Okay thank you. I think this is the best option for you:
1) Don’t use the “Manually approve members” option in eMember settings
2) Create a new membership level in eMember (this level doesn’t have to have access to any real content on the site)
3) Use the following option to place a registration form for the membership level you created in step 2:
4) Now, your users can go to this special registration page and fill in the form to become a member but they won’t have any real access to your site until you check their record and assign them to the proper membership level.
You will simply need to go to the manage members interface and check the membership level column to see if any user have signed up for this special level then review their application. This way you are still reviewing all the manual membership application.