Sample invitation letter visa tourist spain

To further facilitate international interactions, foreigners from 12 visa-exempt countries (Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg) can now directly apply for business and tourist visas in Shanghai after visa-exempt entry. More conveniently, they can also apply for a work visa without needing to exit the country.

I applied for Schengen visa via VFS DELHI TO French embassy On 30.05.2024 and It just says it’s still under process. I have attached my valid 2024 UK tourist visa since I’m going to London - Paris - London and back to India I have to travel on 29th June and it is scaring me My ticket and pay at property hotel booking have been attached My leave letter and noc from the PSU that I work in I’m staying in Paris for 10 days I have received 3 month Schengen visa in 2018 from France and I had 6 month UK visa in 2023 as well ’m really panicking as everyone says France processing is quick but mine is still under process Can anyone advise what should I do Should I mail the embassy since my passport is with them and I need to travel to uk too and that has my valid uk visa

Hi everyone. My company sponsored my B1/B2 visa a few years ago. I used it once for work-related trip and twice for tourism purposes.
I wanna know if my company could request the US Embassy to have my visa cancelled if I resign from my job? They haven't responded to my resignation letter so now I am thinking of just leaving without their approval (in short, awol). I really don't care to be tagged as awol since I would be leaving the country in a few months. My only concern is the tourist visa.

I NEED HELP FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME.
I'll explain everything from the beginning. I have been in a relationship with the love of my life for a year and a half now. We have a fairytale relationship we love each other more than anything. The only problem was, she lives in the Philippines and I live in India. We haven't met in person yet. We have always had that little question at the back of our minds, "What if it's not the same irl?" Well I am in school and she works a minimum wage job to support her family, but we have been saving up for a while, and we wanted to meet each other soon.
My parents don't know about our relationship (typical Indian parents), I've only told my older sister and she's happy for us. My girlfriend's family knows about us and they're happy for us as well.
Today I got invited to Malaysia for the finals of an olympiad that I qualified for. I told my parents, fully expecting them to not let me go, but they said yes immediately. They are willing to pay for everything.
Now the second I received the invitation, I thought about going to my girlfriend. So I told my parents all the right things so that I can spend a couple of days at the event in Malaysia, and then visit my lovely girlfriend, and then come home. I am a great liar, so it worked out perfectly.
So right now I need advice. First of all, I am 18, but legally I am 17, turning 18 in December (please dont ask questions about that, it is what it is). So I am going to be travelling alone, and I need to know the following things:

1. What are the additional requirements for someone below 18 years of age travelling alone? Do I need a signed affidavit from my parents?
   
2. I am planning to get a Singapore visa for 14 days, and go to the Philippines on that. But the flight is from malayasia to Thailand and then to manila. So I can get a visa on arrival at Thailand, and then go to the Philippines with the Singapore visa. Is there anything wrong with that plan?
   
3. Is there anything I should know about immigration in these countries? Malaysia should be easy because I'm going there on the event. When I go to the Philippines I'm gonna say its for tourist purposes. Does that work?
   
4. If you were in my position how would you approach this?
   

Please, please take this seriously. This is the most important thing that's happened to me yet, and I dont wanna mess up this chance to see my girlfriend. I would really appreciate any and every help you guys can offer. Thank you so much:)

I'll explain everything from the beginning. I have been in a relationship with the love of my life for a year and a half now. We have a fairytale relationship we love each other more than anything. The only problem was, she lives in the Philippines and I live in India. We haven't met in person yet. We have always had that little question at the back of our minds, "What if it's not the same irl?" Well I am in school and she works a minimum wage job to support her family, but we have been saving up for a while, and we wanted to meet each other soon.
My parents don't know about our relationship (typical Indian parents), I've only told my older sister and she's happy for us. My girlfriend's family knows about us and they're happy for us as well.
Today I got invited to Malaysia for the finals of an olympiad that I qualified for. I told my parents, fully expecting them to not let me go, but they said yes immediately. They are willing to pay for everything.
Now the second I received the invitation, I thought about going to my girlfriend. So I told my parents all the right things so that I can spend a couple of days at the event in Malaysia, and then visit my lovely girlfriend, and then come home. I am a great liar, so it worked out perfectly.
So right now I need advice. First of all, I am 18, but legally I am 17, turning 18 in December (please dont ask questions about that, it is what it is). So I am going to be travelling alone, and I need to know the following things:

1. What are the additional requirements for someone below 18 years of age travelling alone? Do I need a signed affidavit from my parents?
   
2. I am planning to get a Singapore visa for 14 days, and go to the Philippines on that. But the flight is from malayasia to Thailand and then to manila. So I can get a visa on arrival at Thailand, and then go to the Philippines with the Singapore visa. Is there anything wrong with that plan?
   
3. Is there anything I should know about immigration in these countries? Malaysia should be easy because I'm going there on the event. When I go to the Philippines I'm gonna say its for tourist purposes. Does that work?
   
4. If you were in my position how would you approach this?
   

Please, please take this seriously. This is the most important thing that's happened to me yet, and I dont wanna mess up this chance to see my girlfriend. I would really appreciate any and every help you guys can offer. Thank you so much:)

hello, im applying for visitation visa for me and my family but the first time we went to vfs they told us we have too many missing documents, one of them was the invitation letter so, i want to ask does the letter have to be an original? or can it be a copy sent by my brother, the one inviting us this is not the letter if obligation because we already have it also does anyone have a template for it?

I NEED HELP FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME.
I'll explain everything from the beginning. I have been in a relationship with the love of my life for a year and a half now. We have a fairytale relationship we love each other more than anything. The only problem was, she lives in the Philippines and I live in India. We haven't met in person yet. We have always had that little question at the back of our minds, "What if it's not the same irl?" Well I am in school and she works a minimum wage job to support her family, but we have been saving up for a while, and we wanted to meet each other soon.
My parents don't know about our relationship (typical Indian parents), I've only told my older sister and she's happy for us. My girlfriend's family knows about us and they're happy for us as well.
Today I got invited to Malaysia for the finals of an olympiad that I qualified for. I told my parents, fully expecting them to not let me go, but they said yes immediately. They are willing to pay for everything.
Now the second I received the invitation, I thought about going to my girlfriend. So I told my parents all the right things so that I can spend a couple of days at the event in Malaysia, and then visit my lovely girlfriend, and then come home. I am a great liar, so it worked out perfectly.
So right now I need advice. First of all, I am 18, but legally I am 17, turning 18 in December (please dont ask questions about that, it is what it is). So I am going to be travelling alone, and I need to know the following things:

1. What are the additional requirements for someone below 18 years of age travelling alone? Do I need a signed affidavit from my parents?
   
2. I am planning to get a Singapore visa for 14 days, and go to the Philippines on that. But the flight is from malayasia to Thailand and then to manila. So I can get a visa on arrival at Thailand, and then go to the Philippines with the Singapore visa. Is there anything wrong with that plan?
   
3. Is there anything I should know about immigration in these countries? Malaysia should be easy because I'm going there on the event. When I go to the Philippines I'm gonna say its for tourist purposes. Does that work?
   
4. If you were in my position how would you approach this?
   

Please, please take this seriously. This is the most important thing that's happened to me yet, and I dont wanna mess up this chance to see my girlfriend. I would really appreciate any and every help you guys can offer. Thank you so much:)

I'm gonna have my appointment in two days for Iceland and I need to strengthen my application.
Ive been to so many other countries like New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia as a kid so I have those tourist visas in my old passport. Iceland is going to be my 1st international trip at 26 yrs and self funded.
Does mentioning it in my cover letter and adding those visas strengthen my application. Is it recommended.

I NEED HELP FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME.
I'll explain everything from the beginning. I have been in a relationship with the love of my life for a year and a half now. We have a fairytale relationship we love each other more than anything. The only problem was, she lives in the Philippines and I live in India. We haven't met in person yet. We have always had that little question at the back of our minds, "What if it's not the same irl?" Well I am in school and she works a minimum wage job to support her family, but we have been saving up for a while, and we wanted to meet each other soon.
My parents don't know about our relationship (typical Indian parents), I've only told my older sister and she's happy for us. My girlfriend's family knows about us and they're happy for us as well.
Today I got invited to Malaysia for the finals of an olympiad that I qualified for. I told my parents, fully expecting them to not let me go, but they said yes immediately. They are willing to pay for everything.
Now the second I received the invitation, I thought about going to my girlfriend. So I told my parents all the right things so that I can spend a couple of days at the event in Malaysia, and then visit my lovely girlfriend, and then come home. I am a great liar, so it worked out perfectly.
So right now I need advice. First of all, I am 18, but legally I am 17, turning 18 in December (please dont ask questions about that, it is what it is). So I am going to be travelling alone, and I need to know the following things:

1. What are the additional requirements for someone below 18 years of age travelling alone? Do I need a signed affidavit from my parents?
   
2. I am planning to get a Singapore visa for 14 days, and go to the Philippines on that. But the flight is from malayasia to Thailand and then to manila. So I can get a visa on arrival at Thailand, and then go to the Philippines with the Singapore visa. Is there anything wrong with that plan?
   
3. Is there anything I should know about immigration in these countries? Malaysia should be easy because I'm going there on the event. When I go to the Philippines I'm gonna say its for tourist purposes. Does that work?
   
4. If you were in my position how would you approach this?
   

Please, please take this seriously. This is the most important thing that's happened to me yet, and I dont wanna mess up this chance to see my girlfriend. I would really appreciate any and every help you guys can offer. Thank you so much:)

I'll explain everything from the beginning. I have been in a relationship with the love of my life for a year and a half now. We have a fairytale relationship we love each other more than anything. The only problem was, she lives in the Philippines and I live in India. We haven't met in person yet. We have always had that little question at the back of our minds, "What if it's not the same irl?" Well I am in school and she works a minimum wage job to support her family, but we have been saving up for a while, and we wanted to meet each other soon.
My parents don't know about our relationship (typical Indian parents), I've only told my older sister and she's happy for us. My girlfriend's family knows about us and they're happy for us as well.
Today I got invited to Malaysia for the finals of an olympiad that I qualified for. I told my parents, fully expecting them to not let me go, but they said yes immediately. They are willing to pay for everything.
Now the second I received the invitation, I thought about going to my girlfriend. So I told my parents all the right things so that I can spend a couple of days at the event in Malaysia, and then visit my lovely girlfriend, and then come home. I am a great liar, so it worked out perfectly.
So right now I need advice. First of all, I am 18, but legally I am 17, turning 18 in December (please dont ask questions about that, it is what it is). So I am going to be travelling alone, and I need to know the following things:

1. What are the additional requirements for someone below 18 years of age travelling alone? Do I need a signed affidavit from my parents?
   
2. I am planning to get a Singapore visa for 14 days, and go to the Philippines on that. But the flight is from malayasia to Thailand and then to manila. So I can get a visa on arrival at Thailand, and then go to the Philippines with the Singapore visa. Is there anything wrong with that plan?
   
3. Is there anything I should know about immigration in these countries? Malaysia should be easy because I'm going there on the event. When I go to the Philippines I'm gonna say its for tourist purposes. Does that work?
   
4. If you were in my position how would you approach this?
   

Please, please take this seriously. This is the most important thing that's happened to me yet, and I dont wanna mess up this chance to see my girlfriend. I would really appreciate any and every help you guys can offer. Thank you so much:)

[Part 1]
My king. The sad memories faded into blurred flashbacks.
Olyvar cherished the sweet time as his grace’s squire. Though two years older, it made no matter. A warrior king was training Olyvar the way of knighthood, almost any boy’s dream. He remembered on slow days, Robb Stark would spend time with him, teaching the art of the long sword and shield. He can still remember the cloudy day at the Crag’s courtyard and his Northern accent as he swung his blade at the squire. “Keep your shield up Olyvar. Keep it up.”
“It’s too heavy.” Olyvar replied as Robb swung on.
“If it wasn’t heavy, it wouldn’t stop a sword. So get it up.”
They sparred and sparred in the courtyard. Robb Stark was dancing with him, hilts in hands. After he knocked Olyvar to the dirt for the twentieth time, he lifted him back up.
“Come, drive at me.” Robb then grabbed Olyvar gently by the back of his neck. “Look Olly, keep your shield up or I’ll ring your head like a bell.”
Olyvar never forgot that moment, his Grace’s right-hand touch, the way Robb looked into his eyes and called him ‘Olly’. No one has ever called him that and he liked it very much. They continued to dance. Rain began to fall, turning dirt into mud. Olyvar darted at him. Robb stepped aside, deflecting the stab off his shield and twirled around forward in a natural motion, his cloak spinning in the air. Before Olyvar knew it, Robb had his rear, his sword ready to thrust or slash any part of him. He glanced back and knew he was lost. The dance paused there and Olyvar turned around to meet Robb’s beautiful blue eyes. He could melt in them.
“You had me your Grace.”
“Come Olly, it’s your turn.” A winter wind came blowing in from across the sea. A breeze lingered there, brushed Robb’s auburn hair. “Now, dance with me!”
It almost felt like a sin to be as excited as Olly was at that moment.
“I’ll drive to you now. Try to do what I just did. In mud like this, don’t forget to plant your foot before each movement. And remember, you have to keep your shield up.”
As Olyvar and Robb got into their positions, his older half-nephew Ser Ryman Frey suddenly appeared and intervened. He grabbed Olyvar like a little green boy and pulled him towards the exit. NO! Olyvar’s word caught in his mouth.
Robb spoke up for him. “What are you doing? Olyvar is my squire and a grown man. He can do what he wants and speaks for himself.”
“My grandfather has declared a suspension of your alliance with House Frey,” Ryman said. “You have broken a sacred vow. If you would not have his daughter or granddaughter as your queen, you certainly cannot have his son as your squire.”
Robb was expecting Olyvar to say something, but the squire froze. More Frey guardsmen came in and dragged him away from the courtyard, his heels lifeless on the ground, leaving twin mud tracks on his departure. Robb stared at him sweet, sad, and silent. A bolt of lightning flashed across the rainy skies, its reflection off the King’s sword blinding Olyvar. That was the last time he saw Robb alive.
When news of his King returning to the Twins for the wedding between Lord Edmure Tully and his sister Roslin, Olyvar could not contain his excitement, to hear the voice of his call.
Since that rainy courtyard day, Olyvar had been on his own for long enough. He hoped maybe Robb could show him again that dance that he loved. Maybe. Olyvar had been going through withdrawals. Not seeing his Grace was just too much. He could turn me on with the slightest touch. But since the Red Wedding, Olyvar’s courtyard has been cold and empty. Fuck anyone who judges me. He couldn’t see clearly now that Robb was forever gone. Olyvar was still blinded by Robb’s last light. He couldn’t sleep, still yearning for his touch. In his heart, rain constantly fell, drowning him in the nights. I was his squire, Olyvar cried as his soul twisted. And I failed him. I was the only one that night he could trust.
After the slaughter, Merrett Frey, a kin of his, greeted him as he released Olyvar from the dungeons. “I’m sorry Olyvar that we had to lock you up, Perwyn and Alesander too. But you must do your duty for your family. You are a Frey, a man of an honorable house. This stain left by Robb Stark and his bitch mother Catelyn Tully should not go unpunished. Lady Catelyn also killed Jinglebells. She even japed ‘a son for a son‘ to our Lord father as she slit his throat.”
A son for a son. Olyvar Frey looked at Merrett sullenly, his voice choking up, “I must go for a walk.” Olyvar walked and walked … passing the burnt tents, passing the dead soldiers with Northern and Riverland sigils sewn on their garments, and passing Grey Wind’s headless body. He was far enough from home, but he could still hear the cheap cheers of the Frey and Bolton soldiers.
He fell to his knees and began to cry. My king. My sweet king. Olyvar swore vengeance. Though he will never consider kinslaying as it was a curse among the gods, it would not stop him from facilitating others who seek revenge against his own family, the ones who were directly involved.
Suddenly at the side of the river, a dying man was crawling towards him. Soaked in water, mud and blood, he cried out in a ghastly voice “Olyvar!”
“Who, who are you?” Olyvar sprinted to aid and for recognition. “Raynald?” Without hesitation Olyvar replied, “My brother!” He placed himself under Raynald’s shoulder and lifted him up. “We need to find a maester.”
On the way back to camp, Olyvar and Raynald encountered two sentries of his Frey household guards, far from any other eyes can see.
“So what do you have here my Lord Olyvar?” one asked.
“A dying lone wolf? Let us put him out of his misery,” the other replied as they stared at Ser Raynald Westerling’s dampened seashell surcoat.
Olyvar lowered himself and laid Ser Raynald on the ground, and arose in a tone cold as stone. “No. Not a lone wolf.”
Olyvar unsheathed his sword and killed both Frey guards before they could reach their weapons. He then swapped Raynald’s wet Westerling clothing for one of the dead men, and found a maester.
Ser Raynald Westerling stayed with Olyvar at the Twins under disguise. He even trimmed off his brushy moustache. Weeks later after Ray had fully healed, he asked Olyvar to go with him to look for Maege Mormont and Galbart Glover at their secret hideout, as per the original plan before the wedding.
One night, Olyvar Frey simply walked out of the Twins again, this time with Ray. No one would care where Olyvar was going. Truth be told, his Frey family would be more content if more spawnlings of their lord father would leave the castle to find their own destiny, especially if they were unlikely heirs deep behind the line of succession.
Aboard one of the Northern galleys floating outside of Seagard, the Seashell Knight had to explain how this son of Walder Frey earned his trust, as Lady Mormont held Olyvar by the throat with a dagger. The skin around her eyes had been raked and blackened with tears and nails, her teeth bit with furious anger. She had been like this for weeks. Olyvar stared at her face and he felt like he could die here and now, if that was what it meant for Lady Mormont to forgive him, as he knows no gold would ever substitute for her grief. “I am sorry about your daughter Dacey. I lost my brother too. Benfred was a good man, I swear to you by all the gods old and new, that he did not have a part in the slaughter. Benfred would have done everything he could to grab an innocent woman like Dacey, and bring her safe from harm.” Olyvar meant it.
Mormont sheathed her dagger, her hands still shaking. “I’ll kill them all! Anyone who was a part of this!”
“No.” Olyvar replied. “We have to get the girls back. And then you can kill them all.”
At the siege of Riverrun, Olyvar Frey freely roamed Ryman’s uncoordinated camp. No one cared. One night alone, he swam across the moat and climbed up the castle with spikes. Only thirty feet up, the Tully guards had heard him clanking and aimed their crossbows from above. “Identify yourself!”
He whispered, “I am Olyvar Frey, son of Walder Frey, former squire to his King, Robb Stark. I come unarmed and offer myself as a hostage. I know the Blackfish, please let him know I am here.”
“Stay where you are.”
Olyvar clung to the castle’s wall half way down to death and half way up to forgiveness. Finally Ser Brynden Tully appeared and told Olyvar to come up quietly. As Olyvar threw himself over the parapet and onto the floor, the Blackfish kicked away his spikes and immediately kneed his body to the ground, holding a dagger at his throat. Shit, not again! Damn this mayhaps, why was I unblessed to be born a Frey?
“What are you doing here, Olyvar Frey?” Ser Tully demanded.
Olyvar told them the truth and handed him Lady Maege’s letter from a waterproof compartment in his garment. The letter was coded with secret words that he and she only knew. The Blackfish cracked the seal, unrolled the parchment and read. Afterwards he released the grip from the bottom and the message curled up on its own, eager to protect the secrets.
“The paper curls, at least you didn’t try to deceive me with the age of the parchment.” He then asked Olyvar, “So, you killed some of your own men did you?”
“To save Ser Westerling, yes.” The Blackfish looked at his eyes and nodded in approval. “May I see her now?” Olyvar inquired.
The Tully guards led Olyvar to her room. Some left the area, but others stayed and watched, still suspicious of the unarmed Frey. She was in her solar, knitting her needle works. He fell down to one knee towards his niece-in-law (by Olyvar’s brother-in-law, Lord Edmure Tully), “My Queen.”
“Olyvar!” Without a hint of hesitation or mistrust, she dropped her needle, ran towards him, and wrapped her loose skinny arms strongly under his’. She poured her heart, soul and grief-filled life into a Rose By the name of Olyvar Frey. He reciprocated, placing his arms around her shoulders as Jeyne Westerling-Stark continued to hold tight. Her orange sized breasts pushed against his chest, as the Queen’s chestnut mop of brown hair sat below Olyvar’s clean-shaven chin.
“Robb.” It was all she needed to say as they shared a sob. Nothing hurt more than that moment when he shared the same pain with Jeyne. Olyvar dipped his head to hers, their salty tears finally uniting and slowly dancing together as their faces pressed cheek to cheek.
“He is in the heavens now, I believe, singing from above.” Olyvar prayed. “He will be waiting for us. No doubt we will see him again some day, but we must make him wait.”
“I miss him so much,” Jeyne cried. She was always cheerful with Olyvar since they first met. Though he was curious whether she truly loved Robb or just wanted to be a queen, she has repeatedly been kind to him, so sweet. She never intervened when Robb trained Olyvar at swordplay and he was grateful for that. When they wed, Olyvar knew Robb could never be his brother, but Jeyne did not seem to mind letting him continue to squire beside her much younger brother, Rollam Westerling. Robb had allowed Olyvar to protect the queen sometimes, along with the other household guards, though he was still training at arms. Olyvar and Jeyne would talk constantly, mostly about their King. Even when Jeyne rambles about him, she would always shy away from talking about Robb’s bed manners. But Olyvar insisted he did not mind hearing it. Jeyne felt like a sister to him, just as much or more as Roslin.
“I miss him too,” Olyvar replied. “Did you really love him?”
She cried a little bit louder and squeezed Olyvar even harder. “With all my heart.”
Olyvar wanted to confess too, but he could not do it here, not with everyone watching. He only hoped Jeyne would ask him the same, and she did. “Did you really love him, Olyvar?”
He tightened his grip on Jeyne’s shoulders. “More than you ever know.”
She gently reached for his hands and lowered them. “Olyvar, you were his squire. He is gone now. But you still have a duty to us. You must protect us. We must never separate again. Promise me Olyvar. Promise me.”
“No. I cannot. Not yet. I must leave you, just this one last time, for your safety and your family’s.”
“You are part of my family,” the Queen proclaimed. Tears rolled down again, their hands still held together at their hips.
“I need to leave Riverrun tonight. And I promise you, we will reunite again and I will keep you safe.”
They talked for hours about the good times, the horror, and what the future lies. They talked about Robb, crying to the sadness of him, exulting at his bravery and his glories, laughing at the silly juvenile things the teenager king did to entertain them, and about falling in love with him all over again. And then they cried some more.
Later on that night, Ser Brynden visited Jeyne and Olyvar, with Lady Eleyna and Lady Sybell watching. “Olyvar, you were the King’s squire and though he is no longer with us, you are still owed a knighthood. Let the gods curse me if I ever knighted a Frey, but you are no Frey I have ever known. What you are about to do would be considered treason to your family.”
“But my lord father was treasonous to my King. I do not get to choose my father or which family I was born into. But here right now, is the family I want to be with.”
“Will you honor your new family? Will you honor your duty to your late King, his Queen and his House, the Starks of Winterfell?”
“I do,” Olyvar replied with pride.
The Blackfish unsheathed his sword, the blade alive with moonlight gleaming from the window balcony. “Shit I think I’m doing this wrong. I was supposed to say that later. Anyways, kneel Olyvar Frey.”
Olyvar got to one knee as Queen Stark and all the others watched. Ser Brynden Tully, the legendary warrior Blackfish, placed the flat of his sword on Olyvar’s shoulder.
“I charge you to be brave and … aww shit the knighting words escape me. I’m embarrassing myself. Anyways um. Family! Honor! Duty!” He placed the blade on the other shoulder. “Shit, I forgot the rest of the speech. Forgive me. But Olyvar of House Frey, I name you a knight! Now rise!”
And arose the new knight stood, and proud he was. King Robb Stark could have never fulfilled his promise of a knighthood, but it was his father that took it away from him. But being knighted by the Blackfish was more than anything Olyvar wanted right now, besides keeping Queen Jeyne and his family safe. To him, it was forgiveness.
The Queen approached him with a longsword in scabbard, flat on both hands. “Our late King had a gift for you Ser Olyvar Frey, at least he would have wanted you to have it.”
Before Ser Olyvar received it, he already knew what it was. Robb’s sword. “No, I cannot. I am unworthy of this gift, his Grace’s sword.”
“This is King Robb Stark’s sword, and I am his Queen wife. I charge you to protect your family with his own sword.”
Queen Jeyne Stark made an offer that Ser Olyvar cannot refuse. He took the sword from her forgiving hands.
“What will you call it?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“A name. Robb never named his sword. But a good sword should have a good name.”
“I was told by my half-brothers that only cun–, I mean only women name their swords. I will let you name it, my Grace. How should we honor our late King Robb Stark?”
“It is honor,” Jeyne replied.
Confused, Olyvar asked, “What is honor?”
“A sword. This sword.”
Before the sun had dawned, Ser Olyvar Frey with Honor slung on his back, climbed down the castle walls with rope, swam under the moat again, and departed the birthplace of his King, Robb Stark, as a knight.
He returned to the Twins, keeping his knighthood a secret. When Riverrun had fallen to Ser Jaime Lannister, Edmure Tully had agreed to be a prisoner at Casterly Rock. Roslin Tully volunteered to join her husband, giving them a chance to raise a family together, even as hostages. Olyvar, their brother Perwyn and half-nephew Alesander all agreed to escort Lady Tully to the Westerlands. Although they told their half-family they would take the land-route for their journey; Olyvar, Perwyn, Alesander and Roslin had a different Frey destiny in mind. After the Kingslayer’s threat to Roslin’s unborn child, there was no day they would ever stay at Casterly Rock nor return to the Twins. They departed for the coast and reunited with Ser Brynden Tully, Lady Maege Mormont and Lord Galbart Glover aboard the Motherfunker.
Before Ser Brynden escaped Riverrun alone, he and Lord Tully reviewed all their options during Edmure’s short visit. An escape on land had many risks to be recaptured or killed, but at sea it was far fewer … and having a faster ship helped. They would allow Edmure and Jeyne to be peacefully escorted by their captors to Casterly Rock as hostages, only to be rescued from the shoreline. Lady Sybell Spicer swore her brother Ser Rolph would lead the way inside the caves. “Honor, not honors,” were House Westerling’s words. And Robb Stark showed more honor to Lady Sybell’s family than any of the other Westermen could. King Robb made her daughter a Queen, while King Tommen gifted Ser Rolph with the cursed ruins of Castamere from the notorious Lannister song. This honor was more of an insult than a reward.
One night aboard the Motherfunker, Olyvar took out a fresh new flat parchment to write a letter that was meant for his father. He held his feathered quill upright, but did not know how to start. He was fidgeting as he stared up around his cabin. He began to tap the pointy end of the quill and pricked his other hand by chance. Frey blood began to trickle from the wound along with a stinging pain. Cashing in on the moment, he then knew what to say. He dipped the blood smeared quill into the black inkpot, and began to pour his soul & anger onto the kin he no longer wanted.
Father, I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel. I focus on the pain, the only thing that is real. The needle tears a hole. This old familiar family sting. I try to forget it all the way. But I remember everything. I find myself asking … “What have I become? My sweetest King? Will everyone I love go away in the end?” And Father, you can have it all. My empire of dirt. I will let you down. I will make it hurt. If I could start again, many miles back at home that night. To save my King, I would sacrifice myself. I would find a way. Your son Olyvar.
He rolled the parchment and laid a tablespoon of wax from his tallow candle at the edge. Olyvar pressed the button with his bleeding thumb, filling the stamp in a marble of white, red and pink; sealing it with his own blood. He placed the rolled parchment in his breast pocket, hoping to leave it somewhere in Casterly Rock and eventually reaching his father’s hands.
On the deck of the Motherfunker a few nights before … crewmen, Riverlands and Northern loyalists sang, drank, and cheered to the music of the masterplan. Though most wanted to spill blood to avenge the Red Wedding, humiliating their enemies would be the sweeter revenge: the story that sings in songs. But not all were there for vengeance. Some were just there for the adventure.
The Captain of the Motherfunker was there for the honor of joining their song. He wanted to look into the eyes of the lion, be a part of the thrill of the fight, rising up against our rivals. He also owed Ser Rolph Spicer a favor from their long smuggling history together at sea. If he helped rescue his niece Jeyne from the rocky castle, he would consider the debt paid, and the Black Sparrow was happy to oblige.
“So we are here to rescue this princess? No?” Samullu spoke in the broken Common Tongue
“No, not a princess, she is a queen,” Olyvar chatted.
“In the Summer Isles, a princess and a widowed queen is the same person. My father was king, but he died when I was a babe. My princess mother was the one who raised me after my uncle took the throne. I loved my mother. I named my swanship for her after she died a few years ago.”
“Motherfunker?” Olyvar asked. “What is a funker?”
“Where I am from, fighting and dancing is called the same thing. We call it funk. We funk to fight, we funk to dance, and we also funk to love. And the skill of our funk we always inherit from our mother’s side. I got it from my mama.” The black single-eyed captain pleaded. “Yo got yo from yo mama too. ‘Motherfunker’ is just a homage to one’s mother for giving us this art of our body’s motions.”
Olyvar never knew his mother, but he was very intrigued to hear more about Samullu’s and their culture. They chatted for quite a while.
Olyvar thanked him for helping them. But Samullu insisted it was the right thing to do after hearing about the horrors of the Red Wedding. “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers! And yo will know I am the Captain when I lay my vengeance upon thee!”
Olyvar never knew the Black Sparrow was so pious to the gods of avengers.
Sharing rum together, Olyvar sung to him about his own story in depth. Captain Black Sparrow was impressed about his journey so far and he gave Olyvar a small jar of dirt. “This is soil from my empire back in the Summer Isle. I have a whole barrel of it to remind me of home. Here, take this other small gift as well.” He then took out a bird’s feather, long as a flute, bright and colorful. “We Summer Isle people have feathered cloaks, yo see it on all of us. But feathers like this one were meant for some of the bravest and baddest motherfunkers out there. I want yo to take it Ser Olyvar. Let it be yo warrior’s funk.”
Olyvar took it with his hand and gave it a warm stare. The feather was colored like a fading rainbow top to bottom, but the stem was yellow like a lemon. “Thank you.” The gifts were quite odd. By value it was not much, but it seemed like it meant a lot to the exiled prince, the type of gifts worth remembering.
“So what do yo need besides a miracle?” Samullu asked.
“Weapons. Bows and arrows. Lots of arrows.” Olyvar was serious.
“Aye, and I have a lot. Yo know, no one has ever done anything like what yo and the Blackfish’s men are about to do.”
“And that is why it will work.”
The plan was to allow Lord Edmure Tully and Queen Jeyne Stark to safely travel to Casterly Rock unmolested, under the command of Ser Forley Prester and his four hundred men. Lord Gawen Westerling and his son Rollam were to return to the Crag, but Lady Sybell was to stay with Jeyne, maintaining what deceptions she can conjure. Her bluff with Ser Jaime Lannister worked, earning the slightest trust from them before their escape at Casterly Rock. An attempt to rescue them on their path down the River Road would invite the Lannisters to execute the hostages on the spot, failing the objective’s purpose. To stealthily hunt down each soldier one by one would have proven even then, a mission of the impossible. Stirring fear in the hearts of the Lannister soldiers was the only solution, the effective psychological weapon. Ser Prester’s men have been haunted by the ghosts of the Brotherhood without Banners throughout the Riverlands, and the Blackfish would use that to his advantage. With the help of their fastest horse, Bubbles, mounted by Justin Smallister, a distant cousin to House Mallister of Seagard, he would tie empty nooses on trees ahead of Ser Forley’s route. The hope of the hoax would keep the Lannisters on edge, making it difficult to rest. Only when they reached the castle of Casterly Rock, they would drop their guards down, thinking the hard part was over. But on the exact evenfall on the day of their arrival, Lord Gawen Westerling and our small land forces, hidden in the eastern woods outside, would sound the trumpets and drums, drawing the weary soldiers to arms again. But the Blackfish was to infiltrate Casterly Rock from the western sea. Ser Rolph Spicer, our secret agent inside, will bond with Jeyne’s guards, drinking with them throughout their journey. Only on the hour of the escape, Ser Spicer would drug the guards’ ale, allowing them to fall asleep during the diversionary music. The Blackfish and his squad would provide armed escort, if needed. Ser Spicer would also help them navigate inside the caves, rescuing his niece Jeyne and their family back to the Motherfunker. By then, it would be too dark for the Lannisters to give chase into the ocean, if they even realized Queen Stark had flown off.
“I need twenty good men,” the Blackfish had demanded. A few hundreds of the remaining Stark loyalists and outlaws gathered at the docks, where the Motherfunker was anchored.
“And one more woman too!” the She-Bear crone proclaimed.
The men laughed in agreement as Ser Brynden continued. “I need volunteers only. Soldiers who want this fate to fuck them from behind in their arses! For the twenty one of us, we will be in harm’s way, make no mistake about it. I do not expect us to be discovered, but if we were, our escape will not be easy like our brothers working the diversion in the woods. I need men quick on their feet, proficient with the bow, and skilled at close-quarter hand-to-hand combat. Who are my brave men that will be knocking on the Lannister’s doors?”
Ser Olyvar Frey thundered in first and raised his hand. Jeyne’s words echoed in his thoughts, Promise me Olyvar, promise me.
Alesander Frey surprised him. “No you fool! You are not a skilled fighter. Put your hand down!” Olyvar told his nephew.
“I am a grown man, and I will not miss this adventure for nothing,” Alesander protested to his uncle.
“You are just a singer.”
“Then I want to be a witness to this great deed and be the first singer of our new song.”
Olyvar could not stop his brother & nephew from doing something so stupid.
Ser Raynald Westerling the Seashell Knight raised his hand too, eager to save his sisters Jeyne and Eleyna, and his mother Sybell.
Others began to join. Some had their reasons, some had their vengeance, some just wanted to try something new.
Fess stepped up. He was a long lost uncle to Ser Addam Marbrand after a lengthy voyage at sea. But Ser Addam refused to believe him, denying him a small chunk of land near Ashemark that Fess was entitled to own. He called his uncle an imposter and casted him out of the region. Fess swore he was a Marbrand, and swore he would unleash a storm on their household if they did not give his piece of land back. To the future of reclaiming his name by shaming theirs, Fess Marbrand was recruited into our efforts against the Lannisters and their bannermen.
The Summer Islander, Ben, and his Westerosi-born son, Benjen, were farmers from the Neck. Years ago, Lord Rickard Stark had welcomed the immigrant and his wife, granting them farm lands to flourish in. They grew rice in the marsh and exported it from White Harbor. They were so grateful to House Stark that they quite frankly named their son “Benjen” for Lord Stark’s youngest child of similar age. Since then, their hard earned work with their rough black hands in the cold had paid off in prosperity. After being widowed, Ben and his son ran the farm, just the two of them … until a few Ironborn men took Moat Cailin and all their harvest this past year. Their will and pride refused to let them take it again. So instead of growing new rice, they let it wither away and left the land … trapping the jaws of the Ironborn to hunger. Now Ben and Benjen were reborn into Ser Brynden’s band, for the honor of House Stark. “With great honor comes a great ass whooping!” Ben had declared.
Jess and Jory were two brothers that served House Westerling as guards at the Crag, personally protecting the Westerling sisters, Jeyne and Eleyna. They had watched them grow up since birth. Participating in their rescue was their duty, a duty they took without hesitation for the girls who were like nieces to them.
Phyl was a crewmate of royal blood on the Motherfunker. Back on another Summer Isle kingdom, his older king brother passed away as his young prince nephew took fresh rule. After Phyl forbade his nephew-king to order an attack on a rival neighboring island, he screamed at him, “You are not my father!” and flew out of the throne room, slamming its double doors. Soon after, the boy-king ordered for his uncle’s exile. Free like a bird, Phyl flew away himself to a ship with his friend, the Black Sparrow, looking for a new adventure.
Sam, June, and Rico were all hard loyal Tully soldiers that were ready to follow the Blackfish to the end of the world. Sam used to be a tall fat leviathan of a man, until one day June told Sam, “You never had the making of a first-class athlete like Rico here.” From then on, Sam, offended, lost several stones over the years as the three served patriotically together to House Tully. Now tall, lean and muscular, Sam was a force not to be reckoned with. They nicknamed him Sam the Shredder, but for shredding his fat as his body was now packed with muscular meat.
The hedge knight Ser Barnabus the Goose volunteered along with his new squire Leo, a boy of fourteen, whom he met that same day. Goose was a tall man, big shoulders, wide hips with greying blond hair. Though he grew up as an orphan, Ser Barnabus often boasted about being the grandson of some legendary tall hedge knight that he never chanced to meet. The other orphans used to laugh at him, calling him the Useless Goose. But ever since he suited up in his knightly armor decades ago, Ser Barnabus assured he was a useful Goose helping the small folks around the Riverlands. Olyvar wondered if Barnabus was his real name, or if he was even a knight.
Leo’s older brothers wanted to join the action as well … so Mikkal, Raff, and Donal stepped forward. Their uncle Scrooge, a man in his fifties, will chip in his services too. The four brothers and uncle were known as the Pissa family. They once owned a tavern serving their mother’s recipe of baked thin crispy bread, spun circular into a flat pie, served with tomato sauce and cheese above. Their uncle Scrooge improved his sister’s recipe by adding sliced duck sausages on top of the cheese, and charging customers extra for the option. Olyvar and the men on the Motherfunker had sampled and enjoyed the cuisine they baked aboard. Captain Samullu claimed that pissa was indeed a tasty dish, and suggested adding slices of pineapples on top of it too. The Pissa brothers gave Samullu Jaqenssen a cold stare as if the gesture was treason to the recipe. Back when they owned the tavern with their mother, the family often boasted about their food to the point where their competitors despised them. Their opponents would try to mimic cooking the same dish, but others would complain it tasted no different than bread. Afraid of losing their revenue, they insulted their mother’s crispy dish by calling it “pissa,” slandering it by saying it tasted like piss. But the brothers took the name their enemies gave them and wore it like armor, never allowing it to hurt them. Raff returned their insult by calling their adversary’s food being something that comes out of a cow’s bung hole. That humiliation stuck. For a while, men and women from all over the Riverlands continued to rallied in long lines to the Pissa tavern for a delicious slice of pissa. Sadly one day, the Mountain and his men came to destroy their tavern during the war, and took their mother. They never saw her again. Despite the sad drama, the Pissa family were a cheerful bunch, save for their pessimistic uncle. Olyvar could only hope they would find their mother safe and sound some day.
On the first day aboard the Motherfunker, Leo had never been on a ship his entire life. He bolted to the stern of the galley, stood on the middle rail with his arms spread out and screamed, “I’m the king of the world!”
Olyvar had to grab the blond teen down before he fell overboard. “Nice try Leo,” Olyvar said. “But you are too lowborn to be royalty. You are better off marrying a queen to be a king, or at least start with a princess.”
Ser Barnabus the Goose appeared and offered his help. He was in need of a squire for some reason, and Leo was quite eager. “Leo, I’m going to teach you how to live.” Goose swung his arm around the teenager’s neck and rested it there. “You want to be a king and win the ladies? Learn how to squire for a knight first. Unchain and fetch me my stallion from the docks, I’ll show you a trick. I’ll show you how to ride it on this rocking ship!” Leo did as he was ordered.
“And when will I ever need that skill?” Leo questioned as he brought the horse up to the deck from the ramp.
“What was it you were looking for again on this journey? Your destiny? Your death?” Goose mounted.
“Naked princesses,” Leo said.
“Well this move would make any maiden, royal or lowborn, shed their clothes off for you.” The knight pulled down the reins as the stallion stood tall on its two hind legs, looking like a work of art meant for eternal statues of the gods.
Samullu appeared and asked Leo, “Is that Goose on a horse? On my boat? Why is Goose on a horse on my boat?!” The stallion came down, hooves thundering the top of the deck.
“Aye Captain, Ser Goose was teaching me how to pick up women.”
“Shiitt Leo, that’s all you had to say.” Samullu wrapped his right arm around the neck of the youth and offered his counsel, his left hand danced in the air as he spoke to solidify his argument. “If yo want naked women, fuck land. Don’t be a knight. Be a captain of a galley. The best pick up line to catch any woman yo can, is ‘I own a ship’.” Samullu raised his bearded chin. “After this mission is over, come with me and we’ll sail the seas. Meet women from all over the world. And they love a captain. Do yo concur? Leo, each lady is just a flower, another rose by another name that smell just as sweet, waiting to be plucked.”
Goose winced at the word and protested. “The only maids you meet sailing seas are mermaids. Don’t be fooled by the Black Sparrow. Some of them may be pretty on the top half, but you won’t like what they got below. It probably stinks down there too. But the captain doesn’t mind, he seems to enjoy bedding mermaids!”
Whether sea, air or land … the Black Sparrow or Goose … Leo will probably have to fly with one of them after the mission, Olyvar thought.
The night before the rescue, the raiders and the crewmen drunkenly sang and cheered to music, rum, ale and pissa. Drowning in the glory of their task on the morrow, they reminisce about the harsh archery and lethal weapons training Lord Glover had given them over the past weeks back on land … while questioning how large Lady Mormont’s sacs truly were. Lady Roslin Tully, approached everyone and asked if they would write their names on the book she held. “It’s for the memories,” she said. They all did. A signature on each page for each man and Maege. Some drew their own personal coat of arms. When it was Olyvar’s turn, he hesitated about sketching the two towers. He wanted to separate himself from the murderous lore of House Frey. He decided to draw his towers, with a Stark wolf running on top of the bridge, and a Tully trout jumping below it. He signed his name, Ser Olyvar of House Frey, squire to the late King Robb Stark, knighted by Ser Brynden Tully.
He wondered if he will be written into history as a great knight some day. A knight that could not save his king, Olyvar thought sadly. He would not be the only one though. Word had travelled for Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, and his gallant assault at Dragonstone. He was gravely wounded, but no word on this brave knight’s final fate. Like Olyvar, Ser Loras had failed to protect his first King, Renly Baratheon, a man that the Knight of Flower was rumored to have truly loved. Though his King was gone, he continued to be bathe in the glory of battle. Despite being on the opposing side of the war, Ser Olyvar would be gay if he had the chance to meet Ser Loras, if he still lives, chatting with him about the kings they loved and lost.
Later on that night, Captain Samullu Jaqenssen shared a drunken game of cvyasse with Ser Barnabus for a golden dragon. When Goose doubled down after his first loss, he fell again, owing the Black Sparrow a pair of golden dragons by the end of it. When Samullu demanded Goose to pay up his reward immediately, Goose pretended not to understand his loose Summer Isle accent, giving him a wild chase.
“Wat?”
“Yo loose Goose, yo owe me the gold,” the Captain demanded in his queer Common Tongue.
“Wat?”
“The gold yo fool. The gold! Yo pay me.”
“Wat?”
“Wat country yo from?”
“Wat?”
“Do they not speak the Common Tongue in Wat?”
“Wat?”
“Common Tongue mother Goose!”
“Wat?”
“Say wat again! I dare yo, I double dare yo! I’ll throw yo overboard off the Motherfunker!”
Goose paused for a moment, until his pride could not resist. “Wat? Wat? Wat? Wat? Wat?” Goose said ‘what‘ so many times, it sounded like he was quacking, each one louder than before. “Wat? Wat? Wat? Wat? Wat?”
In a nick of fury, Samullu Jaqenssen flipped over the cyvasse table, stood up and drew his short blade. His remaining good eye raged like a storm, as steam seeped through the black leather patch of the other. “Yo cold ass honking Goose! Yo son o’ a whore! Yo bandit! I will gut yo from balls to brains to see what gooses is made of. I better find yo sacs golden before I take yo skull to gild gold! Either way, I will have my gold from yo!”
Goose suddenly comprehended everything, stood up with all his height and threatened. “Goodness gracious, do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Go ahead and try, but you will only find below me great balls of fire!” He grabbed his own crotch and pumped it once into the air. “And after your failed attempt, I will claw out your last remaining eye, leaving you blind for the rest of your sorry life!”
The others flocked towards the scene, holding the two back as they inched towards each other.
Jess tried to stop them. “Gods, have mercy!”
Sam the Shredder intervened as well. “That is enough! I want you two to stop!”
Jory said, “Cut it out!”
“Will yo shut up!” screamed Phyl, who had hustled a wager on the game.
Mikkal grabbed the drunken Goose, threw him to the floor, and told him to just beat it.
At the end, they all just laugh it off like all drunk men do. Smiling, spilling ale out of their cups, retching out into the sea the rum they drank, before drinking some more again. They were having one last good time before the mission. But today they had a job to do.
The twenty men, Lady Maege, and Ser Rolph continued up the paths in the lightless caves of Casterly Rock, huffing and puffing, but still silent as much as they could hold. One loud word at the wrong place at the wrong time may be their doom. In single file, the group followed Ser Spicer’s point with one lit torch. The stench was terrible and the dampness made it worse. Guarding the rear, Olyvar’s eyes were clouded in darkness at times where the torchlight was too far ahead to shine back. He relied on Ser Goose in front of him to lead the way, as Goose relied on Leo for the same.
[Part 3]

Hi guys,
Just wanted to hop on here and share my timeline for my Schengen visa application in case it helps to alleviate any worries or fears anyone might have (when I tell you I've been stressed out of my mind for the past month!).

• 27th April - Booked appointment on BLS Spain Manchester website for a travel date of 24th June, applied for multi-entry
• 16th May - Went to appointment, did biometrics and photo, received SMS later that evening
• 6th June - Received SMS notifying passport has been dispatched from consulate via courier
• 7th June - Passport returned with multi-entry visa valid for 4 months starting from 24th June (22 days incl. weekends between appointment and receiving visa)

The documents I submitted at the appointment:

• Filled-in application form
• Passport and BRP
• Pre-paid round trip flight tickets
• Hotel reservations (via booking.com, didn't need to pay anything to reserve)
• Travel insurance
• Bank statements from the past 3 months, with signed letter of confirmation from bank because my branch doesn't stamp statements
• No Objection letter from college

If I've got any advice it's try to put your mind on something else after the appointment as much as possible, and also don't book your appointment too late - try to leave at least a month before your travel date to be on the safe side because I've heard from other people who didn't get their visas on time because of delays or some other reason outside of their control.
Hopefully my experience helps to inform you a bit further on the whole process and make you a bit more comforted about your own application. I had trouble sleeping some nights because of this whole thing so I definitely needed it 😭

Hi friends! I am planning to travel to Germany at the end of the year on holiday to celebrate my graduation. I would stay mostly with family (who are permanent residents) and in a hostel for a few days to see the sights in a nearby city.
Would it be better to apply for a "visiting friends and family' visa or for a "tourist visa"? I would be applying with the formal obligation letter (the trip is a gift from my family and I do not have a job).
As for the proof of being a student. The university can provide letters for my enrolment and term times. I graduate the week I leave for Germany. I have applied for further studies at my university, however the acceptance letters are only sent after I would need to apply for the trip.
My partner would like to join the trip. He is employed and would be able to support his part of the trip. Is it better to apply together? He would not need the letter of formal obligation, but would having an invitation help?
I am 20 years old, female, and a South African citizen. I am super nervous about applying as I have never travelled anywhere before and would appreciate any advice:)

Hello everyone,
I would like to seek some advices and inspirations regarding the situation of me and my boyfriend.
I am a Swiss citizen living in Switzerland. My boyfriend (btw we are both men) lives in a developing Arabic country (I mean, not one of the rich Gulf countries, but not one of the regions with ongoing wars either). For his safety I prefer not to disclose his exact nationality. His country is very homophobic.
We started our relationship in early 2022. Since then, I have visited him 12 times in his country. We send numerous messages and call each other literally every day. After more than two years in a long-distance relationship, we are now looking for ways to be physically together.
Also, the situation becomes increasingly difficult due to some of his family and friends discovering our relationship. Before, I used to hang out with his friends/family as a "normal" friend. Now we have to hide and it becomes a headache to find excuses to his absence from family/friends during my visit.
Our background:

• Me: 41yo, well established socially and professionally in Switzerland.
• Him: 29yo, works as an accountant. He has good English skills (IELTS 6) but has not completed a university degree after graduating from high school.

