Have visa, what now?!

[ivor&mel]

Just a few random thoughts that are occuring to me now that Mel has got the visa...

The CFO thing should be straightforward, I guess? - just waste time and money in Cebu... Is there any advantage or benefit to my being there with her at that time? My initial thoughts are that since I will be going over to pick her up, I might as well be around at that time. Or would it just be a waste of a couple of days?

As someone who always buys online... and buys returns... I still don't have a clue about where to buy plane tickets for the trip back to Manchester. I was hoping to be able to buy 2 singles when I go back there, and I'm assuming I can do that somewhere in Cebu? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Something else that has flitted across my mind in the past few weeks - emigrants to USA and Oz are required to have a medical, but I've not come across mention of any such requirement for the UK... Can anyone enlighten me on this please?

And when Mel finally arrives here and starts living with me, I assume this will affect my Council Tax? Do I need to inform the council before she arrives?

Also, I know she is not entitled to benefits, but what happens if she should need doctor or hospital or dentist? Presumably she CAN see somebody? My local GP or hospital would be able to see her?

It's amazing how much you don't know you don't know until you know you don't know it

Ivor

[ginapeterb]

Hello once again Ivor, you are so happy I can tell, its all full steam ahead for you now, and why should you not be happy, you deserve it !!

So lets answer your questions,

The CFO thing should be straightforward, I guess? - just waste time and money in Cebu... Is there any advantage or benefit to my being there with her at that time? My initial thoughts are that since I will be going over to pick her up, I might as well be around at that time. Or would it just be a waste of a couple of days?

You might want to accompany Mel to the CFO, If you are in Cebu at the time, why not, of course, you will not be allowed into the guidance and counselling, but you can wait around outside, I just spoke to Gina and she told me, that you can sit downstairs in the hallway and wait for Mel, however Gina recommends, that it takes 3 hours to go through the counselling, she suggests you leave Mel at the St Mary's Euphrasia Foundation and go back to your hotel, watch HBO for a while, and then go back later and collect Mel, but Gina told me to tell you, there is nothing there for you to do.

Let her text you when its completed, just get a local sim card for your phone, and leave it on until she has finished.

As someone who always buys online... and buys returns... I still don't have a clue about where to buy plane tickets for the trip back to Manchester. I was hoping to be able to buy 2 singles when I go back there, and I'm assuming I can do that somewhere in Cebu? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Yes Ivor, you could buy a single to Cebu, that would be your best opportunity, then go to a travel agent in Cebu, actually Cathay Pacific is in Cebu as you know, you could go to them and buy 2 singles, or Silk Air through Singapore Airlines from Cebu, also Emirates I think does that run now as well, just go to a local travel agent in the malls, I think there is one, underneath the Cebu Midtown Hotel, if you need somewhere to stay in Cebu, the Midtown is excellent if you have not already stayed there.

Then suggest you buy 2 singles back to UK, this would be better, as you do not know at this stage when you will be returning, it makes sense to do this.

Something else that has flitted across my mind in the past few weeks - emigrants to USA and Oz are required to have a medical, but I've not come across mention of any such requirement for the UK... Can anyone enlighten me on this please?

Mel is not required to have a medical before embarking for the UK, all she requires is the certificaate of guidance and counselling, and an emigrant stamp in her passport from DFA, the details of which you know are on the web page I directed you to.

As for medicals, Mel maybe be asked to have a quick medical at Manchester Airport on arrival, this I find to be undignified and offensive, however, when you and Mel arrive back in Manchester, go through the section with her, for foreigners, they may ask her to submit to a medical, they may not, depends on how busy they are, its a bummer but cant be avoided, this will only happen once.

And when Mel finally arrives here and starts living with me, I assume this will affect my Council Tax? Do I need to inform the council before she arrives?

Yes you are correct, as you receive a 25 per cent reduction as the only adult occupier, your council tax would revert back, however, I wouldnt bother informing them until renewal, if you even want to bother, of course thats up to you, the only problem is, if anyone knows you receive a 25 per cent reduction as 1 adult occupier, and they inform the council, all of a sudden you get a bill for the difference, and they dont like it, that you didnt inform them.

also, I know she is not entitled to benefits, but what happens if she should need doctor or hospital or dentist? Presumably she CAN see somebody? My local GP or hospital would be able to see her?

