Manila: After an initial rejection of her Schengen visa application, a Filipina successfully secured it by convincing authorities she won’t overstay her welcome in Europe.
How? The Filipina showed the visa officer a confirmed ticket to a Taylor Swift concert in Singapore in March – well before the visa expiration.
That’s how she got the Schengen visa stamped on her passport.
In a Reddit post, the Filipina ‘Swiftie’ shared her experience, revealing the reason for the initial rejection.
She wrote: “I just wanna share that I got denied in my first attempt. The comment was that they don't think I'll leave the Schengen territory before the visa expires.”
The Filipina claimed she would depart Schengen territory before the visa expired as she won’t miss Taylor Swift’s concert for the world, let alone for Europe.
“So when I reapplied, I said that I'd leave because I would attend Taylor Swift's concert in Singapore and attached the mail confirmation," she said.
It was the persuasive power of the 12-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, whose Singapore gig was the key to a change of mind by the visa officer.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Singapore has shows slated on 2, 3, 4 & 7, 8, 9 March 2024 at the National Stadium.
"I filed (the application on) December 21. December 22, 27, and 28 are the processing days. Yesterday January 4, I was asked to visit the embassy because I needed to sign a document. I thought it was a denial letter. But it was a letter asking me to report back to the embassy 10 days after the visa expires. Mother Taylor did her magic!” she added.
Visa processed in 3 days
Later, the Filipina posted an update stating that she had received an email stating that her visa had been processed in just three business days.
The Filipina’s post, a screenshot of which was shared on Twitter | X, went viral.
One user wrote: “Perfect case study for when you apply for a #SchengenVisa. Purpose needs to be justified when applying for the visa. As a tourist she did not get approved. Maybe for multiple reasons. But a Taylor Swift Show Ticket is a proof she has bought it and invested her money into something which she would be doing…."
“No wait, what? I’ve literally never heard of an embassy asking to “report back” after expiration of Visa. This sounds like karma chase,” another user commented.
The Philippines visa policy is quite lenient, with passport holders of several nations able to enter the country visa-free, but the Philippines is not on the visa-free list of Schengen countries.
