Its APPPROVED
5 weeks to the day, and you lot are the first to know apart from my parents and best mate
Shes on her way to EDSA to get a hotel and head to CFO tomorrwo and see if she can do that while shes in Manila!
We got incredibly lucky here I think, but people that are still waiting shouldnt feel too bad. At least it shows that things are still happening and it can be granted at any moment.
We had a number of things working in our favor here.
SHe'd already been to Israel for 4 years and returned without being expelled.
My financial situation is pretty good
Almost all the papers supplied were originals (I just bit the bullet and sent the lot - gotta hope I get em back now - havent had a chance to ask her yet)
LOADS of supporting evidence (only about 10 photos (including some with her family), but passport stamps and boarding cards to Israel AND Philippines,
chat logs (almost daily summaries for over a year),
call logs (mainly rebtel),
scrupulous honesty on the forms (EG. Are you planning to work in the UK? - YES, After we are married, I have received FLR and am legally allowed to),
and every requirement checked and double checked (I had to send her to get new passport photos done when she showed me and it was on a royal blue background, against Visa guidelines)
I have to say, sending originals like that is a terrifying thing to have to do. If anyone got hold of them my identity COULD be compromised forever! I'm glad I did though
One other thought (I'm rambling now cos I'm so happy )
This completely blows the whole 'we're dealing with applications in strict chronological order' excuse out of the water. Our application went in on August 4th.
Good luck to everybody waiting and about to start waiting - I'm off to make a cup of coffee, have a smoke, and try to work with a stupid inane grin on my face all day.
WoooooHoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo