ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
PhilippinesCFO Experience

I wanted to write about my experience at CFO for those spouse/fiancee who will get their Guidance and Counseling Certificate

 

I just went at the CFO today, and received my Guidance and Counseling Certificate. I am from Cavite so i woke up at 2 o'clock in the morning, left the house at 3am and arrived there at 4:15 am. I dont want to take any chances of not getting any slot as they only entertain 15 slots in the morning and 15 slots in the afternoon.

 

CFO is located at the Citigold Center, 1345 Pres. Quirino Avenue Corner Osmeña Highway (South Superhighway) Manila, Philippines

 

When I arrived there, a lot of people are already there waiting. But i noticed that the line in the left side which is for spousal/fiancee counseling are more longer than the others but they are spouse/fiancee of different countries. I brought a folding chair with me because i know am gonna wait for hours there. But i suggest that if you are planning to go there for GC Certificate, might as well bring a biscuit and a bottled water with you because its gonna be a long day.

 

 

You should bring with you the following:

 

1. Marriage Certificate and a photocopy

2. Two valid IDs, have it photocopied as well

3. 400 pesos

4. And supporting documents. Ex. photos of you and him, divorce papers (if applicable), and birth certificate of spouse.

 

These supporting documents might be requested by your counselor. Because its gonna be a hassle if you are from somewhere far, so be sure you have these with you.

 

This is only for spousal passport amendment requirement meaning you will need GC to use your spouse name on your passport.

 

but for fiancee here is the link http://www.cfo.gov.p...=140&Itemid=833

 

both spousal and fiancee requirements are here.

 

 

At 7 am, they opened the door and let us in. They took one of our IDs and will give you CFO pink ID that is for spousal and fiancee. We proceed to the third floor where forms will be handed out to fill in. 

 

Now, in filling in forms, be accurate. You should know your husband's information well like his address (if in military, it should be his resident address and not his deployment address), zip code, his/her mother's maiden name, telephone number, cellphone number. They will not issue your GC without filling in all the needed information.

 

They will encode your name and take a picture of you for your GC certificate.

 

Afterwards, your filled-in form will be reviewed and this is where the counselor asks for supporting documents if there is something amiss or suspicious in your form. So always be ready with your documents. The counselor will give an okay mark on your form and H mark if your are ON HOLD. On hold mark will be given a one-on-one counseling if you have a sensitive issues regarding relationship with your spouse or fiance or if you have a pending documents to be seen by your counselorr. You will be paying 400 pesos at the cashier (window number 5). Then you'll be given a receipt and go back to third floor for the counseling.

 

When the counseling is done, you will go back to the first floor to window number 4, present your receipt and tell them you are done with the counseling. They will give your Guidance and Counseling Certificate. And you are done.

 

I actually got my GC certificate at 2 pm. I was sooo hungry and tired.

 

Now I believe that there is really no loveheart.gif  without pain. headbonk.gif


Edited by RickandChez, 23 May 2013 - 04:52 AM.

RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-05-23 04:47:00
PhilippinesCFO

A lot of K1 visa get their CFO a day before their flight but it is so much hassle because some of the counselor require supporting  documents or one on one counseling depending on your case, and you have to get another appointment with them before you could get your guidance and counseling certificate. Some miss their flight because of that!

 

So i suggest get your GC certificate right after your fiancee get her Visa so she could already have the sticker within that day, but be sure its weeks before her actual flight.

 

and remind her to bring supporting documents like picture of you together, divorce paper if you are divorced, she should know your mothers maiden name, and your address and zip code, your actual job and educational attainment.

 

She should know you well because she will answer a lot of things about you in the CFO form.

 

I got my CFO certificate just last week.

 

 


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-05-26 01:39:00
Philippinesprinting out conversations from FB/ SKYPE

How far back can u print your Facebook messages? We only have as far back to Dec 2012. Is there a way to get ALL messages since we been talking on Facebook? The more and older the better, were just taking the extra steps incase for the interview process later on. Any help would be appreciated


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-06-11 09:58:00
PhilippinesCFO Experience (Manila)

 

I was there at around 4:30AM, there were about 15 people already but with different purposes - not all were spousal or fiance/fiancee visa holders/applicants. Others arrived between 5Am - 6AM and they got in in the morning session.

 

 

I will be going tomorrow, i guess i should be there at 430am. Just for precaution. Thank you so much for the info, its really helpful :)

 

God bless!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-05-21 15:34:00
PhilippinesCFO Experience (Manila)

May I know what time did you went there?


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-05-21 03:31:00
PhilippinesCan we do CFO before medical and interview?

Yes you can get your CFO certificate then go back again when you get your Visa for the sticker in her passport.

You can also get your CFO certificate and sticker in one day if you already have your visa (assuming all went well with you and your counselor) for K1 visa.

 

 

We just did CFO before, for CR1/IR1 visa, because we need the CFO certificate for changing my last name (bec I am already married to a US citizen) in my passport. 

 

Latest passport is one of the requirement in IV packet (NVC stage).