Options we have been thinking about:
1. I move to his country.
Not feasible due to the need to hide our relationship and the uncertainty about my job prospects and income.
2. He comes to Switzerland.
This is our preferred option. But seems not easy.
2.1. Marriage
This would grant him the right to stay and work in Switzerland. We have many materials to prove our relation, so this option could surely work. However, we are not ready for marriage without having lived together. Also, he has never come to Switzerland or Europe, so we would also like to see how he feels here. That’s why it would be great if he could come to stay with me for some time, and after that we can make important decisions like what do we want between us, where do(es) we(he) see our(his) future…
2.2. Tourist visa
Not practical. Max. 3 months and requires a letter from his employer that they are OK that he travels to Switzerland. Then they will know he is visiting me and this will create a lot of problems (we have to hide, as mentioned above).
2.3. Student visa
This is the option we have examined the most. He could enroll in a French learning program. This is actually a good idea: if we decide to stay long-term, he will anyway need to master French. Otherwise, acquiring a new language is anyhow beneficial to his future.
We meet the formal conditions for a student visa (e.g. financial means, acceptance by a Swiss school etc.) but visa approval is uncertain as the authorities have significant discretion, especially regarding the applicant’s intention. I’ve read the SEM directives, and apparently the visa is refused if they have even minor doubt on the intention. I also read some jurisprudence from the Swiss Federal Court. In some cases, visas were rejected even with seemingly valid motivation. For example: an Algerian with a bachelor’s degree, accepted into a Swiss master program, with very strong financial means, was denied a visa because the authorities doubted the necessity of his master study and suspected on his immigration intention due to Algeria’s economic crisis.
My boyfriend’s case might be seen weaker: an Arabic accountant (his country is also in an economic crisis), with a high school diploma from 11 years ago, , now wanting to study French in Switzerland without a clear professional reason. Another thing: we are unsure how to present our relationship in the application. We will only say in the motivation letter that I am his close friend and guarantor. But if the embassy ask directly about our relationship, he cannot lie, which will make the story of intention even more complicated.
I contacted some language schools in my city, receiving mixed responses. Some say the chances are low, some high (but they might be motivated by the money), others have no idea. When I asked about the motivation letter, one school suggested using ChatGPT (what a joke) and another said we could say something like he wants to reorient his career to open a tourism company in his country, thus learning French (for me it sounds a bit weak and dubious). I don't like the idea of these kind of statements, but I also don't know what to say otherwise.
Although I'm skeptical about our chances for a student visa, we might still try. But I’m also a bit worried: if his visa gets rejected this time, will it have a negative impact on future applications? Especially if we do not disclose all information (our relation) this time.
We would appreciate any insights, experiences and suggestions. Our goal is simply to be together and plan our future.
Thank you for reading and for any help you can provide!

Since we got so many mixed signals while we were doing our research for a Schengen Tourist Visa, here is our end to end experience with VFS Global in Mumbai for a visa for a 10 day honeymoon trip to Italy as a 30 year old who owns his own firm and a 27 Year old IT professional.
Visa appointment: You need to book an appointment with VFS Global for your Visa. We opted to book the appointment via our tour agent who took 13k from us. This amount included our Visa Appointment, Free Cancellation Flight Tickets, Travel Insurance and Hotel Bookings. We booked our appointment in the month of Jan and received a slot for 7th May. This date was okay for us as we were planning to travel in the month of July.
Documents needed:
Own Business All passports 4 Photos( ask your photographer for specific requirements for Europe Visa they always know) Cover letter Flight tickets, Hotel bookings, travel insurance(covering at least 30,000 EUR) and detailed itinerary. 6 months Personal and Company Bank statements signed and stamped by the bank (please note, personal bank balance has to have an avg balance of minimum 2.5L and do not deposit large sums in your accounts at the last moment) 3 Years personal and Company ITR KYC documents: Aadhar Card, Pan Card( Personal and Company), Vaccination Certificate GST Certificate all 3 pages with photo/partnership deed/ memorandum of association Marriage certificate if spouse name not mentioned in passport Credit card statement with limit
Salaried All Passports 4 Photos( ask your photographer for specific requirements for Europe Visa they always know) Cover letter Flight tickets, Hotel bookings, travel insurance(covering at least 30,000 EUR) and detailed itinerary. KYC documents: Aadhar Card, Pan Card( Personal and Company), Vaccination Certificate NOC from Company with Signature and Stamp with leave approval from HR (Companies normally have a format for it but you can also get it from the vfs global website) 6 months Personal bank statements signed and stamped by the bank (please note, personal bank balance has to have an avg balance of minimum 2.5L and do not deposit large sums in your accounts at the last moment) Salary slip for the last 6 months signed and stamped by your company ( pro tip: add your bonus statement as well) 3 Years Personal ITR Marriage certificate if spouse name not mentioned in passport Credit card statement with limit
Day of the Appointment: Our appointment was at the VFS Global Mahalakshmi office. We reached around 8 15 for our 8 45 Appointment. (Always prefer to have a morning appointment as the whole process takes around 2 hours). There is water available and there is also a small cafe in the building which serves coffee and sandwiches. Once you reach the office, there is a queue on the ground floor according to the time slots, so at 8 30 am everyone with the 8 45 appointment has to stand in the queue. There will be a person who will do an initial check of your documents and check your appointment letter( please take a printout of your appointment letter without fail). The VFS staff will try to push their premium services on you on the pretext that the process will take very long. But if you have all your documents in place and can wait for an hour or two these services are not at all required. Once you reach the VFS Italian Office, you will receive a token. (Our token no. was 4) There are around 8 counters where VFS employees take your documents. According to your token you will be asked to report to anyone of the counters. There is no interview per say. But ensure you know your itinerary well as they will ask for that. They will thoroughly check all the documents, especially the bank statements. In case if any documents are missed they will ask you to get them by EOD. After submitting the documents, you have to give your biometrics and then pay around 15k as processing fee for 2 people ( both cash and card are accepted but just to be safe carry cash)
Visa Status: We were told that we will get to know the status of our Visa within 15 working days. We had not opted for the courier services which are available for a small fee. We got a call from VFS Global on 15th May (within 5 working days) stating that our passports were back from the Italian Consulate. We were told, we will have to come and sign a letter and collect our passports. Since the passports are received by VFS in a sealed envelope, they don't know the status of your Visa so there is no point in asking them. Since we got to know about the letter, we were under the impression that our visa request was rejected. Once we reached the VFS global office we were given the sealed envelope with our Passports in it. We received the Visa for one month. Along with that we had to sign an acknowledgement that we have to report to a VFS Global office within 5 days of our return to India along with our passports and all the necessary immigration stamps. After we asked for more details we were told this is a new process started by the consulate to ensure people are coming back to India.
Our overall experience was pretty good and smooth even without the premium services.

Hello everyone, can somebody give me the email format for appointment request? Additionally, can someone help to understand if they allow walk-ins? I called them but the number is not working. Previous posts suggest that they are short-staffed. I have a travel planned for Aug 21 till Sept 6.

I am someone with a Syrian nationality who lived in Qatar for more than a decade and don’t plan to leave.. I want to visa Bosnia for tourism purposes as I love travelling. However, they required an invitation letter from me… my question is how’s it possible for me to go there for tourism purposes if I need an invitation letter and I know no one there ?