You are correct Ivor, Mel is not entitled to receive public funds, however she is entitled to register with your local Doctor, as for Dentistry, I have a bit of advice for you, when you are in Cebu, take Mel to the Dentists there, and have her completely checked before you come back, any work that needs doing should be done there, because, she may not be entitled to NHS Dental treatment, if you go to an NHS Dentist locally, we cant seem to find one where I live, so we have to go private, at £60.00 a visit, its better to have Mel checked out first, I know it sounds funny, but youre much better off getting a dental health check there for her, rather than waiting to come back to UK to find out, she needs £200.00 of dental work.

I hope that helps Ivor, the Dental thing is a must ok, I did this with Gina, and she hasnt visited them once since she arrived, you will also find, that Filipinas who come to Uk, are reluctant to visit UK Doctors at first, so if she does have anything she is concerned about, do it in the Philippines first, Best of Luck

Pete

[ivor&mel]

Thanks yet again Pete - that was some very useful info and tips.

What you say about the dentist makes very good sense,and I'd not thought of doing that. My dentist opted out of NHS work several years ago and forced all the patients to go private, use Denplan, or bugger off. I'm still in the Denplan thing and will talk to them about the possibility of getting Mel added later.

Ivor

[andypaul]

Like us all Ivor your discovering that things don't get any easier once your beloved lands on British Soil.

My Wife came into Heathrow Airport, as we were on a small KLM plane which was full of mainly business people from the EU and only a few non EU passport holders were arriving at the time at T4. We just waited in the Non EU passport holders queue, we both went up together (advisable if your Wife is Jetlagged) The passport control man (forgotten the correct title) was ok about this.
From peoples experience with Wifes,Girlfriends entering the UK for the first time most Passport Control persons are ok about you coming to the desk with your other half. But as with all officialdom they can ask you to come seperately from others experience.

Anyway he checked my Wifes papers first and as he did i mentioned its my Wifes first trip over, he asked basic details like our address, confirmed we had a spouse VISA etc. Once he heard my Address he never mentioned the fact that he lived nearby but he opened up and became very helpful (we live 10 mintues from Heathrow where everyother person works at the Airport).
He said as my Wife was here for the first time on a Visa which lasted six months or longer as in our case, that she needed to have a TB scan. He pointed us both in the direction of the medical room. He mentioned that i could collect our Suitcases and come back down if i wished once Jenn was waiting for her test.
We walked over to the Medical room where the receptionist and two medical persons were waiting (warning at peak times it might be far busier as the waiting room was fairly big). We explained why we were here and my wife went with a female medic while i gave the receptionist my wifes details, they were very friendly and chatty (Medic and receptionist) after 5 mintues my wife came back. With some paperwork and we showed the paperwork to passport control and went off on our way to find our Suitcases were the only ones going round.

My Wife said that the medic asked some basic medical questions like do you have Tb or have had it in the past, any other condtions etc. She then had a quick scan and was nothing to worry about.

From others I have heard that Heathorw is normally the only Airport where the checks are done.

With regards to the councill tax, I informed the Council and they very quickly sent me my revised Bill. Which helped as it was proof of address which will come in very useful with regards to bank accounts etc.

I have been advised that it can be used as part of the edvidence you need to show to the visa people when my wife applies for ILR. You need to prove that your wife and you are living as a loving couple.

Joining your local Gp is fairly simple if your GP has space. My Wife joined and filled in some simple forms (no id was asked for but not sure if this is the norm) and about three weeks later my Wife recieved her NHS medical Card in the post.


One thing your wife does need to do is open a bank account, to do this at most high street banks you need a Passport ( A phill one is perfectly fine) and proof of address, the easiest we found was the electricty bill. I simply rang up the electricty firm and said i wanted to add my wife to our bill. Took a few attempts for them to get it right but and they needed to speak to my wife on the phone (how they knew it was her, i will never know but best to follow the companies rules for an easy life)

[Eljohno]

Originally posted by andypaul@Mar 8 2006, 06:39 PM
Like us all Ivor your discovering that things don't get any easier once your beloved lands on British Soil.

My Wife came into Heathrow Airport, as we were on a small KLM plane which was full of mainly business people from the EU and only a few non EU passport holders were arriving at the time at T4. We just waited in the Non EU passport holders queue, we both went up together (advisable if your Wife is Jetlagged) The passport control man (forgotten the correct title) was ok about this.
From peoples experience with Wifes,Girlfriends entering the UK for the first time most Passport Control persons are ok about you coming to the desk with your other half. But as with all officialdom they can ask you to come seperately from others experience.

