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Thread: The Settlement Interview-How to prepare

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    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    The Settlement Interview-How to prepare

    The Settlement Interview - How to Prepare

    It is more than likely that if you apply for entry clearance to the United Kingdom, that you will have to at some stage attend the British Embassy in Manila for an interview with an ECO.

    Most readers seem to be under the impression that this is a formality, they could not be more wrong, it is far from it, some of our male readers on the forum are under the impression that they can just apply for a visa, and just allow their wife or fiancée to ad lib it at the embassy, this is not a good move, for one thing, the Entry clearance officers are held responsible to uphold the immigration rules of UK entry clearance.

    Their job is to ensure that the rules for granting a visa are complied with, in this case the visa being applied for is

    “Someone who wishes to enter the United Kingdom who is a spouse or who intends to marry someone who is settled in the United Kingdom”.

    What does this mean ?

    It means that the Applicant is actually the person who wishes to enter the United Kingdom, and not the sponsor, who tends to be the British man who is entering into such a relationship, so understand the following:

    1. The Sponsor is the British man.

    2. The Applicant is the Filipina wife or Fiancée.

    It is the Applicant who has to make the application, and has to sign it as such, she is responsible for the accuracy of all information, although some of the information on form VAFW 2002 is actually about the sponsor, the sponsor by nature has to provide the financial support and provide satisfactory accommodation in the UK.

    So for those readers who are concerned about the process of application, there are 2 stages to this.

    1. The Application and lodgement of such an application at the British Embassy in Manila.

    2. The Settlement Interview.

    The first process is self explanatory, and there is plenty of information on the Forum about this process, so I do not propose to write about this again.

    It is the 2nd stage that I am wishing to write about, this is known as the “Settlement Interview”, what is this all about, and what should you do about it.

    Well firstly, once your spouse/fiancée has submitted her application, by either personal submission or using the CAVA system, (CAVA see submission of application in other areas of the forum)

    The British Embassy will no doubt have given the applicant a date for her attendance at the British Embassy.

    Firstly, if the applicant does not speak very good English, this may be a slight disadvantage, for one thing, it is better if the interview is conducted in English rather than local languages, or Tagalog.

    If the applicant wishes the interview to be conducted in Tagalog, a translator will be present during the interview, also the interview will be held privately between the ECO and the applicant, it is unlikely that the sponsor will be allowed to the interview, although it may seek to help If the sponsor is in the embassy waiting and the ECO is made aware of this.

    The applicant should be smartly dressed, and on time for the interview, lateness and all sorts of excuses will fall on deaf ears, its no point in saying Trafik ng Trafik sa Ayala, it will fall on deaf ears.

    There are literally thousands of applicants every month, if you are to be there for 10.10am in the morning, then be there.

    What form will the interview take ?

    The interview will be conducted behind a glass screen for the ECO, therefore if the applicant is unable to hear any questions, she should ask for it to be repeated, the ECO will be taking notes, this is nothing to fear, notes are always taken, as a complete transcript of the interview must be taken, in the event that a visa is refused, and the matter is referred automatically to the Immigration Appellate authority in the UK.

    Whatever the ECO does, this is not a cause for alarm, he or she will be scribbling notes on different occasions, he or she may disappear to go out of the interview for a moment or two, this may be to consult with a colleague, it is not to be taken as a problem, in other words, alarm bells should not be ringing.

    Being on this type of interview is very similar in many ways to what happens in a criminal trial, whatever you see in front of you, your body language should show that you expected it to happen.

    Often body language and confidence, goes a long way to satisfying the ECO that a relationship is genuine, this is why I recommend that all interviews are conducted in English, then there is no chance of the applicant replies to questions being translated by a Filipino speaker who has no interest in your application.

    So What sort of things do they want to know ?

    Firstly, the ECO wants to satisfy themselves that a genuine relationship exists between the applicant and the sponsor, if there is any doubt, the visa may be refused, and left to the immigration appellate authority to sort out, this may take months to get a 2nd hearing in UK.

    So lets move the odds into your favour, how can you shift the odds towards a positive result, if the ECO is satisfied that a entry clearance visa is to be issued, then your partner will be asked to come back in the afternoon or the next day to collect her passport, but don’t try and book her ticket just yet, there are one or two things that have to be done before she can climb aboard the aircraft.

    How to get a positive result !