I'll be booking a visa appointment to Austria soon (from the UK, am an Indian citizen).
No open slots yet.
When slots open, will I be required to submit all documents (student letter + bank statements + flight reservations + hotel reservations + travel insurance) while booking the appointment? I.e. should I have it ready before slots open?
Or do I just make the payment now and then submit the documents on the day of the appointment?
Related question: the VFS global website lists "(scientific) researchers from third countries" as exempted from visa fees. I'm a PhD student going to a conference, anyone has experience with this?

Hi! I'm currently a Junior in highschool and I recently received a 59% in my math course for Honors Precalc. The first semester I had a high C in the class as it was very new and difficult for me especially as a math course since math isn't my best skill but I did my best to push through this new challenge. The teacher is very nice and is an amazing person, but even though this class was labeled Honors Precalc, it was taught at an AP level so the curriculum was very fast and highly demanding.
I recently found out near the beginning of this semester I have severe anemia after fainting in my 3rd period biotech class so I had to miss school for multiple doctors visits as I constantly would get very sick to the point where I could barely stand up and would constantly vomit every morning after I tried eating something. Two of my very close family members also have passed away this semester so home life wasn't very great for me at this time either.
Though I really didn't want to use my situation as an excuse, I still really tried my best in all my classes but in the end I still wasn't able get a good grade in precalculus which made me really disappointed in myself. My counselor had mentioned that I could take the course online over the summer and if I get an A it will also be added into my transcript next to the F. I still want to try hard and get an A on this class over the summer so I can understand the material that I didn't get during the school year too. Mainly I have been feeling down because of my grade and I also did some research and a lot of people mentioned that when a college sees an F on your transcript they won't even look at your application and it will be discarded so that really scared me.
(I also wasn't able to stay for tutoring due to my circumstances and my home was also very far from school so it would be around 9:00 by the time I get home from tutoring. The trigonometry unit & graphings was a topic I had really struggled with which I didn't do the best in and my grade dropped from there on) My overall grades over the years aren't the best I'd say, to me they are moderate I would get a few C's here and there but mostly A's and B's.
Junior year I'm currently taking Honors Precalc, AP Lang, AP Chem, Biotech (STARR & EHA Prog Also part of one of my extracurriculars), Honors U.S. History, Theatre, & Counseling 1 (College Course dual enrollment)
College Courses I have taken: (Alg 2 over the summer so I can move up in math) Intermediate Alg 125, grade: A, (for art credit req. got it done over the summer) Intro to ART, grade: A, (Seemed like an interesting class so I took it in the mornings during spring sem) Counseling 1, grade: A
Overall gpa: 3.62
UC Gpa: 3.4
Extracurriculars over the years: (Added lengthy explanations for each sorry for the overwriting)
1. Cross Country 9-10th After school practices weekly from 6th period - 5:30 & running everyday. Every Thursday’s compete with other high school 3 mile races & sometimes invitationals and Saturday practices at Griffith Park 8am-12pm Long Run.
2. International PEN PAL school club 11-12th Founder of an international pen pals club at school with 30 current official members and we connect with students their age internationally ex. Estonia, Morocco, France, Italy, Turkey, Korea, Japan etc. & we do paper letter sending and online letters and we also are planning on a partnership ongoing starting a summer + yearlong program for connecting to students in Spain & Japan for committed students that sign up, we will connect that with Let’s Talk.
3. Let’s Talk -- Pen Pal Partner Org. 11-12th (Founded too) This part of our club is a partner non profit org where its an online organization that focuses on aspects on mental health we will soon launch this as we are taking preparations. Here we have weekly blogs, padlets, and discussion sessions, interviews with multiple people from different schools, podcasts and also plan small in person events with potential guest speakers or have club events/activities like counseling and meeting others just like you creating a safe place to talk about yourself and situations that you can't normally talk about easily so you can share your stories to a supportive non-judgemental groups. (The launch for this will be mid summer possibly if everything works out well).
4. LAPL Library volunteering summer session - 10th Computer work (deleting books/answering calls)Book Shelving/ Book ordering/ Book reviewsHelping out in children's events & General Errands, 50+ hours
5. HOSA & STARR EHA Biotechnology Program - 11th-12th HOSA is a healthcare organization for students to participate in (Our School only open to students in the biotech program to learn more about being a healthcare professional and professions in that field. I got a certificate for active continuous participation in the club and also a certificate for competing in a speech competition and winning regionals going to compete in state. The STARR & EHA Biotechnology Program is a two year program that I'm currently part of in which we have to take the course "Biotech" mentioned above which is a rigorous course where we train for second year in which we will be working in a lab at USC helping with real current research. Three years of training is pushed into a single year of the Biotech course to get us prepared to see if we will be selected to move onto second year. We learned a variety of topics and had modules on them in which we earned certificates if we did well such as Stem Cell CIRM Module from Pasadena city college (earned certificate), Data Science (USC Viterbi), CTSI Clinical Health module etc. so we constantly did work, certifications, projects and more. Recently, I have also been selected to continue onto second year to work in the labs at USC with current researchers (Will also earn a stipend for that to ~$1,000 - $1,200) so I'm really exited for that.
6. USC Viterbi Neuroscience summer Research Program 10th Has one session every week for about one month, Guest Speakers, Lessons, Project Prep. Teaches about neuroscience and has us do a research project and present in front of professors, USC students etc. (Online at that time due to covid restrictions) Earned Certificate of Completion and full participation
7. Theater--Hall of Horrors & Spring Play 11th Play a character - Tom Snout and help with preparation stage design in the Midsummer nights dream play by Shakespeare and will be the first official school wide play at Bravo will be April 25, 2024. Participated in hall of horrors as an actor plus preparation plus hall design. (Used this opportunity to challenge my social anxiety and stage fright and also be part of stage design so I could draw backgrounds and make props along with being part of a live play which has always been a childhood dream of mine even though it sounds silly)
8. BMP@USC - Student to Student Mentorship Program 11th In this program we had to apply through an application and after getting in we are put in groups and assigned to 2-3 mentors that you will meet with every month for sessions regarding medical professions and the healthcare field. We get to meet doctors, professors, and even have guest speakers as well along with hands on practice using medical equipment such as a blood pressure machine, stethoscope, and how to properly give vaccines!
9. PUENTE Summer Career Academy 11th Explored career interests by learning about the ever-shifting workforce, seized opportunities, and cultivate a supportive network, propelling towards success in my next college and career goals. Incentives: At the end of the program, students will receive a $200 stipend for their participation and commitment (Have to prepare a project in those five weeks and present at the end).Four week long summer program in which students learn about various career fields, connect with industry professionals, and begin to prepare for their future.
10. Summer Bridge Leader 11th Student Bridge Leaders (SBLs) are students who undergo training to facilitate team-building activities for our incoming students. They operate under the guidance of a certified staff member. As mentors, student leaders provide support for group projects throughout the program. SBLs can earn volunteer-service hours for their leadership contributions. Applications are open to current 11th-grade students interested in serving as either volunteers or student workers. Both roles carry equal responsibilities as Summer Bridge Leaders. Was recently accepted for being one of the summer bridge leader from a large applicant pool, will start in summer.
11. Chemistry Olympiad 10th grade Spent a lot of time aside schoolwork studying for this official chemistry exam competition. I scored the highest among all first year chemistry students in regionals on that exam so I won a certificate for it.
12. Part Time Job (Not enough info yet since I'm recently starting but will add)
13. Pfizer High School Student Hospital Volunteer (Not enough info yet since I'm recently starting but will add)
These are some of my main extracurriculars, there were a few more but they were not as important and pretty much only hobbies.
I really wanted to give a sort of an idea of my whole academic and extracurricular profile to see what other people would think about this. I feel like from my position currently, even if I don't get into the best college or even any college at all I wouldn't regret anything I did in high school because it really helped me learn and grow as a person and all my extracurriculars I did and am doing are purely only from my own self interests. I will accept any harsh criticism since I'm very aware these days the competition for colleges are very high and there are many bright students out there who do so much more and are more accomplished.
I just wanted to have an idea of where I would lie in terms of college apps and if I stand a chance?