Anyway he checked my Wifes papers first and as he did i mentioned its my Wifes first trip over, he asked basic details like our address, confirmed we had a spouse VISA etc. Once he heard my Address he never mentioned the fact that he lived nearby but he opened up and became very helpful (we live 10 mintues from Heathrow where everyother person works at the Airport).
He said as my Wife was here for the first time on a Visa which lasted six months or longer as in our case, that she needed to have a TB scan. He pointed us both in the direction of the medical room. He mentioned that i could collect our Suitcases and come back down if i wished once Jenn was waiting for her test.
We walked over to the Medical room where the receptionist and two medical persons were waiting (warning at peak times it might be far busier as the waiting room was fairly big). We explained why we were here and my wife went with a female medic while i gave the receptionist my wifes details, they were very friendly and chatty (Medic and receptionist) after 5 mintues my wife came back. With some paperwork and we showed the paperwork to passport control and went off on our way to find our Suitcases were the only ones going round.

My Wife said that the medic asked some basic medical questions like do you have Tb or have had it in the past, any other condtions etc. She then had a quick scan and was nothing to worry about.

From others I have heard that Heathorw is normally the only Airport where the checks are done.

With regards to the councill tax, I informed the Council and they very quickly sent me my revised Bill. Which helped as it was proof of address which will come in very useful with regards to bank accounts etc.

I have been advised that it can be used as part of the edvidence you need to show to the visa people when my wife applies for ILR. You need to prove that your wife and you are living as a loving couple.

Joining your local Gp is fairly simple if your GP has space. My Wife joined and filled in some simple forms (no id was asked for but not sure if this is the norm) and about three weeks later my Wife recieved her NHS medical Card in the post.
One thing your wife does need to do is open a bank account, to do this at most high street banks you need a Passport ( A phill one is perfectly fine) and proof of address, the easiest we found was the electricty bill. I simply rang up the electricty firm and said i wanted to add my wife to our bill. Took a few attempts for them to get it right but and they needed to speak to my wife on the phone (how they knew it was her, i will never know but best to follow the companies rules for an easy life)

Quoted post

Very informative which is great as i was wondering what might happen when we arrived in London at the end of April...

[andypaul]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Mar 8 2006, 07:57 PM
Very informative which is great as i was wondering what might happen when we arrived in London at the end of April...

Quoted post

Should be fine just remeber to be polite and calm.

Are you transfering though Heathrow or actually stopping in london. As if your in transit in london i don't think you have to have the medical check as you don't actually enter the country in Heathrow. Then Medical checks and passport control procedure, i guess would be up to Belfast or whichever Airport you end up in.

Maybe others can advise you more

[Eljohno]

Originally posted by andypaul@Mar 8 2006, 10:08 PM
Should be fine just remeber to be polite and calm.

Are you transfering though Heathrow or actually stopping in london. As if your in transit in london i don't think you have to have the medical check as you don't actually enter the country in Heathrow. Then Medical checks and passport control procedure, i guess would be up to Belfast or whichever Airport you end up in.

Maybe others can advise you more

Quoted post

We are actually flying into Gatwick which i am sure will be fine

[ivor&mel]

Originally posted by andypaul@Mar 8 2006, 06:39 PM
Like us all Ivor your discovering that things don't get any easier once your beloved lands on British Soil.

<snipped>

Quoted post

Great post&#33; Some really useful practical tips there. Thanks

Ivor

[nicelady]

Originally posted by ivor&mel@Mar 8 2006, 08:40 AM
Just a few random thoughts that are occuring to me now that Mel has got the visa...

The CFO thing should be straightforward, I guess? - just waste time and money in Cebu... Is there any advantage or benefit to my being there with her at that time? My initial thoughts are that since I will be going over to pick her up, I might as well be around at that time. Or would it just be a waste of a couple of days?

As someone who always buys online... and buys returns... I still don&#39;t have a clue about where to buy plane tickets for the trip back to Manchester. I was hoping to be able to buy 2 singles when I go back there, and I&#39;m assuming I can do that somewhere in Cebu? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Something else that has flitted across my mind in the past few weeks - emigrants to USA and Oz are required to have a medical, but I&#39;ve not come across mention of any such requirement for the UK... Can anyone enlighten me on this please?

And when Mel finally arrives here and starts living with me, I assume this will affect my Council Tax? Do I need to inform the council before she arrives?

Also, I know she is not entitled to benefits, but what happens if she should need doctor or hospital or dentist? Presumably she CAN see somebody? My local GP or hospital would be able to see her?

It&#39;s amazing how much you don&#39;t know you don&#39;t know until you know you don&#39;t know it

Ivor

Quoted post

Hi Ivor,

Just a suggestion, but if you want to buy a ticket in the office of the airways.

