(Access Pro Immigration Services is publishing an open letter written by client Antonio Venzuela who will soon be reunited with his common-law partner Rosalina Bihis in Canada. The couple endured a long-distance relationship for 17 years and faced numerous barriers which made them almost lose hope. They met Gerardine early this year who agreed to take them in as her clients despite knowing about their complicated spousal sponsorship case).
An Open Letter to Sister Gerardine Alcalde
We are Tony Venzuela and Rose Bihis, common-law partners in a long-distance relationship. I am a teacher here in the Philippines and Rose works in Canada. We came to know Gerardine through Rose’s sister, Thelma, who is Gerardine’s sister in church. Thelma told us Gerardine can help us and offered her services to us upon knowing our predicament.
We really needed help because of our complicated common-law sponsorship case and Canadian immigration is very strict in evaluating and processing documents. Despite Rose’s status as a naturalized Canadian citizen, I was having difficulty in complying with the required documents. I even applied for a tourist visa but was refused. Rose and I eventually consulted a lawyer to help us with our complicated spousal sponsorship case. But it wasn’t until Gerardine came into the picture that some of the required documents were complied with through the revisions she made. She was our saving grace!
Gerardine agreed to help us because with her expertise in the field, she was confident that we will hurdle all the obstacles. And in the end we will succeed. The procedure took some time especially because we only communicated through e-mails. After a series of communications, she asked us to gather all the requirements needed by Canada immigration. We completed and filled out more documents that she researched and prepared to present a solid case for our complicated spousal sponsorship. Before submitting our papers, she double checked if something was lacking. She made a thorough assessment and evaluation to positively persuade the immigration officer who will scrutinize our case. When she saw problems she didn’t hesitate to inform us and advised us how to correct those issues. She exerted all efforts and even researched Philippine laws to show the immigration officer that we qualify for spousal sponsorship. Gerardine gave priority to our case and did not accept any clients at that time so she can focus on us.
Finally, her efforts paid off. At 1 a.m. she phoned Rose to relay the good news that my passport needed to be submitted to the Canadian embassy for visa issuance. After all the concerted efforts, sleepless nights, sacrifices, prayers, comforting words and assurances I finally received my immigrant visa. We thank our Lord for the blessings. We’re thankful for Gerardine because during the times when we were losing hope and were about to quit, she never left our side. She didn’t desert us. We are so happy with this positive outcome.
We are writing this letter to inspire others who are having similar problems with immigration not to lose hope. Believe in God almighty and trust someone like Gerardine who is not only competent and ethical, but is also a compassionate person.
Thank you very much Gerardine and God bless you and your family.
Sincerely,
Tony and Rose