Personal Timeline - Spouse & Step-Daughter Application

Thanks. Just know from the fact that I have two of the same email with different links to the one posted that the links are different and I'm guessing application specific. Will find out tonight when go sort out my own payments.

In our case biometrics were done on 13th September and I sent documents to Sheffield on the same date and they were returned 6th October.

Update and consolidated timeline:

13 September 2018: Wife and step-daughter attend visa appointment in Manila having travelled from Tuguegarao. (first panic as I receive a WhatsApp message from her telling me that at initial reception in the Visa Application Centre they informed her we have submitted the wrong type of application as we have applied for Student visas for my her and step-daughter. At 4am in the morning I sprung out of bed and I checked and replied that we have applied for spouse-settlement and child-settlement. I wake up to check thinking I am losing my mind, the application did not ask about colleges of study, we could not have got it that wrong surely!. Nope, the applications are for spouse-settlement and child-settlement. 10 minutes later wife sends message saying a clerical error.....how can this be? Hour later message received from wife all done, passports submitted, biometrics done......phew!!

13 September 2018: Same day went to local Post Office to send '4.6 kg evidence pack' to Sheffield. Royal Mail Special Delivery, guaranteed by 9am next day. (second panic as check online tracking service and not received. Checked and checked again all day but not received. Called the Royal Mail helpline who stated received at 0912 Hrs but the online tracker did not show this until the day after)

06 October 2018: Evidence pack and all documents received back from Sheffield along with what I have learned from this site is the normal impersonal unsigned letter stating decision to be made.

31 October 2018: received email: Unfortunately there is a bug with the IHS Portal where children appear to be exempt from the IHS payment. This is not correct. We are working to resolve this issue.
The application has been amended for the IHS payment request. The Visa type will appear as ‘Settlement - Parent, Grandparent or Other Dependant Relative’, this is the only way we can continue the process until the bug is fixed.

Please note that if the full payment is not made by 07/11/2018 then your application will be refused. If this is the only reason for refusing your application, you will have to make a new visa application and your visa fees will not be refunded.

However I did note that the GW reference number was different so I asked the question:

31 October 2018: e-mail sent:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Regarding Visa Application: GWFXXXXXXXXXXX
For: XXXXXXXXXXXX

Please see below confirmation of payment of IHS payment for my step-daughter (IHSxxxxxxx|2018-xxxxxx).

A separate e-mail would indicate that there is a ‘bug’ in your system that reports no charge for children so just to clarify two applications have been submitted as follows:

My wife xxxxxxxx

GWFxxxxxxx

IHSxxxxxxxx1 (payment made)


My step-daughter xxxxxx
GWxxxxxx
IHSxxxxxxxx (payment made today USD798 but I note the original IHS number that was made online differs to the payment confirmation just received)

Most grateful if you could confirm you have everything you need.

22 November 2018: email received from IHS Sheffield:

Apologies for the delay in responding, both IHS has been paid, for the GWxxxxxxxxx the IHS reference is: IHSXXXXXXXX (the IHS number reverted back to the one where the application stated no payment required for step-daughter, from a different one where I was told to pay and did pay)

All very confusing and adding to the stress. By calculations 51 working days and still counting.

i really think our visa applications have been THE most stressful things i have ever undergone.

I agree, the wait is so hard and difficult for us all and know what you are going through. I have been to the Philippines so many times to see them, two visitor visas to UK refused (insufficient funds on my wife's part despite me declaring support) so I keep going back there. I speak/video my wife and step-daughter several times a day through WhatsApp and my step-daughter keeps saying about when she comes to live with daddy as she calls me now. I can't fund another application right now so this is it, denial will hurt us badly. Booked to fly back to Philippines for December for Christmas and New Year consoles me that I will be with them then.

Have you a contingency plan in place should you get the decision before you travel out?

Just to cancel my flight out there and get them here. Fingers crossed

Good luck with it,hope it all goes well!Have you considered getting the CFO requirements boxed off in preperation?

Many thanks for the good wishes. CFO requirements? Not sure what you mean?

Your wife and step daughter (if she is aged between 13 and 19) will have to attend CFO pre departure seminars,normally lasting 3 to 4 hours and at the end of them they will get a sticker stamp in the passport this allows them to leave the Philippines on the dependant visas you have applied for,(they will be different for the 2 of them they are designed for adults and different for teens)
One way of saving a bit of time is to do the seminars and once they have the visas go back for the stamp, I have mentioned this as we are getting close to the holiday season over there and courses and spaces might reduce and they will only have 30 days validity on their visas, what you dont want I guess is the added pressure of having the visas and struggling to get the CFO sorted.
See link below

https://www.cfo.gov.ph/

Got you now, I thought I was missing something! Step daughter is 6 years old so doesn't apply in her case. My wife attended the seminar before the visa application was submitted, just spoken to her to confirm what I knew and if the visa is approved she needs to take her passport back to get it stamped. The seminar actually only lasted an hour and they asked about my work, how we met, what we did together and asked for pictures of us both together.

Good Luck then I am sure you will all be fine!

Thank you, I hope so, the wait is a stressful time!

So 58 days later after our application was received and nothing heard. I was just wondering does the date entry requested into the UK have any influence? In our case we put 2 Jan 19, is the requested date just ignored until such time as they make a decision? It's really difficult, I fly out to the Philippines on 19 Dec 18 but just don't know what to do with work and holidays for next year. Very stressful times and even more stressful when my mobile rang today with a caller that came up as Sheffield, my heart jumped, then he said would I like to invest in Bitcoin...…...

i bet i know where you told him to shove his bitcoin.

Yep, he had no idea what he was putting me through!

So latest update:

12 December 2018: Wife received an e-mail not concerning her application but application for step-daughter. Natural father of step-daughter is Canadian, living and working in the UAE (never been to Philippines). Within our evidence pack was an original signed letter by him declaring he is the natural father, has no responsibility in upbringing of daughter, has no contact with her and that he has no objections to her moving to the UK. The e-mail received states they are unable to conclude the application as they require additional information. They want an official identification document (e.g. passport) which enables verification of natural father's signature, as per the letter submitted, where it states it grants her permission to live in the UK. They want this as a scanned attachment, within 10 working days, wife has already sent it.

Now call me optimistic but I am encouraged that no refusal as yet and that they only require one additional piece of evidence before making a decision. We are hopeful this is a good sign!

Like to think as well that is a good sign. Hoping it all goes well although you might be in philippines before you find out.

Have you checked to see if they can fly back on same flights as you ? Flying this time of year is never easy although if can fly 30th or 31st think can still get reasonably priced tickets.

Check public holidays in philippines as well if you have to get the CFO sticker as may make the window that bit tighter.

I think the situation is:

24th December special non working day
25th December regular holiday
30th December Rizal day regular holiday
31st December special non working day
1st January regular holiday

Guessing that on all of those CFO is likely to be closed.

Flights are pretty scarce, will just have to wait and see.