how to apply for a spousal visa

[spousevisa]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Eljohno &#064; Feb 1 2006, 07&#58;21 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Truelove,
my suggestion is spend the time to look through this forum because i am sure most of the answers you are looking are already here, you just have to take the time to spend a few hours looking for all you need.

My wife and i are only a week or so away from actually sending or settlement visa application off to Manila via Cava so if i can be of any help please just contact me.

John [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Wave.gif[/img]
[/b][/quote]



Hi i married to a british guy and we just got married last february 2006. i would like to know how to process my visa application via CAVA. Pls help me what do i need to do first and so on.. hope to receive any reply


Jovelyn

[ivor&mel]

Hi i married to a british guy and we just got married last february 2006. i would like to know how to process my visa application via CAVA. Pls help me what do i need to do first and so on.. hope to receive any reply
Jovelyn

Hi Jovelyn and welcome to the forum.

Firstly, the visa process is now handled by UKVacs , and secondly, although you have to make the visa application, there is preparation that needs to be done by you and your husband together. Download and print the application form (VAF2) - maybe print several copies - read through the official requirements on links from the Embassy pages, and, more importantly, read through the many relevant postings on this forum! There are lots of people here who have been through the process, either for a spouse visa or fiancee visa.

Pete, one of the Admins on this forum has a site dedicated to many aspects of UK-Filipino relationships and culture, including a lengthy description and help regarding the visa process. The site is unavailable at the moment, but try checking it again after 8th May.

So... do a bit of reading to understand the basics of the process you need to go through, both for the application and for possible interview. And whenever you are ready, you or your husband can ask questions here - any question, no matter how stupid it may seem to you. The process is nothing to be scared about, just make sure you both understand what you are doing at each step. Don't GUESS at what you have to do or how you need to answer any questions on the application form - you are dealing with the British Embassy in Manila, and they have their own unique brand of commonsense

Just remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step: you have made your first step now

Ivor and Mel

[truelove26]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivor&mel &#064; May 3 2006, 08&#58;49 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Jovelyn and welcome to the forum.

Firstly, the visa process is now handled by UKVacs , and secondly, although you have to make the visa application, there is preparation that needs to be done by you and your husband together. Download and print the application form (VAF2) - maybe print several copies - read through the official requirements on links from the Embassy pages, and, more importantly, read through the many relevant postings on this forum&#33; There are lots of people here who have been through the process, either for a spouse visa or fiancee visa.

Pete, one of the Admins on this forum has a site dedicated to many aspects of UK-Filipino relationships and culture, including a lengthy description and help regarding the visa process. The site is unavailable at the moment, but try checking it again after 8th May.

So... do a bit of reading to understand the basics of the process you need to go through, both for the application and for possible interview. And whenever you are ready, you or your husband can ask questions here - any question, no matter how stupid it may seem to you. The process is nothing to be scared about, just make sure you both understand what you are doing at each step. Don&#39;t GUESS at what you have to do or how you need to answer any questions on the application form - you are dealing with the British Embassy in Manila, and they have their own unique brand of commonsense [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

Just remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step: you have made your first step now [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

Ivor and Mel
[/b][/quote] nice one ivor...hi jovelyn,ivor is right,there is so much to do.but nothing is impossible when you know you are doing the right thing and you carefully understand the guidelines.you must call the embassy cava numbers so they could tell you when to pick up your papers.but remember to bring ur passport and also you must know about ur husbands parents coz in my case they ask me about it...well thats all for now i can say and ask u can ask more as evryboday here in the forum are willing to help....goodluck

truelove26

[Gensanbritish]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(need help for spouse visa &#064; May 3 2006, 03&#58;43 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi i married to a british guy and we just got married last february 2006. i would like to know how to process my visa application via CAVA. Pls help me what do i need to do first and so on.. hope to receive any reply
Jovelyn
[/b][/quote]

Hi Ivor and Mel thanks for your reply. Its really helpful. But i just want t asked again about this UKVAcs? if ever all my requirments are complete, are they going to pick up it after i phone them ??? and regarding the payment which is to be paid by managers cheque? what will i need to do first ?? what bank to i need to go? hope to have answer in all my question.. thank you so much again and may GOd bless you..


Jovelyn

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivor&mel &#064; May 3 2006, 07&#58;49 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Jovelyn and welcome to the forum.

Firstly, the visa process is now handled by UKVacs , and secondly, although you have to make the visa application, there is preparation that needs to be done by you and your husband together. Download and print the application form (VAF2) - maybe print several copies - read through the official requirements on links from the Embassy pages, and, more importantly, read through the many relevant postings on this forum&#33; There are lots of people here who have been through the process, either for a spouse visa or fiancee visa.