    Be prepared, preparation for this stage of the process if the most important and loving thing you can do for your partner, leaving her to go on the interview without any help is not a very nice thing for her, she may be shy, some Filipino’s are shy of authority, she may feel intimidated by her surroundings, this being the British Embassy, she may be in fear of refusal when there is no need to be, in truth she may have a lot of things going around her mind.

    Preparation goes a long way to helping her to get through the interview, which could be anything from 15 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the answers given, and the level of satisfaction that the entry clearance officer needs.

    So how do you prepare.

    Firstly our Forum Administrator Keith and myself have both said in the past, you need lots of evidence of relationship, and it does help if this evidence is close to hand when asked to produce it, if your partner, the applicant wife/fiancée is expected to produce this, then make it easy for her, by placing it in a nice file that she can immediately go to the relative section.

    She will need a couple of photo albums of the two of you together.

    She will need evidence of your travel to the Philippines, and also, evidence of close contact, I.e. phone cards, e mail transcripts, yahoo chat transcripts, some of these or all may not be required, but the more evidence that you have the better you are prepared.

    So she has the evidence, this is available to her, and when asked for it, she can offer it to the ECO for scrutiny.

    She is then likely to be asked a series of questions, these questions are designed to find out if the relationship is genuine, that the two of you have met, and that there is a reasonable chance that the two of you intend to live together in the UK as man and wife, and that this application is not just a cover up for an economic migration.

    Some of the questions themselves may be an attempt to see how one reacts to a question, or to test the applicants knowledge of her partner, in any event all questions need answering, sometimes depending on how she will answer, may be a disaster and could lead to a refusal.

    Therefore it is my best advice, that you should print off a copy of my advices here, and in truth you really need to “Coach” your partner and teach her how to answer the questions so as to obtain the most positive result.

    So how about the questions ? Here they are some are straight forward others may need explaining, which I will seek to do.

    1. Is this your first application for a visa ?

    2. Have you applied for any other visa to go to other countries ?
    This question may be an attempt to find out if the applicant has done this before, or has been engaged to another man, it may be an attempt to see if the applicant has made a habit of doing this in the past.

    3. Have you ever been refused a visa ?

    4. Is this your first visit overseas ?

    If the applicant has visited an overseas destination before and has returned, without being a flight risk, this may go positively towards a decision.

    5. Is this your first and only passport.

    6. How long do you intend to stay in the UK ?

    This question is no doubt a red herring, the replies to this, may be documented, it could be answered in many ways, but someone in a genuine relationship will probably say “As long as my husband’s career demands”, or similar.
    Again it should be noted there are no wrong or right answers, it is simply a process of looking at the applicants motives for applying for a visa.

    7. Why do you want to go to UK ?

    Well this is self explanatory, for example if the applicant were to say

    “For a better life”

    Then its clear to the ECO that being with her husband or fiancé was not even given a mention, this would be a bad answer, and if the answers continue in that direction, will no doubt lead to a refusal to grant a visa.

    A good answer would have been “To be settled with my husband and to care for him”

    8. I suppose if you get your visa, you will be looking forward to a better life in the UK ?

    Again common sense here will prevail, its not much good in saying yes to that, a more detailed response is needed such as:

    I will be looking forward to living with my husband, and caring for him, (you could be really confident and say) I know once he has me with him, he is in for a much better life than he has now), again, confidence in replying is everything.

    9. Would you still have married your husband if you could not live in the UK ?

    Use your head here, of course if you said no to this, that’s a outright refusal question, anyone with an ounce of sense is not going to say no to this.

    10. What will you do if this visa is refused ?

    This is known as the classic red herring question, its purpose we all suspect is to put you on the back foot, or make you feel intimidated, its design is to see if you say, oh well if its refused I will not go through with the marriage or something along those lines, the correct response is to just say, well ok, if it is, it will be difficult for my husband and I but we will find a way of being together.

    Meeting Questions.

    1. When did you first meet your partner ?

    This is just designed to trap you, in case you have never met your partner.

    2. How did you meet your partner ?

    3. Did you stay with him when you met ?

    4. So how long where you with him ?

    5. Did he write or call you ??

    Obviously this is where your evidence of letter writing comes in, and obviously your call longs, calling cards, etc, will support your answers.

    6. When was his first letter to you ?

    Again I have been telling you boys out there, about letter writing, the longer the gap in postmarks, the longer the relationship, if she has the very first letter to the most recent showing a long relationship, all the better, for you.

    7. Do you have any photos to show me ?

    Here we go again, now she has all your photo albums, this is the time to produce them.