There is a qatar airways office in G/F, The QC Pavillion, Gorordo Avenue, Lahug
CEBU CITY 6000, Cebu, Philippines.......tel. # 232-1000....or email add info@qatarairways.com.ph

From your hotel you can get a taxi and just tell the driver to go to QC Pavillion offices at gorordo avenue. When you get there, Qatar airways office is at the groundfloor.

nicelad

[ivor&mel]

Originally posted by nicelady@Mar 10 2006, 11:11 AM
Hi Ivor,

Just a suggestion, but if you want to buy a ticket in the office of the airways.

There is a qatar airways office in G/F, The QC Pavillion, Gorordo Avenue, Lahug
CEBU CITY 6000, Cebu, Philippines.......tel. # 232-1000....or email add info@qatarairways.com.ph

From your hotel you can get a taxi and just tell the driver to go to QC Pavillion offices at gorordo avenue. When you get there, Qatar airways office is at the groundfloor.

nicelad

Quoted post

Thanks for that. So far, I have flown only with Singapore/Silk Air, but I&#39;ve fancied giving Qatar a go - I&#39;ve read some excellent reviews about them in the past.

ivor

[Eljohno]

Originally posted by ivor&mel@Mar 10 2006, 11:57 AM
Thanks for that. So far, I have flown only with Singapore/Silk Air, but I&#39;ve fancied giving Qatar a go - I&#39;ve read some excellent reviews about them in the past.

ivor

Quoted post

Ivor i am going over with Qatar Airlines in just over 3 weeks for the first time as i normally use Singapore but they were the cheapest to use this time. It is good to shop around for prices as i have had many different quotes from £497-£1500 with Thomas cook being the cheapest but check out the following websites before you book;

www.dialaflight.co.uk
www.airline-network.co.uk
www.opodo.co.uk
www.thomascook.co.uk



John

[ivor&mel]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Mar 10 2006, 12:20 PM
Ivor i am going over with Qatar Airlines in just over 3 weeks for the first time as i normally use Singapore but they were the cheapest to use this time. It is good to shop around for prices as i have had many different quotes from £497-£1500 with Thomas cook being the cheapest but check out the following websites before you book;

www.dialaflight.co.uk
www.airline-network.co.uk
www.opodo.co.uk
www.thomascook.co.uk
John

Quoted post

Thanks, John. I almost used Qatar when I went in Jan as I got a good price for them from Airline Network, but the arrival time in Cebu was problematic. But they could be fine for a single trip Cebu-Manchester, as I don&#39;t now have to worry about Mel getting back to Bohol safely

From what I can gather, it wouldn&#39;t be possible for me to buy all the tickets here, would it? i.e. 1 single Man-Cebu, 2 singles Cebu-Man... Or even 2 returns Man-Cebu and not use one of the outward tickets? I guess there would be security concerns about that, maybe...

Ivor

[Eljohno]

Originally posted by ivor&mel@Mar 10 2006, 01:19 PM
Thanks, John. I almost used Qatar when I went in Jan as I got a good price for them from Airline Network, but the arrival time in Cebu was problematic. But they could be fine for a single trip Cebu-Manchester, as I don&#39;t now have to worry about Mel getting back to Bohol safely

From what I can gather, it wouldn&#39;t be possible for me to buy all the tickets here, would it? i.e. 1 single Man-Cebu, 2 singles Cebu-Man... Or even 2 returns Man-Cebu and not use one of the outward tickets? I guess there would be security concerns about that, maybe...

Ivor

Quoted post

Ivor here is what i have done, i bought a return ticket London-Cebu-London for £500 but when i tried from here to get my wife on my flight the best price i could get was around £1300 so i got my wife to go to a local travel agent in her city and including the bad exchange rate and fees that western union charge i was still able to get Rhea over for £400. I think this is by far the cheapest way for you to go.

[ivor&mel]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Mar 10 2006, 01:32 PM
Ivor here is what i have done, i bought a return ticket London-Cebu-London for £500 but when i tried from here to get my wife on my flight the best price i could get was around £1300 so i got my wife to go to a local travel agent in her city and including the bad exchange rate and fees that western union charge i was still able to get Rhea over for £400. I think this is by far the cheapest way for you to go.

Quoted post

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense - and I could use Xoom instead of WU&#33; But how to guarantee that she can get a seat on the same flight as mine? If she can&#39;t, then I have to ditch the return half and end up buying 2 singles when I get there?