Pete, one of the Admins on this forum has a site dedicated to many aspects of UK-Filipino relationships and culture, including a lengthy description and help regarding the visa process. The site is unavailable at the moment, but try checking it again after 8th May.

So... do a bit of reading to understand the basics of the process you need to go through, both for the application and for possible interview. And whenever you are ready, you or your husband can ask questions here - any question, no matter how stupid it may seem to you. The process is nothing to be scared about, just make sure you both understand what you are doing at each step. Don&#39;t GUESS at what you have to do or how you need to answer any questions on the application form - you are dealing with the British Embassy in Manila, and they have their own unique brand of commonsense [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

Just remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step: you have made your first step now [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]


Hi truelove26 thanks for your advice to me. Yeah i will keep asking questions here coz u have experienced about this already. And i know that u can really answers all my question. thank you and God bless you always..

Jovelyn (Gensanbritish)

Ivor and Mel
[/b][/quote]

[ivor&mel]

Hi Ivor and Mel thanks for your reply. Its really helpful. But i just want t asked again about this UKVAcs? if ever all my requirments are complete, are they going to pick up it after i phone them ??? and regarding the payment which is to be paid by managers cheque? what will i need to do first ?? what bank to i need to go? hope to have answer in all my question.. thank you so much again and may GOd bless you..
Jovelyn

If the process is still the same as when we did it in January, you phone UKVACS to register your application, and then you arrange a date for the courier (Aboitiz) to collect your documents.

There are 3 fees to be paid, two of which have to be paid in the form of a Manager's Cheque. The big one is the fee for the Embassy, which, after I have just checked, seems to be going up again on 11th May to 26,000 pesos! (fees are listed here), and the smaller one is for the UKVACS (TT) Service Fee of 616 pesos. These cheques should be kept in the envelope with your documents (they are nothing to do with the courier), and the document folder will be sealed with tape by the courier. The third fee is for the courier, and is paid in cash; I think it was around 300 pesos when we applied, but the courier will tell you for certain. Mel found Aboitiz very helpful, so feel free to ask them any questions about anything in the process that concerns you.

The bank we used was Equitable PCI. Mel did not have an account there, but it was the bank she used to pick up money I transferred to her using Xoom so she was familiar with it, and some of the staff there were familiar with her. Other banks may be as good - I don't really know. BUT - I would not say it was easy to get the cheques! We initially talked to the manager (or someone higher up than a counter clerk) to make sure they would make us out a cheque. Then we waited for a counter clerk - who told us we couldn't have a cheque as Mel had no account with the bank... It took a bit of arguing and consultation before she finally accepted that it was OK to issue us with the cheque, so be prepared for a bit of hassle if you do not have a bank account. And they do make a small charge for drawing up the cheques, but it's not much, as I remember.

If you want the official line on UKVACS, have a look at their website

Ivor and Mel

[Gensanbritish]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivor&mel &#064; May 9 2006, 08&#58;32 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
If the process is still the same as when we did it in January, you phone UKVACS to register your application, and then you arrange a date for the courier (Aboitiz) to collect your documents.

There are 3 fees to be paid, two of which have to be paid in the form of a Manager&#39;s Cheque. The big one is the fee for the Embassy, which, after I have just checked, seems to be going up again on 11th May to 26,000 pesos&#33; (fees are listed here), and the smaller one is for the UKVACS (TT) Service Fee of 616 pesos. These cheques should be kept in the envelope with your documents (they are nothing to do with the courier), and the document folder will be sealed with tape by the courier. The third fee is for the courier, and is paid in cash; I think it was around 300 pesos when we applied, but the courier will tell you for certain. Mel found Aboitiz very helpful, so feel free to ask them any questions about anything in the process that concerns you.

The bank we used was Equitable PCI. Mel did not have an account there, but it was the bank she used to pick up money I transferred to her using Xoom so she was familiar with it, and some of the staff there were familiar with her. Other banks may be as good - I don&#39;t really know. BUT - I would not say it was easy to get the cheques&#33; We initially talked to the manager (or someone higher up than a counter clerk) to make sure they would make us out a cheque. Then we waited for a counter clerk - who told us we couldn&#39;t have a cheque as Mel had no account with the bank... It took a bit of arguing and consultation before she finally accepted that it was OK to issue us with the cheque, so be prepared for a bit of hassle if you do not have a bank account. And they do make a small charge for drawing up the cheques, but it&#39;s not much, as I remember.