    8. When did your husband or fiancé propose to you ?

    9. Did you ask him to marry you ?

    I mean come on be serious about this, if she replies yes to this, that is a dead ringer for refusal, she might say, hey, that’s not a girls job, hmmm whats a girl to do, if she has to do that.

    Family Questions.

    Have either of you been married before ?

    This is not likely so in her case, but it may be in yours, it help if she knows your personal history, if she doesn’t, then why doesn’t she know ? What else are you hiding in the background.

    Do you have any children ?

    If the applicant has children, and there is no mention of them on the application, this is a bad move, always tell the embassy exactly the truth.

    Does your husband have any children from a previous relationship ?

    Again it helps if the applicant is aware of your personal history, this is in case, she may be required to help with the children.

    Occupation questions.

    What qualifications do you have ?

    Have you ever worked abroad ?

    Where do you live ?

    Do you know if its ok for your husband to have a second person living with him ?

    Does your husband or partner send you money ?

    Little note here, if you are not sending “Sustento” for your loved one, this may be not looked at nicely, if you are not supporting your wife, or fiancée, it might not go well towards a visa being issued.

    Do you think your husband/fiancé will be able to take care of your needs ?

    Personal motive questions.

    These questions are apparently famous for dropping the whole interview in the waste bin, as you will see, there are no wrong or right answers.

    1. What do you have in common ?

    This is a question that is offered to find out how much the applicant knows about the sponsor, this is not a time to be scratching your head, you must be ready to answer this question properly.

    2. Why did you marry him ?

    This is the ultimate in making sure you don’t put your foot in it, the applicant can always say “I marry him for the sex” but then again, probably not a good idea, in truth, a personal statement of love, would be the best answer.

    3. What do you like most about him ?
    Again, if the applicant knows the sponsor, this will be an easy question to answer, just talk about his qualities.

    4. What is the real reason you want to marry him ?

    Again a final test to see if the applicant is not being truthful, just be firm and confess your love for the Sponsor.

    5. How do you feel about the differences in culture. ?

    Again, a modest answer here will do, just stating that you think that you both understand one another cultural differences, that will be find.

    Have you understood all the questions.

    If you have, fine then just reply yes, at this stage, the ECO will no doubt have formed an opinion, on what they think the answer will be to the application, they will have taken various notes, and if satisfied, will most probably tell the applicant to come back later, and collect the visa.

    If a visa is refused the applicant will be told, that the ECO is not at that stage satisfied with the evidence both documentary and the interview, the applicant will be given a notice of refusal and then the matter will go to appeal at the Immigration Appellate authority.

    However if the evidence is compelling and the interview preparation was good, there is no reason if the relationship is genuine why a visa cannot be issued.

    I hope this clears up the situation, for many interested readers, but the key is as always throughout all my articles :

    BE PREPARED.


  2. #2
    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    I may actually be heading back to Manila on the 3rd June 2005, to be in attendance for the wife's interview at British Embassy, its about 500.00 plus a weeks spending money, I might just head back and be available for the interview, and have a break with the wife...should be fun...


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    Your getting as bad as me Pete, 2 weeks home, and your looking to book back again.

    Mind you, once Gina is over here, your stuck in the country for 2 years, although you can get to Ireland for the races

    We'll be down in Kent end of June, for my wife's nieces wedding,so maybe we can arrange to meet somewhere. Hope they arrange it when their is a local meeting on so I can just call in What a sad git I am :lol:

    I can give you your wedding present then. No clues....(..Baaaa... :P )
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    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    that would be excellent Keith, if you are down in Kent, I can meet you somewhere, as Kent is next county to us here in Essex, I have your Wedding token in the back of the car, will love to give it to you, when we finally meet, on some good news, Paul Thomas and I met today for first time at Paul,s office in Westminster, we had a good 3 hour chat about all things Filipino.

    It was good to meet Paul, 2 forum members meeting up, is evidence that the Forum does produce great opportunities to meet like minded people.

    Hope to see you soon in the South East Keith.


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    Hi Pete & Keith,

    Yes, it was good to meet a like minded person. These Filipinas do something to a guy and his mind, (And many other things too I hasten to add). If you're both planning a meet in Kent, I'll try to make it too, if you wanna invite me that is. We can enjoy a few diet cokes together.

    Meeting Pete today, was a good experience. I knew from reading his contributions to the forum that he was a mine of useful info about all things Filipino, but he's also an expert on the good old divorce too. I have learnt a lot from him today. Thanks Pete. Next time we meet up, maybe we can arrange it so that we can have a few beers too. Tastes a little better than the coffee, don't you think?