Ivor

[Eljohno]

Originally posted by ivor&mel@Mar 10 2006, 02:09 PM
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense - and I could use Xoom instead of WU&#33; But how to guarantee that she can get a seat on the same flight as mine? If she can&#39;t, then I have to ditch the return half and end up buying 2 singles when I get there?

Ivor

Quoted post

Get your fiancee to go to her local travel agent with a return ticket that you will have and she will be able to get a return ticket on the same flight no problem.

[andypaul]

My Wife reserved a seat on the same flight as the one i was booked on to return to the uk, a few months before i came out. At the time my wife was still waiting for her interview (which we didn&#39;t need in the end) so for about 10 pounds and then another 10 pounds to renew the reservation. We bought a one way ticket on KLM which was quite cheap and defintely under 400 pounds.

The ticket was an E ticket which i checked was geinue etc by checking on KLM&#39;s website once it was bought.

[Eljohno]

Originally posted by andypaul@Mar 10 2006, 06:49 PM
My Wife reserved a seat on the same flight as the one i was booked on to return to the uk, a few months before i came out. At the time my wife was still waiting for her interview (which we didn&#39;t need in the end) so for about 10 pounds and then another 10 pounds to renew the reservation. We bought a one way ticket on KLM which was quite cheap and defintely under 400 pounds.

The ticket was an E ticket which i checked was geinue etc by checking on KLM&#39;s website once it was bought.

Quoted post

Hi did your wife book with a local travel agent also? The actual flight that Rhea got was 28,000 but i ended up sending her 30,000 but with the western union rate of 84 pesos to the £1 and their fees it ended up being £400. I only use Western Union if it is urgent as when i use the cbn in Belfast i get 91 pesos to the £1.

[andypaul]

Originally posted by Eljohno@Mar 10 2006, 09:16 PM
Hi did your wife book with a local travel agent also? The actual flight that Rhea got was 28,000 but i ended up sending her 30,000 but with the western union rate of 84 pesos to the £1 and their fees it ended up being £400. I only use Western Union if it is urgent as when i use the cbn in Belfast i get 91 pesos to the £1.

Quoted post

Yep a local travel agent

We bought the ticket back in september and flew in october, so the exchange rate and air line prices will have changed i guess sadly for the worse.

[ivor&mel]

Well, I booked a single flight to Cebu for 22nd March Had to use Singapore though because Qatar arrival time is problematic. I got (I think) a reasonable price direct from the Singapore website: &#163;316 + taxes = &#163;387. What I would like to know now is how can I pay for the 2 tickets back when I am in Cebu? Do travel agents there accept credit cards or must it be done in cash? I would prefer to use Visa...

Mel rang CFO in Cebu the other day, and she was told that they handle UK leavers on Monday TO Friday, rather than Monday AND Friday as it says on the website. I'm still not convinced by that, so I've asked her to call them again tomorrow to confirm which is correct.

Ivor

[Eljohno]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivor&mel &#064; Mar 12 2006, 05&#58;03 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Well, I booked a single flight to Cebu for 22nd March [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] Had to use Singapore though because Qatar arrival time is problematic. I got (I think) a reasonable price direct from the Singapore website: £316 + taxes = £387. What I would like to know now is how can I pay for the 2 tickets back when I am in Cebu? Do travel agents there accept credit cards or must it be done in cash? I would prefer to use Visa...

Mel rang CFO in Cebu the other day, and she was told that they handle UK leavers on Monday TO Friday, rather than Monday AND Friday as it says on the website. I&#39;m still not convinced by that, so I&#39;ve asked her to call them again tomorrow to confirm which is correct.

Ivor
[/b][/quote]

Ivor when i asked about paying for my wife&#39;s ticket at her local travel agent they would not let me pay for it over the phone but if i was there in person they would have allowed me to pay using the swipe machine...

[ivor&mel]

Ivor when i asked about paying for my wife's ticket at her local travel agent they would not let me pay for it over the phone but if i was there in person they would have allowed me to pay using the swipe machine...

OK, so I'll just try and add it to my ever-growing Visa bill

I'm now starting to look into the CFO process in detail... is there anyone who has had recent (2006) experience of this, especially in Cebu? And does anyone get refused the certificate, and if so, on what grounds? Also, what docs are necessary to take to CFO? We are planning on taking all the docs that the Embassy gave back, plus the ticket stubs/boarding cards I will have from my flights there next Wed/Thu, and a photocopy of the entry stamp in my passport.

I'm going to go with Mel to the CFO place, but I suppose I will not be allowed in? So how and where to pass the waiting time? I hope we have time to follow the suggestion of buying a Simcard there so that Mel can call me when she has finished, but not 100% certain that we will have enough time for that.

