Why would they delay a decision? I spent a few nail-biting hours before she finally told me she had the visa!

Anyway, all the learning and Q/A sessions must have paid off. It's been hard work and stressful at times, but the result has been worth every gallon of blood we've sweated :) Just don't make me go through it ever again!

Ivor

Quoted post



Ivor, I had not seen your post yesterday, but Gina and I are very happy for you, and you wont be the only one to have waited all day, through a few nail biting hours, its very stressful, and you are to be congratulated on that for going through all that s.....t.

Thank you for your mention of this forum and myself, I love hearing that other people have got the good news, this is good news indeed, we wish you well with your trip back to Cebu, the Pre-embarkation guidance and counselling will need to be done now, that can of course be done in Cebu, you know the location is on my website, the St Mary's Euphrasia Foundation will be the place you will go, details are at the last page of the UK Entry Clearance Procedures.

Let us all know when you are due back in Cebu, and best wishes, it has all been worthwhile, and it would be good to let us know, when you speak to Mel, about the details of the proposed wedding etc, you can help o thers now, by letting us know what questions were asked, as you know we discussed this on the telephone in great detail, so i look foward to your report on this.

Best wishes, and well done.

Pete

[ivor&mel]

OK, I've talked to Mel now and tried to get details about the interview, but it was difficult to keep her focussed on more questions questions questions :)

Her interview was scheduled for 8am. She arrived at the Embassy at 7:30, but had to wait outside because the doors don't actually open till 8am... 7:30 was a little later than I hoped she would arrive, but she says she was delayed because the taxi driver would not drop them off near the building, so they had to walk some way. She left her ID on the 2nd Floor, got given a number, and went up to the 15th Floor. There was only one other interviewee there at that time, but Mel didn't talk to her because I'd told her to make sure she listened for her name/number being called :P

The interview started between 9 and 9:15 in room number 1, and lasted about an hour - she can't remember how long! The interviewer was female, and from what Mel says, she was a decent one. She was asked:

personal details about me
my job
my salary
does she know my family?
do I have any kids?
why did I break up with my ex-wife?
the name of my ex-wife
what do I like and dislike?
why does she want to go to the UK?
the dates of our wedding and reception :)
... and asked that more than once!
asked about Sheffield and my house
how long our relationship has been
the names of my kids
my parents' names
where are my kids now?
has she ever talked to any of my kids?

That's all I've got out of her so far :) But she still says she was not informed of the decision at that time. Is that usual practice now, or maybe she just did not hear the interviewer say so?

Then she had to sit around waiting till about 11am, when the docs were returned to her, and she was told to go back to the Embassy at 4pm to collect her pasport...

Ivor

[andypaul]

Great news :BouncyHappy:

So happy for the both of you, hope you are together soon

[equaliser]

Thanks for the information , Ivor. Ashley and I are very happy that it all went well for you. Fingers crossed that things go as well for us.

Best wishes

Brian

[Eljohno]

Originally posted by equaliser@Mar 8 2006, 07:13 PM
Thanks for the information , Ivor. Ashley and I are very happy that it all went well for you. Fingers crossed that things go as well for us.

Best wishes

Brian

Quoted post


Hi Brian,

I know you have told me some things about you progress but can you remind me of how things are going and what stage your at.

john