If you want the official line on UKVACS, have a look at their website

Ivor and Mel
[/b][/quote]

Hi Ivor and mel,

Thanks for your reply and information that u give. Thats really a big help in my processing of my visa. Once again thank you...

Take care and God bless you...

Jovelyn

[Gensanbritish]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gensanbritish &#064; May 9 2006, 04&#58;37 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Ivor and Mel thanks for your reply. Its really helpful. But i just want t asked again about this UKVAcs? if ever all my requirments are complete, are they going to pick up it after i phone them ??? and regarding the payment which is to be paid by managers cheque? what will i need to do first ?? what bank to i need to go? hope to have answer in all my question.. thank you so much again and may GOd bless you..
Jovelyn
[/b][/quote]


Ivor and Mel,

hello again&#33; I just wanted to asked regarding the evidences. How can i make this evidence so that it will be presentable?? i mean the pictures, do i really need to put them in the album? and how about the letters and emails what will i do to them? and the emails im planning to book bind it and put at the front paul and jovelyn emails is that a good idea? Also do i need to enclosed all of that in the sealed envelope together with my application?Hope to hear from u about that. Thanks for always replying to all my questions.



Jovelyn

[ivor&mel]

Ivor and Mel,

hello again! I just wanted to asked regarding the evidences. How can i make this evidence so that it will be presentable?? i mean the pictures, do i really need to put them in the album? and how about the letters and emails what will i do to them? and the emails im planning to book bind it and put at the front paul and jovelyn emails is that a good idea? Also do i need to enclosed all of that in the sealed envelope together with my application?Hope to hear from u about that. Thanks for always replying to all my questions.
Jovelyn

Hi Jovelyn,

What we had to end up with was everything able to fit into one large plastic wallet that the courier could seal and deliver to UKVACS

Yes, you should try to create a photo album, but it doesn't have to be elaborate! We created our own album, and tried to make it so that it was not bulky... not sure how to describe it! It was the "flattest" album we could find in the shops, and just a bit larger than A4 in size, with thinnish plastic cover, and enough pages (with plastic foldover) to hold 30 pics (I'm guessing - can't remember how many we ended up with!) Beneath each photo, we wrote a one-liner description: date... location... identities of people in the photo...

Letters and cards should be in the original envelopes wherever possible. We placed all those in a thin plastic wallet of their own. We didn't have many e-mails, so we put them in with the letters. We had lots of Yahoo chat logs (edited of course ) and these we placed into another 2 plastic wallets.

Ivor and Mel

[Gensanbritish]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gensanbritish &#064; May 12 2006, 11&#58;18 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Ivor and Mel,

hello again&#33; I just wanted to asked regarding the evidences. How can i make this evidence so that it will be presentable?? i mean the pictures, do i really need to put them in the album? and how about the letters and emails what will i do to them? and the emails im planning to book bind it and put at the front paul and jovelyn emails is that a good idea? Also do i need to enclosed all of that in the sealed envelope together with my application?Hope to hear from u about that. Thanks for always replying to all my questions.
Jovelyn
[/b][/quote]

Hi Ivor and mel,

Thank you so much for the information that u gave to me regarding evidences. Im going to start looking for a flat album in the mall and start making all the evidences that i need. By the way, i just want to asked also about my passport. I&#39;ve heard that if u married to a foreigner u need to attend CFO seminar first in order to have this CFO certificate. Thats one of the requirments of getting passport using your husband surname. But how come when i get my passport that was last month of april they didnt require me that certificate and im using the surename of my husband now in my passport. Do u think i will not have any problems during the time i will submit my passport in the embassy together with my application? Im just really confused regarding this also thats why i ask u about it. Hope to hear from you soon about this.. Thanks again for all the replies... Take care and God bless you always i mean for both of you...



Paul and Jovelyn

[ivor&mel]

Hi Ivor and mel,

Thank you so much for the information that u gave to me regarding evidences. Im going to start looking for a flat album in the mall and start making all the evidences that i need. By the way, i just want to asked also about my passport. I've heard that if u married to a foreigner u need to attend CFO seminar first in order to have this CFO certificate. Thats one of the requirments of getting passport using your husband surname. But how come when i get my passport that was last month of april they didnt require me that certificate and im using the surename of my husband now in my passport. Do u think i will not have any problems during the time i will submit my passport in the embassy together with my application? Im just really confused regarding this also thats why i ask u about it. Hope to hear from you soon about this.. Thanks again for all the replies... Take care and God bless you always i mean for both of you...
Paul and Jovelyn

Hi Paul and Jovelyn,

The CFO certificate is of no concern to the British Embassy: it is needed for a Filipino to be able to leave the Philippines, and, as far as I understand, you can either do the CFO before or after you have been for interview and got the visa, though it makes more sense to me to do the CFO after you have your visa (which is what we did). There have been several postings about the CFO experience and links given to the official CFO sites. Unfortunately, the search engine on the Forum does not allow searches of less than 4 characters, so you can't search for "CFO"! Try searching for "Euphrasia" and that should throw up a few posts.