Ivor

[Eljohno]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivor&mel &#064; Mar 14 2006, 11&#58;20 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
OK, so I&#39;ll just try and add it to my ever-growing Visa bill [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

I&#39;m now starting to look into the CFO process in detail... is there anyone who has had recent (2006) experience of this, especially in Cebu? And does anyone get refused the certificate, and if so, on what grounds? Also, what docs are necessary to take to CFO? We are planning on taking all the docs that the Embassy gave back, plus the ticket stubs/boarding cards I will have from my flights there next Wed/Thu, and a photocopy of the entry stamp in my passport.

I&#39;m going to go with Mel to the CFO place, but I suppose I will not be allowed in? So how and where to pass the waiting time? I hope we have time to follow the suggestion of buying a Simcard there so that Mel can call me when she has finished, but not 100% certain that we will have enough time for that.

Ivor
[/b][/quote]



Ivor if you send a personal message to my wife "rhearose" she will tell you what is needed and the cfo should be straight forward but rhea will be able to tell you exactly what happens....






John

[ivor&mel]

Thanks, John - I've done that now.. I think...

Ivor

[ivor&mel]

Well, we&#39;re back...

All the tedious bits are over now, and Mel is here at last [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] Both rather tired though after an arduous journey home. Anyway, I&#39;ll just try to summarise the salient points of the trip and the CFO experience...

A pretty bad start really... The taxi driver to Manchester seemed to delight in telling me how unreliable his car was... Then Singapore Airways check-in came on heavy: they refused to allow me to travel to Phil on a single ticket&#33; They said it was a requirement to have a ticket out of Phil. This was all news to me, and maybe they were right - but they had no objection to selling me the single ticket in the first place&#33; Anyway, to cut a long story short, I ended up having to pay out 320 quid for a ticket from Cebu to Singapore that I would never use... Of course, when I got to Cebu, they had no interest at all in whether I had a ticket back... Still, I have 30 days to get a refund on the ticket - once I can find it again&#33;

But after that, everything went very well. I made an online booking for 4 nights at the Cebu Midtown Hotel that Pete recommended, and the place was fine for what we needed. Not the Bohol Tropics, but more than adequate [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] I thought we&#39;d best try to book tickets to England as soon as possible, so we set out to do that (almost) immediately. There used to be a Travel Agent in the Robinsons Mall, but that is now closed. The next place we tried was just a joke - a real-life Computer Says No situation... all they could offer was a possible flight with Cathay during the second week in April (this was on 23rd March):

"On what date would that be?"
"The second week in April"
"But what date exactly?"
"We don&#39;t know yet... but it will cost 800 dollars each"
"And will it be to Manchester?"
"Yes"
"Via Hong Kong?"
"Yes"
"And then where?"
"Europe"
"Europe? Whereabouts in Europe?"
"Just Europe"
"Does it go direct from Hong Kong to Manchester?"
"It will go to Europe"
"Thank you... we&#39;ll let you know..."

Seems funny now, but it wasn&#39;t at the time&#33; Anyway, the next place we found was excellent, and immediately got us 2 seats with Qatar on 31st March, for 500 dollars each. The only downside was that the flight was at 3am, and the last ferry from Tagbilaran would arrive at 7pm. If anyone else needs tickets in Cebu, I&#39;d recommend this outfit: Nautica, just a couple of minutes&#39; walk from Midtown at 144 Raintree Mall, 528 General Maxilom Avenue (phone (032) 2549644. Excellent apart from them telling us there was no need to reconfirm the flights - I phoned Qatar anyway and they said it IS essential...

That was Thursday. Friday was CFO day. Do try to have your brain in gear for this - we didn&#39;t and went to the CFO first instead of SMEF-COW&#33; Thankfully, a girl on the street there pointed out our error, and we still got to SMEF-COW before 8am. The registration all went smoothly, but I had to wait for Mel outside on the street, as I was told that there was no waiting on the bench outside the room until 10am... Still, the registration took only half an hour - form-filling, photo, and payment of 250 pesos. Then shopping and lunch to return for the 1pm guidance session. The horror film was from 1-2, and Mel had the interview about 2:30. Very straightforward, but we took all the docs that the Embassy returned just in case they were needed... So... we now had the certificate, so on to the CFO, more form filling, another photo, another 250 pesos... and that was that&#33; Apart from 2 full days of shopping in Cebu to look forward to [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

After that, on to Tagbilaran for packing and farewells - and the luxury of the Bohol Tropics hotel. I&#39;d really missed that place because we had become friends with many of the people that work there over our 2 previous stays there.

