How to apply a Visit Visa in Norway.

What?

When?

Where?

What to do? I searched the site of Royal Norwegian Embassy in the Philippines, looking for the guidelines they imposed, I mailed them a letter for inquiries and after two (2) days, I received the mail with the following General Information below;

The Embassy has the prerogative to request for additional documentation if deemed necessary.

LIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION:

(ORIGINAL + PHOTOCOPY)

a) Schengen visa application form – duly completed, dated and signed by the applicant. (Forms available at the Embassy and Consulate or may be downloaded from our website (www.norway.ph).

b) Additional general visa questionnaire.

c) Two passport size pictures (please attach photos on the application form and on the duplicate form using adhesive tape or glue). Such photographs must be newer than 3 months.

d) Your original valid passport and any expired passports (check that the validity of your current passport will be 6 months or more from the date of your estimated departure to Norway) plus one photo copy of your valid passport (not the blank pages)

e) If currently employed, an original “Certificate of Employment”

f) Original “Certificate of Approved Leave of Absence” from employer

g) One copy of identification card issued by company (ID to be presented)

h) Original or a copy of latest salary slip from employer.

i) If self-employed, original “Business Name Registration Certificate” pluss one photo copy.

j) If self-employed please provide latest original Income Tax Statement or other original proof of annual income plus one photo copy.

k) If a student, original certification from the school where applicant is presently enrolled.

l) Photocopy of valid school identification card (original to be presented)

m) Original certificate of enrollment with the official receipt of payment

n) If applicant is going on a holiday during the summer/semestral break, present an original certification of reservation to prove that he/she is enrolled for the next school year/semester.

o) and a certified affidavit of support from both parents/ guardians.

Required documents from the reference: (please ask reference to send these documents directly to applicant, and NOT to the Embassy):

p) Original UDI Guarantee Form for Visit, issued by the Norwegian Police Authorities to your reference (who lives permanently) in Norway. This guarantee form must not be older than 6 months from the date of issue. The lower part of the form (“name of visitor”) with name and signature should be completed.

The guidelines above took me more than five months before I completed my necessary documents plus a month waiting for the UDI and invitation letter of my friend from Norway.

Before I decided the date when I will submit my visa application, me and my peer from Norway, discussed andplanned it well. He mailed the letter on the 30th day of April 2008 and I received his letter of invitation and other papers on the 13th day of June 2008. Earlier than, we talked and decided that I will submit my visa application and other document to Royal Norwegian Embassy in Cebu City.

On the 23rd day of June 2008, in Cebu City, mixed emotions, I fretfully feel the new stuff in filling the said documents in the aforesaid office, because I heard a lot of rumor that the embassy is austere in accepting and approving visa applications.

At last, I successfully submitted those documents for almost two (2) hours.

I’ve been waiting for almost fifteen days to the response of my application. On the 13^th day of July 2008, I received the letter from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Manila City. Unfortunately, to my dismay…my visa application was rejected for the following reasons:

1. Pursuant to Article 15 in conjunction with Article 5, I do not satisfy the conditions under c. It is a condition that the applicant submits documents substantiating the purpose and the conditions of the planned visit and has sufficient means of support, both for the period of the planned visit and to return to their country of origin or to travel in transit in the Third State, into which their admission is guaranteed, or is in a position to acquire such means legally.
2. According to the Immigration Regulation section 106 sixth paragraphs, second sentence, an application for a visa may be rejected if considered necessary from an immigration policy viewpoint. Where our experience with specific groups and nationalities indicates that many fail to leave Norway upon expiration of their visas, it has become our practice to issue a visa only in exceptional cases. The Embassy has noted that the applicant comes from a country with a great potential for emigration due to its social and economic situation. In our experience many applicants from the Philippines wish to resettle in other countries.
3. The Embassy noticed that she have never met her friend in person. Based on this information the Embassy do not consider this satisfactory welfare reason to overrule the fact that we find the applicant to lack the necessary ties to country of origin.

Well, considering the above reasons, I had submitted and sent my Letter of Appeal in the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration on the 1^st day of August, 2008. Hoping that all supporting documents I mailed are sufficiently strong welfare to justify the issuing of a visa.