    Anyway, take care guys.
    Take care All,

    Jas & Paul.


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    First he stays in Geylang, and now he's meeting strange men :lol: What will Gina think?? :P
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  7. #7
    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    As usual Keith provides the Humour on the Forum, it was good to see Paul, and I think we should all meet up one day and have a few beers, and whats happened to old freind Maurizo Delgado, since he got Richies visa, we dont hear from him anymore, and what about Rockman (Troy Havenhand) since Vevienne arrived in UK we dont hear from him anymore either, just make me promise Keith that when Gina arrives in UK, I will not forget to keep my contributions to the forum going.

    Its a point I have made, that might be a bitter pill to swallow for those that are guilty of this.


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    Either they are;
    a) To busy having sex :unsure:
    B) Their new mate have turned out to be monsters, and they're hubbies are locked in the cellar :o

    Haven't forgotten you want my address Pete, will sort it out next week when I'm getting ready for a rest after my holiday
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    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    I hear you Keith, I get a little narked about the fact that those that did come on and use the information we all provided dont seem to bother coming along anymore, I guess you cant force people, dont worry about your address Keith, sort it out when you back and rested buddy....see you back in UK Soon, my website has had 146 hits in last 2 weeks, its not bad, but could do better, wondering if you can help me out with traffic Keith.


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    You need to improve your listing/ranking, so add it to my 3 directories on each site. It'll then be spidered by bots in 2-6 weeks. Don't expect an on mass move to your site, and usually a reasonable % of visitors are bots from search engines (a good thing).

    Download the demo of Webposition 3 for a few clues.
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  11. #11
    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    When you say add it to your 3 websites...you had better tell me how to do that buddy..as Im not sure..give me step by step please on this one..


  12. #12
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    Switch computer on at wall.......press...... :lol:

    Just ADD YOUR LINK, you need to make sure their is a return link on your site first though otherwise it won't work.

    http://www.win2win.co.uk/links/index.html

    http://www.filipinouk.com/links/index.html

    http://www.win2winpoker.co.uk/links/index.html
    Regards,

    Keith & Ping


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  13. #13
    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    Originally posted by admin@May 14 2005, 03:37 AM
    Switch computer on at wall.......press...... :lol:

    Just ADD YOUR LINK, you need to make sure their is a return link on your site first though otherwise it won't work.

    http://www.win2win.co.uk/links/index.html

    http://www.filipinouk.com/links/index.html

    http://www.win2winpoker.co.uk/links/index.html

    Thank you for that proverbial p...take Keith...but I will do it as soon as my main computer is repaired..tks


  14. #14
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    Just hard word from a friend of the wife's, she got her VISA same day as well, so looks positive for you Pete. Maybe the Embassy are employing real people now instead of YTS :unsure:
    Regards,

    Keith & Ping


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  15. #15
    Respected Member ginapeterb's Avatar
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    Originally posted by admin@May 15 2005, 01:33 AM
    Just hard word from a friend of the wife's, she got her VISA same day as well, so looks positive for you Pete. Maybe the Embassy are employing real people now instead of YTS :unsure:
    Finger crossed as they say Keith, I hope that happens for us, but I am peparing for either way, if our application form is spot on, our paperwowrk is s...hot...and everything is in order, I will coach Gina again on the Sunday before she goes in on the Monday, hopefully we will secre a positive result, I would feel much better coming back to UK knowing

    1. She has the Visa

    2. The CFO is one.

    Then its full steam ahead to pleasure Island 3 weeks later, when she has resigned from her position and gets on the Jumbo...headed in country for the delights of London's Terminal 3 Heathrow.


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    Originally posted by ginapeterb@May 15 2005, 08:49 AM
    Finger crossed as they say Keith, I hope that happens for us, but I am peparing for either way, if our application form is spot on, our paperwowrk is s...hot...and everything is in order, I will coach Gina again on the Sunday before she goes in on the Monday, hopefully we will secre a positive result, I would feel much better coming back to UK knowing

    1. She has the Visa

    2. The CFO is one.

    Then its full steam ahead to pleasure Island 3 weeks later, when she has resigned from her position and gets on the Jumbo...headed in country for the delights of London's Terminal 3 Heathrow.
    And I'm still recovering from doing exactly the same....thing is my Barclaycard is out of bounds for a few months yet, but it was worth it!