You have a valid passport - that is all the British Embassy will be bothered about for the interview

Ivor and Mel

[Gensanbritish]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gensanbritish &#064; May 14 2006, 05&#58;50 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Ivor and mel,

Thank you so much for the information that u gave to me regarding evidences. Im going to start looking for a flat album in the mall and start making all the evidences that i need. By the way, i just want to asked also about my passport. I&#39;ve heard that if u married to a foreigner u need to attend CFO seminar first in order to have this CFO certificate. Thats one of the requirments of getting passport using your husband surname. But how come when i get my passport that was last month of april they didnt require me that certificate and im using the surename of my husband now in my passport. Do u think i will not have any problems during the time i will submit my passport in the embassy together with my application? Im just really confused regarding this also thats why i ask u about it. Hope to hear from you soon about this.. Thanks again for all the replies... Take care and God bless you always i mean for both of you...
Paul and Jovelyn
[/b][/quote]

Hi Ivor and mel,


Ohh thank u so much for answering all my questions. Now i dont need to worry about that. This site has a big help to the filipina like me whos still processing there visa. Thank you very very much and God bless you always and also to your relationship..

Paul and Jovelyn

[ivor&mel]

Hi Ivor and mel,
Ohh thank u so much for answering all my questions. Now i dont need to worry about that. This site has a big help to the filipina like me whos still processing there visa. Thank you very very much and God bless you always and also to your relationship..

Paul and Jovelyn

Thanks for your kind wishes. And good luck to you both. Don't forget to start preparing together for the interview in case they call you

Ivor and Mel

[Pauldo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gensanbritish &#064; May 14 2006, 06&#58;50 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Ivor and mel,

Thank you so much for the information that u gave to me regarding evidences. Im going to start looking for a flat album in the mall and start making all the evidences that i need. By the way, i just want to asked also about my passport. I&#39;ve heard that if u married to a foreigner u need to attend CFO seminar first in order to have this CFO certificate. Thats one of the requirments of getting passport using your husband surname. But how come when i get my passport that was last month of april they didnt require me that certificate and im using the surename of my husband now in my passport. Do u think i will not have any problems during the time i will submit my passport in the embassy together with my application? Im just really confused regarding this also thats why i ask u about it. Hope to hear from you soon about this.. Thanks again for all the replies... Take care and God bless you always i mean for both of you...
Paul and Jovelyn
[/b][/quote]
My wife did the CFO trip at least twice, once when she got her passport, then again when she got it in my name. And maybe even once again when we decided to leave the country.

First time she just paid the money and got the stamp/sticker/whatever, never even went in, as they were too lazy to do it just for her. That was back in 1996 I think.

Second time they gave her all sorts of guff about how dangerous and violent we British guys can be [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Erm.gif[/img]

[Gensanbritish]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gensanbritish &#064; May 14 2006, 05&#58;50 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Ivor and mel,

Thank you so much for the information that u gave to me regarding evidences. Im going to start looking for a flat album in the mall and start making all the evidences that i need. By the way, i just want to asked also about my passport. I&#39;ve heard that if u married to a foreigner u need to attend CFO seminar first in order to have this CFO certificate. Thats one of the requirments of getting passport using your husband surname. But how come when i get my passport that was last month of april they didnt require me that certificate and im using the surename of my husband now in my passport. Do u think i will not have any problems during the time i will submit my passport in the embassy together with my application? Im just really confused regarding this also thats why i ask u about it. Hope to hear from you soon about this.. Thanks again for all the replies... Take care and God bless you always i mean for both of you...
Paul and Jovelyn
[/b][/quote]

Hi did your wife use your surname when she applied for visa?? If yes did the she requested to present her cfo certificate during her interview? Hope to hear from you soon regarding this...


Paul and Jovelyn

[ivor&mel]

Hi did your wife use your surname when she applied for visa?? If yes did the she requested to present her cfo certificate during her interview? Hope to hear from you soon regarding this...
Paul and Jovelyn

Er... Mel is my fiancee, not my wife - for a few more weeks I'm sure others will be able to advise on what name to use!

Ivor and Mel