Oh... and for any smokers, Cebu airport now seems to have done a U-turn over its "we-are-a-no-smoking-airport-and-we-will-nick-your-lighters" policy: there is an airside cafe by the check-in desks that allows smoking... The Qatar flight experience was good, but spoiled by things beyond their control. Like at the stopover in Singapore, we all had to leave the plane for a security check which caused a delay of one hour, and a further hour&#39;s delay at Doha as their computerised check-in system was down. Plus we had seats at the Nursery End from Doha to Manchester, which made any chance of sleep impossible [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

On arrival at Manchester, I went to the non-UK area of passport control with Mel and was amazed at how smoothly it went: very charming and friendly officer there, no need for any medical at all, a very quick process.

I&#39;m sure there&#39;s more, but my brain needs a rest now. Mel feels really good about being here, even though the temperature was a bit of a shocker to her [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] Anyway, finally just to thank everyone for their invaluable help and support on our mission. It&#39;s been a slog and stressful at times, but all that pain has gone now. We&#39;re there... and she&#39;s here [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

Ivor

[ginapeterb]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivor&mel &#064; Apr 2 2006, 08&#58;57 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Well, we&#39;re back...

All the tedious bits are over now, and Mel is here at last [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] Both rather tired though after an arduous journey home. Anyway, I&#39;ll just try to summarise the salient points of the trip and the CFO experience...

A pretty bad start really... The taxi driver to Manchester seemed to delight in telling me how unreliable his car was... Then Singapore Airways check-in came on heavy: they refused to allow me to travel to Phil on a single ticket&#33; They said it was a requirement to have a ticket out of Phil. This was all news to me, and maybe they were right - but they had no objection to selling me the single ticket in the first place&#33; Anyway, to cut a long story short, I ended up having to pay out 320 quid for a ticket from Cebu to Singapore that I would never use... Of course, when I got to Cebu, they had no interest at all in whether I had a ticket back... Still, I have 30 days to get a refund on the ticket - once I can find it again&#33;

But after that, everything went very well. I made an online booking for 4 nights at the Cebu Midtown Hotel that Pete recommended, and the place was fine for what we needed. Not the Bohol Tropics, but more than adequate [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] I thought we&#39;d best try to book tickets to England as soon as possible, so we set out to do that (almost) immediately. There used to be a Travel Agent in the Robinsons Mall, but that is now closed. The next place we tried was just a joke - a real-life Computer Says No situation... all they could offer was a possible flight with Cathay during the second week in April (this was on 23rd March):

"On what date would that be?"
"The second week in April"
"But what date exactly?"
"We don&#39;t know yet... but it will cost 800 dollars each"
"And will it be to Manchester?"
"Yes"
"Via Hong Kong?"
"Yes"
"And then where?"
"Europe"
"Europe? Whereabouts in Europe?"
"Just Europe"
"Does it go direct from Hong Kong to Manchester?"
"It will go to Europe"
"Thank you... we&#39;ll let you know..."

Seems funny now, but it wasn&#39;t at the time&#33; Anyway, the next place we found was excellent, and immediately got us 2 seats with Qatar on 31st March, for 500 dollars each. The only downside was that the flight was at 3am, and the last ferry from Tagbilaran would arrive at 7pm. If anyone else needs tickets in Cebu, I&#39;d recommend this outfit: Nautica, just a couple of minutes&#39; walk from Midtown at 144 Raintree Mall, 528 General Maxilom Avenue (phone (032) 2549644. Excellent apart from them telling us there was no need to reconfirm the flights - I phoned Qatar anyway and they said it IS essential...

That was Thursday. Friday was CFO day. Do try to have your brain in gear for this - we didn&#39;t and went to the CFO first instead of SMEF-COW&#33; Thankfully, a girl on the street there pointed out our error, and we still got to SMEF-COW before 8am. The registration all went smoothly, but I had to wait for Mel outside on the street, as I was told that there was no waiting on the bench outside the room until 10am... Still, the registration took only half an hour - form-filling, photo, and payment of 250 pesos. Then shopping and lunch to return for the 1pm guidance session. The horror film was from 1-2, and Mel had the interview about 2:30. Very straightforward, but we took all the docs that the Embassy returned just in case they were needed... So... we now had the certificate, so on to the CFO, more form filling, another photo, another 250 pesos... and that was that&#33; Apart from 2 full days of shopping in Cebu to look forward to [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

After that, on to Tagbilaran for packing and farewells - and the luxury of the Bohol Tropics hotel. I&#39;d really missed that place because we had become friends with many of the people that work there over our 2 previous stays there.