    Terminal 3? Awful place specially now when theres huge amount of rebuilding work! Next time its Manchester for me or as I found out for 50 more I can do Cardiff-Amsterdam-Manila/Hong Hong with KLM.


  17. #17
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    Originally posted by walesrob@May 15 2005, 10:29 AM
    And I'm still recovering from doing exactly the same....thing is my Barclaycard is out of bounds for a few months yet, but it was worth it!

    Terminal 3? Awful place specially now when theres huge amount of rebuilding work! Next time its Manchester for me or as I found out for 50 more I can do Cardiff-Amsterdam-Manila/Hong Hong with KLM.
    I absolutely agree with you Rob..what a f....shithole..T3 is...Im so embarassed when I arrive back in Country, we need a new International Airport for London's West end, something that resembles, Kuala Lumpur, or Hong Kong, or even Singapore, even though Singapore Changi looks ageing too to me, its alot better than T3, as you walk back from the satellite gates on T3, the roof is caving in...and the airport carpeting looks jaded, so I support you Rob in that, Manchester is ok, but again, i think that is needs a makeover.

    Gatwick looks the same too, my favouritte airport is my local, London Stansted, it has a 21st century look, sadly, no flights to the Far East fly in apart from Cargo Jumbos.

    As Rob says though, have to give the old CC a rest, is it maxed out Rob !! hahahaha, well you can take life easy, now and pay them back...I try not to use the plastic out there, just spend what I earn..and then dont have that awful feeling when the bill drops on the mat..normally before I get back.

    But at least Elsa is in country, Rob do a peice on how Elsa is settling in..any funny stories, or tell us how she finds things over their in Sunny Aberystwyth, how does she like the scenery? the trees ? the food ? the weather ? the shopping? cost of living ? come on...tell us more.

    I have found a flight on SIA on Friday the 3rd June 2005, at around 21.30pm, to Singapore, with a connection to Manila arriving sadly at 20.40pm local time but its not a problem as Nang will have a room for us, (well hopefully or Im in trouble) the return is on Saturday the 11th at 15.30pm getting back to UK same day, at 19.30pm, usual...pinch me to tell me Im back in country, but I think a week will be better this time, not too much tears...as she should be here in July 1st week, but lets not count our chickens until that passport has a visa in it...we all know what can happen...


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    Originally posted by ginapeterb@May 15 2005, 11:26 AM
    But at least Elsa is in country, Rob do a peice on how Elsa is settling in..any funny stories, or tell us how she finds things over their in Sunny Aberystwyth, how does she like the scenery? the trees ? the food ? the weather ? the shopping? cost of living ? come on...tell us more.

    Elsas main problem is of course the weather! She's always complaining its too cold, even today at 16c. I took her to Ynyslas Beach near Aber yesterday, of course she had to stay in the car while I took the dog out for the run. She also commented about the large number of cows and sheep (of course Wales is full them!! :lol: ).

    All in all, shes settling in fine, but she has worked in Hong Kong and Oman before so she is used to the different food and cultures. As for food, she's not to fond of fish and chips, lol. And she always feeds me fresh healthy food. As for shopping, well plenty of apples, cabbage, lettuce, etc, and as a typical Filipina would, she goes for the Buy 1 get 1 free offers everytime, hence the fridge being stuffed full.

    The only problems that Elsa has is down to the East-West attitudes. Example would be that when we were at the bank and discussing opening accounts, the bank employee we were talking to (who happened to be Chinese) joked about me still being technically single in the UK as we were married in Philippines. I laughed about it so did Elsa, but later she got very upset about it. And as well her family want her to send money back to them. Its funny how since Elsa arrived in UK, her family suddenly need money for this, that and something else. Elsa works part-time in the family business, so she can afford to send money back now and then, but not every week. We'll see how this develops, and I'm sure Pete, you'll have this same situation with Gina, so be warned!

    As for cost of living, surprise surprise, its very expensive for her, especially as we are after a starter home for ourselves, but with prices round here averaging 150K and rents sky high, no chance.


  19. #19
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    I made it clear with the wife before we got serious that sending money home on a regular basis what not an option, it's a bad habit that the family in the Phil will abuse, knowing that there daughter feels sorry for them.

    Instead I sent them nothing for over a year, and now on random occassions without them asking I just send 100for them to share out. You get more thanks for it, and they never ask for more. Makes the wife very happy as well when she dicovers that her cousin's bank balance has suddenly increased

    Make sure Elsa understands we don't eat the wild life :o Took my missus ages to understand why!!

    After 5 years+ my other half still sits in the car when we go the beach. Her niece was with us the other week, just got from Davao 6 weeks ago to live with her future hubby in Kent, and she thought it was freezing....yet it was a nice 22deg, very warm for that time of year.
    Regards,

    Keith & Ping


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  20. #20
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    And as well her family want her to send money back to them. Its funny how since Elsa arrived in UK, her family suddenly need money for this, that and something else
    Actually Rob, what Gina and I did, was sit down and discuss this matter, we talked about whether the family will be expecting us to send "Sustento" for them, check this word out with Elsa Rob its common.

    Gina said..if she could work, she would feel comfortable sending a little back, Im ok with this, as a Filipina will not be very happy if her family are in jeopardy, and she is having life of riley, I told Gina I have no objection to her sending some money back, but I also made it clear, we have plans too in the future, for example, building our own house in the Philippines, and also saving money to take capital there to purchase a business to sustain is later on in life..as I told her I am not pushing the road in my present career forever.

    I think as we had a nice chat about the matter, it was sorted out, I think 50.00 a week is more than enough for their needs over there, considering the average wage is P200-P250 per day, just incidentally Rob were you sending your wife, an spouse allowance when she was in Philippines and did the ECO ask Elsa if you were supporting her..as I have put together all the Western Union receipts, together in the file that Gina has.

    Its worth knowing now if they were required ?

    I think also, its a touch subject, I know of one other situation where a British-Filipina relationship got off to a bad start over this, the guy said "i am not sending any money for your family" and when you come "You wont be sending any either", this got the situatuion off to bad start, but I do think it needs discussing.

    Thinking about this, actually P10,000 a month is more than enough, the average salary is only around P4000 to P5000 in the provinces, in Manila of course its more, I think Paul was telling me he sends his honey 200.00 a month, or just under P20,000.

    I send my honey a percentage of my weekly profit, on a profit and loss basis, in other words if I have had a good 14 days, she gets a percentag of that, if I have had a s.....2 weeks she gets a lower percentage.

    But the average is P30,000 per month, and if its good, she gets P50,000 but hey come one, it depends on your financial situation, I know of another guy who sent his honey P10,000 a month, it really does depend on finances.

    I know that my honey always appreciates it, I also dont mind iff she gives a little o her Mother, for medicines and things, she always does that, its not a big thing for me.

    The point you made there Rob about the Fish and Chips, I thought that Elsa would not like our Fish and Chips over here Rob, for one thing its not cooked the way she wants it, secondly, its not cooked with Soy Sauce either, I think the prospect of fish in batter must make her sick.

    As for buy 2 get one free offers, hahahah thats a Filipina alright, is she filling up the fridge hehehe, but at least she is cooking fresh food for you, that is also something I am looking forward to when Gina comes, as I tend to go for T.V. dinners, although they are disgusting, I have cooked some fresh food lately, so thats a start.

    Ketih also mentioned that Ping is always cold !!!, at 16 she thinks its cold does she Rob, oh boy..geeeeze wait until its 5 or 6 over there in the winter, so she didnt get out of the car, while you ran the dog down the beach, hehehehehehe, I knew of someone whose filipina wife, wouldnt leave the house, when he went down the garden to cut the grass, she just looked at him through the windows.hahahahahah as she said it was too cold to go out, it was 18 at the time.

    I think maybe the worse thing for Elsa right now, is a touch of homesickness maybe, we dont realize, Rob just how much its looks different to them, we take it for granted, when we go to Philippines we dont make too much of a fuss about it, but for them, its a big change, one story I heard, was a Filipina who kept piling bag sof rice up in the trolley, only to be told, we dont eat rice every meal honey, and if you want to buy rice, buy it everyday if you want...

    Well Rob I find that bit you wrote about the bank a bit of a joke, If I was Elsa I think also I would be upset about it too, what the hell is that girl talking about, that you are single. thats a lot of bxxxxx you are married, all foreign marriages are legal in UK, I had the similar experience in Bacolod City, when Gina and I went to get a bank account with BPI together, they ask for my Alien Certificate of Registration, at the time, I laughed it off...but told them, I normally only bring that with me if I am on Mars on a job, but back down here on earth, I dont tend to carry it with me.

    The Filipina who was in the bank just looked at me, and had a blank face, obviously the Brit sense of humour was not registering with her.


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