Interview to visa in hand

[JT114881 2]

I want an idea of about how long it takes to get your visa in the mail after the interview. Please post with your

interview date, the date your visa arrived in the mail, the city the visa was sent to, and if there were any complications delaying

the visa right after the interview (missing documents etc.)

My wife has an interview on December 13th and I am booking tickets for the 22nd. I have heard it takes 3 to 7 days to get the visa by

Air21, and we are just in Quezon City. What do you guys thing about my specific case as well?

Thank you very much I am sure this info will be helpful to others as well.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

i dk how manilla embassy works,but do not make any plans,it could cost you money,because even tho they give you an exact period of time ( usually between 7 to 10 days ) to receive your visa but it really depends on how busy a consulate is.good luck

[George & Gina 29]

I want an idea of about how long it takes to get your visa in the mail after the interview. Please post with your

interview date, the date your visa arrived in the mail, the city the visa was sent to, and if there were any complications delaying

the visa right after the interview (missing documents etc.)

My wife has an interview on December 13th and I am booking tickets for the 22nd. I have heard it takes 3 to 7 days to get the visa by

Air21, and we are just in Quezon City. What do you guys thing about my specific case as well?

Thank you very much I am sure this info will be helpful to others as well.

Not a good idea. Book the tickets when she has the VISA in her hand.

No idea what might happen, power outage at embassy, air21 truck crashes/gets hijacked, typhoon, flood, her passport falls unseen behind a desk at the embassy, who knows? Of course, they may also ask her to come back with additional documentation and not even approve her on the day of the interview (god forbid). Has she attended the CFO seminar? Remember, she needs the CFO stamp prior to being allowed to leave the country. Does she have her CENOMAR (CEMAR) for the interview?

It is the standard recommendation of the embassy/consulate not to buy tickets or make travel plans until the beneficiary has the visa in hand.

George

Edited December 3, 2010 by George & Gina

[JT114881 2]

It is impossible to book a ticket after the 25th and I need to be out of the Philippines this month. We have a son and traveling separately is not an option. I know it is not *wise* to do but I am going to do it anyway because I have no other option. Please though, respond with your experiances

on how long it took your visa to arrive after the interview.

[JT114881 2]

Cenomar is going to be Monday (or tomorrow if they are open) which gives us time to get it. The CFO has informed me that I need the visa in hand before the interview, but it is walk in so we can do it same day.

[May2 3]

I'm sorry i don't have the answer to your question but few people here in VJ has been lucky to be able to have pick-up thier visa especially when they told them that they are staying on a nearby hotel. You could try that or just simply tell them your situation...anyways congratulations to your wife interview date I know you've been trough a lot GOD BLESS

[JT114881 2]

I'm sorry i don't have the answer to your question but few people here in VJ has been lucky to be able to have pick-up thier visa especially when they told them that they are staying on a nearby hotel. You could try that or just simply tell them your situation...anyways congratulations to your wife interview date I know you've been trough a lot GOD BLESS

Thank you very much for your congratulations

Please clarify though, sometimes we are allowed to pick up the visa at the embassy instead of AIR21?

[George & Gina 29]

Cenomar is going to be Monday (or tomorrow if they are open) which gives us time to get it. The CFO has informed me that I need the visa in hand before the interview, but it is walk in so we can do it same day.

You can do the CFO seminar before the visa. Then once she has the visa, she just needs to bring the certificate and receipt to the CFO to get the stamp. This might save you a little time.

George

[May2 3]

Thank you very much for your congratulations

Please clarify though, sometimes we are allowed to pick up the visa at the embassy instead of AIR21?

Yes sometimes they allow that ask the consul if you could just have your visa pick-up personally... I'm not so sure on this one but I think it's no longer AIR 21...it's 2GO delivery service which i prefer personally...keep us posted on your interview experience. goodluck

[George & Gina 29]

Thank you very much for your congratulations

Please clarify though, sometimes we are allowed to pick up the visa at the embassy instead of AIR21?

I believe you can submit a letter at the time of the interview requesting to pickup the visa from the embassy rather then having it delivered. See the bottom of this link:

http://www.visajourn...ines&cty=Manila

I'd call the embassy and ask to be certain though.

George.

[JT114881 2]

I believe you can submit a letter at the time of the interview requesting to pickup the visa from the embassy rather then having it delivered. See the bottom of this link:

http://www.visajourn...ines&cty=Manila

I'd call the embassy and ask to be certain though.

George.

"If you want to pick up your Visa and/or request expedited treatment of an approved Visa, you must submit a written request to the Consular Officer at the time of the Interview."

Excellent information thank you very much. I will triple check with the embassy as always. I am almost on a first name basis with everyone

when I walk in there, so I am sure they can't wait to get me out of their hair.

[George & Gina 29]

"If you want to pick up your Visa and/or request expedited treatment of an approved Visa, you must submit a written request to the Consular Officer at the time of the Interview."

Excellent information thank you very much. I will triple check with the embassy as always. I am almost on a first name basis with everyone

when I walk in there, so I am sure they can't wait to get me out of their hair.

[lbounds 16]

Just to let you know our experience. At interview when the office said we were approved and he said please go to the AIR21 desk, I told him that we were staying at a hotel across the street and I needed to leave to go back to the US in a few days only. I asked if there was any way we could pick up our visa directly instead of AIR21 and he said yes. He then took my wife's cell number and said we would be called when it was ready for pickup.

The next day my wife got a call or a text that we could pick up our Visa the next day. So it took us 2 days from our interview to have Visa in hand. We didn't have any written request but after the officer said we were approved we just asked him and explained why we wanted to pick it up directly.

I've heard a few stories about some long delays for AIR21 delivery and we didn't want to deal with that. Hope that it works out well for you and you can pick it up. In all our experience with the people at the embassy there everyone was very nice and helpful to us.

[JT114881 2]

Just to let you know our experience. At interview when the office said we were approved and he said please go to the AIR21 desk, I told him that we were staying at a hotel across the street and I needed to leave to go back to the US in a few days only. I asked if there was any way we could pick up our visa directly instead of AIR21 and he said yes. He then took my wife's cell number and said we would be called when it was ready for pickup.

The next day my wife got a call or a text that we could pick up our Visa the next day. So it took us 2 days from our interview to have Visa in hand. We didn't have any written request but after the officer said we were approved we just asked him and explained why we wanted to pick it up directly.

I've heard a few stories about some long delays for AIR21 delivery and we didn't want to deal with that. Hope that it works out well for you and you can pick it up. In all our experience with the people at the embassy there everyone was very nice and helpful to us.

This is great information as well. Makes me want to schedule my flight for the 18th instead of the 22nd heheh...

[mrdb52 0]

My fiancee's interview was 19Nov'10 and her visa was inhand 29Nov'10...hope this helps.