Oh... and for any smokers, Cebu airport now seems to have done a U-turn over its "we-are-a-no-smoking-airport-and-we-will-nick-your-lighters" policy: there is an airside cafe by the check-in desks that allows smoking... The Qatar flight experience was good, but spoiled by things beyond their control. Like at the stopover in Singapore, we all had to leave the plane for a security check which caused a delay of one hour, and a further hour&#39;s delay at Doha as their computerised check-in system was down. Plus we had seats at the Nursery End from Doha to Manchester, which made any chance of sleep impossible [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

On arrival at Manchester, I went to the non-UK area of passport control with Mel and was amazed at how smoothly it went: very charming and friendly officer there, no need for any medical at all, a very quick process.

I&#39;m sure there&#39;s more, but my brain needs a rest now. Mel feels really good about being here, even though the temperature was a bit of a shocker to her [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] Anyway, finally just to thank everyone for their invaluable help and support on our mission. It&#39;s been a slog and stressful at times, but all that pain has gone now. We&#39;re there... and she&#39;s here [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

Ivor
[/b][/quote]


Ivor and Mel,


A very warm welcome back to Sunny Sheffield, read your report with interest, glad the Cebu Midtown was adequate for your needs, funny how you went to CFO first, everyone does that, I think reading your story, brings back the memories for the rest of us, well done Ivor, and glad you got your girl back to UK, I suppose once she has rested, it will be down to Meadowhall for a browse will it ?

AND YES IVOR, THE PAIN HAS GONE FOR YOU NOW,

Now its time to help others &#33;&#33; HAHAHAH dont leave the forum, as so many do, we need you in it.
when you have rested, we will send you a few e mails to deal with, is that ok ?

Gina sends her regards to Mel.

Pete and Gina

[andypaul]

Welcome back and a warm welcome to Mel.

[Eljohno]

Welcome back guys&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

I am glad things went well for you both&#33;&#33;

I am flying via Doha myself on tuesday which will be a change from Singapore.

As Pete says keep in touch..



John

[equaliser]

Welcome back Ivor. And welcome to the UK Mel. I hope it isn&#39;t too cold for you.

Best wishes

Brian

[ivor&mel]

Ivor and Mel,
A very warm welcome back to Sunny Sheffield, read your report with interest, glad the Cebu Midtown was adequate for your needs, funny how you went to CFO first, everyone does that, I think reading your story, brings back the memories for the rest of us, well done Ivor, and glad you got your girl back to UK, I suppose once she has rested, it will be down to Meadowhall for a browse will it ?

AND YES IVOR, THE PAIN HAS GONE FOR YOU NOW,

Now its time to help others !! HAHAHAH dont leave the forum, as so many do, we need you in it.
when you have rested, we will send you a few e mails to deal with, is that ok ?

Gina sends her regards to Mel.

Pete and Gina

Thanks for your kind thoughts and words, Pete and Gina. Mel was very happy to read what you say - and even happier when we discovered the update to your website That was a lovely touch - thank you. Just keep quiet about Meadowhell, will you! - I've managed to avoid mentioning it to her so far

I have no intention of leaving this forum It has been so very helpful since the day I first found it, and I want to keep giving back as much as I can to show my appreciation and to help anyone else who has to go through all this procedural nonsense. Postings, e-mails, whatever - I will help in any way I can.

Now we are off for our first visit to the bustle of Sheffield city centre - primarily to set off the arrangements for the wedding, sort out Council Tax, probably go fishing in Castle Market...

Ivor and Mel

Welcome back and a warm welcome to Mel.

Thanks for your welcome And Mel needs all the warmth she can get at the moment!

Welcome back guys!!!!

I am glad things went well for you both!!

I am flying via Doha myself on tuesday which will be a change from Singapore.

As Pete says keep in touch..
John

Thanks very much, John. Be warned that Doha airport is very much still under construction and can be very difficult to move around in if you hit it at a busy time like we did... But it's still quite small, so not far to move

Anyway, enjoy your flight. I would choose Qatar over Singapore now... I just wish the flights were at more convenient times!

Ivor and Mel

Welcome back Ivor. And welcome to the UK Mel. I hope it isn't too cold for you.

Best wishes

Brian

Thanks Brian. Actually, Mel has dealt with the cold far better than I feared. She even managed to feel hot for a while yesterday

[Admin]

Give it a week, and have Mel do a write up on British Spring time [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bigcry.gif[/img]