Hello Everyone! Newbie here. :)

I am working on the basis that the UKVI does not ask for any letters of any description in the application so you cannot be refused for not submitting something they have not asked for, if they required one it would state clearly in the application or supporting notes that one is required.

We cannot be mind readers after all

It is about minimising risk of not getting the visa. But in an optimal way.

Hello to OP. Good luck with your procedure.

It struck me that our covering letter was a good bold opening statement. And note that it included a list of contents. This makes it harder ( not impossible ) for the ECO to mess up the response. I have come across people for whom the ECO claimed the applicant had not submitted certain items when they clearly had. A list of contents on the covering letter hits the ECO between the eyes immediately.

If you want to view the visa processing times (settlement visas; bottom of page) in VFS Cebu, here is the link: https://visa-processingtimes.homeoffice.gov.uk/y/cebu-philippines/all

In my case I got my visa approved in only 20 calendar days but the validity was more than a month from that (depends on what you put in the travel time in the application). It was then I carried on with my CFO seminar and got the sticker on the day my visa goes valid. Had 1.5 months making most of my time being together with my family in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao because it will take me a while to go back home now.

Funny that, ain't it? They don't ask for it but then fail you for not submitting it!

This was after the new rules had been announced but before they came into effect. Wouldn't surprise me if they were looking to fail people.

Hi @Anne, may I know what you mean with CFO seminar? And when should I be taking this?

Thank you!

https://love2type.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/morning-with-cfo-cebu/

Awesome! I can help someonone for a change!

Cycle through all the pages

Hi

Hi @AndyRam! I didn't expect another big hurdle after all the challenges in getting the visa itself! Wla nay mas lisod pa ani!? Lol.

But your information is a great help. May i know what to exactly bring to CFO office? You mentioned about two valid ID's? Are company ID and driver's license enough? Or perhaps a passport also?

You also mentioned in your blog that you brought some documents of your hubby? May i know what sort of docs should i be requiring from him, does it have to be original copies? And lastly, this docs of his will be use in which part of the CFO application?

Daghang Salamat!

Hello again Ella. CFO stands for Commission on Filipinos Overseas (partners/settlement visas), PDOS-Pre-departure Orientation Seminar equivalent for OFWs. Basically it is a government agency that makes you aware of your rights as Filipino living/will be living abroad. It will take about 4 hours for the seminar and 5-10 minutes for the counselling (1 on 1 with a counsellor). I also heard a number of horrible stories about this but it turned out to be helpful when I attended the seminar last August.

I take it you will be having your CFO seminar in Cebu. Good thing they already implement the online system now (it was First come First serve basis 8 months ago. Went to CFO Cebu before 6AM). Please be advised that the CFO office in Cebu has a new location. To know the steps and requirements, you can view this link
http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?opt...tid=110:frequently-asked-questions&Itemid=858

You can also attend the seminar while processing your application provided that your passport is still with you. A certificate will be given after completion of the seminar and a sticker but the sticker will be available once you already have the visa (attached to passport on the visa validity date). Or you can go only once after you get the visa. Its not that difficult to set an appointment anyway. Good luck.

Thank you so much @Anne! I will have my CFO seminar right after i get my visa.

Your welcome. Just post here if you got more questions..

It's not my blog, Carmela. I just happened to be looking into the issue myself. Anyway, Anne seems to have it covered.

Carmela,
You'll be fine in/around Lewisham.
There's a large hospital just down the road where some Filipinas work, and the coffee shop in the Lewisham Centre always seems to have 2-3 Filipinas in attendance.
You'll be surprised how many you see/notice buzzing around the street market.

Hello guys! I'm glad to inform you that I passed my IELTS Life skills language exam and also my TB test! We are now about to lodge our papers in VFS agency in Cebu city and I'm so happy everything is going well as planned.

Although, i have a question. As we are going through with re-checking my papers in the agency, the document officer informed me that after we get married in London, I am not allowed to travel outside of UK for 2 years until such i get my ILR permit which i can only apply after two years?!

I am really in total shock about this as it means i am not allowed to go back home for our PH wedding. Me and my fiance really expected that we can have our PH dream wedding by next year 2016, Feb. My dream of having my PH wedding with all my friends and family is now crushed. I would like to know, is this information from my document officer is really true? I hope she just made some wrong info about this and I can still go back to PH to have our wedding.

That is not quite true. There is a time restriction but you can travel outside of the UK for limited amounts of time. My wife and I went to Portugal for a holiday before she applied for ILR.

@JohnAsh, i am glad to know this. Is there a site John that you know that could confirm this? She was quite firm when she told me about this. I have been trying to validate it online if i could get more concrete info but i couldn't find any.

There are one or two on here that will confirm the actual time allowances. We have moved on from there and applying for Citizenship so we have lost touch with the actual time allowances. But yes, you should be able to take a few weeks for a trip back to the Philippines. See what the others say...

Thank you! I will try to wait for the opinion of others. But for the meantime, i will scan through google and to some BF threads with similar topic.

I'm a bit confused. Not only that you can't leave for 2 years but ILR after 2 years? Your route is 6 months entry, 2.5 years FLR, 2.5 years FLR then ILR. You can leave the country, there is no time limit until ILR/Citenzenship. That's possibly why you can't find it on Google. I posted a link on here in the last week. I will repost when I get on a proper device.