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-06-25 23:22:00
PhilippinesNbI clearance

We have not done our interview process yet but every step of the process says to keep copies of EVERYTHING u submit, its still early June i would suggest go and get another copy of clearance. It wont hurt :) hopefully someone who has been in this situation can shed more light for you. Good Luck and God Bless


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-06-08 19:16:00
PhilippinesAnybody noticed a slow down at NVC

We were told 10-20 business days, it got there in 17 days. However once they receive your packet from USCIS, they still have to wait to put it in the system and they will give u the same response, wait 10-15 business days additional. What we did was we called USCIS first thing in the morning 2 minutes before scheduled to open up and the guy said we were the first callers of the day, i told them i wanted to know the status of our approved case and if it was sent to NVC yet, he immediately transferred me to a Tier2 rep with no wait time. I asked the Tier2 rep when EXACTLY did they send our  case to NVC and they gave me an exact date they sent it and it was about 14days after approval notice. I hope this helps and was some what of a response you were looking for. Good Luck

sorry forgot to mention that they do not count the weekends as business days, wasn't sure if they said that or not but you probably knew that, i figured i would cover everything that i personally know just from our experience. Also if you can get a date of when USCIS sent your packet to NVC then you could expect NVC to get it a few days after. But as stated above it will take few days more for them to input it into their system. Again sorry for 2 responses back to back, Good Luck


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-06-21 12:15:00
PhilippinesAnybody noticed a slow down at NVC

We were told 10-20 business days, it got there in 17 days. However once they receive your packet from USCIS, they still have to wait to put it in the system and they will give u the same response, wait 10-15 business days additional. What we did was we called USCIS first thing in the morning 2 minutes before scheduled to open up and the guy said we were the first callers of the day, i told them i wanted to know the status of our approved case and if it was sent to NVC yet, he immediately transferred me to a Tier2 rep with no wait time. I asked the Tier2 rep when EXACTLY did they send our  case to NVC and they gave me an exact date they sent it and it was about 14days after approval notice. I hope this helps and was some what of a response you were looking for. Good Luck


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-06-21 12:07:00
PhilippinesReceived NOA2. What to do next?

Check out the July thread for NVC processing below

 

http://www.visajourn...lers-july-2013/


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-09 08:12:00
PhilippinesCan we do medical before NVC completion?

Wonderful, thank you very much Vic for the info, its greatly appreciated :)


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-15 06:34:00
PhilippinesCan we do medical before NVC completion?

Can we complete medical at St. Lukes before we are case complete at NVC? We are reading some cases where people have done that but not certain if they were special cases. If it is possible to complete medical before case complete, what documents are needed for medical? and do we HAVE to have Instruction letter? Any information would be greatly appreciated, Thank you in advance


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-14 22:21:00
PhilippinesNOA-2 Approved!!

Congratulations :)


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-17 17:57:00
Philippineslegal capacity to marry

good.gif


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-18 17:01:00
Philippineslegal capacity to marry

My husband and I got married last July 17, 2012 here in the Philippines. The USC, or your husband-to-be, just need to bring his passport and one valid ID. If divorced or widowed, he got to have a supporting documents that the marriage has been dissolved. His presence, of course is required.  Tell him to bring his birth certificate too. Then you have to set a schedule online on the US embassy website for an appointment to get the certificate of legal capacity to marry.

 

Congrats, best wishes, and God bless!!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-06-19 08:16:00
PhilippinesGetting the MNL # from USEM

In my opinion i would call after a week to start things off, and they will tell you the usual stint of 15-20 business days but we all know it could be less or it could unfortunately be more. Good Luck


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-19 12:21:00
PhilippinesVISA ON HAND!!!

Congratulations :)


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-17 11:40:00
PhilippinesWARNING! Do not take asiana airlines to the PI

headbonk.gif


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-19 12:41:00
PhilippinesFedEx no longer allowed in Philippines

That's gonna leave a damper on alot of things


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-22 07:52:00
PhilippinesOne day medical at St. Lukes

That sounds great :), hopefully we have that luck as well


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-15 20:53:00
PhilippinesMedical exam today!

Yay! She passed. She is all done. Has CD and Vaccine sheet. I'm so happy!

Congratulations :) 


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-23 08:58:00
PhilippinesMedical exam today!

Good Luck :)


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-21 17:49:00
Philippinespaying for the other fees. who pays?

Now that we have our MNL case number, I realized SLEC medical and fees for the application appointment are another things to pay. I am having a little problem here because my fiance (USC) seems not willing to pay for it and it will take me months to save for it. Is it normal that the benefeciary pay for those? In your case, who did pay for these? Just curious

Money should not be an issue when it comes to love and how much you guys want to be together, im sorry to hear about this. I hope everything works out for the both of you 


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-19 09:46:00
PhilippinesGOT CASE # MNL2013.....

Congratulation!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-24 23:14:00
PhilippinesMedical and CFO: DONE

congrats!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-25 06:14:00
PhilippinesFinally Received our Official NVC Case # Notification :-)

congratulation!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-28 22:08:00
PhilippinesBehold Halo-Halo, the Filipino Dessert That's Taking Over New York City

cool... I mean they could use snow as ice for halo-halo

 

 

:) cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Filipina here


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-25 12:30:00
PhilippinesOne Day Medical and PASSED..woohoo

congratulations!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-30 01:42:00
Philippinesgud news,,,,, visa in hand!!!

congrats!!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-07-29 01:36:00
PhilippinesBE SAFE!!! To my fellow VJ's here in the Philippines...

My wife lives in Rosario Cavite, i have not heard from her in a whole day which is unusual because we talk every single day since we been married. I tried calling and messaging, Anyone would not happen to know if theres massive power outage in that area or anything? any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-08-19 17:27:00
Philippines2GO: UNDELIVERED - Reason: HOLD TRANSACTION

Thank you Darnell.

 

If by any chance im not gonna get a text from them, ill go tomorrow. I just hope it is ready for pick-up by tomorrow, im still confused why the status is undelivered, kinda look negative to me.  smile.png


Edited by RickandChez, 21 October 2013 - 12:53 AM.

RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-10-21 00:50:00
Philippines2GO: UNDELIVERED - Reason: HOLD TRANSACTION

Hi good day!

 

I checked the status of my visa at 2GO website and it says

 

UNDELIVERED - Reason: HOLD TRANSACTION

FOR P-UP @ 2GO SM MALL OF ASIA

 

I tried to call 2GO customer service number and a recorded voice said that they are experiencing high volume of calls and could not attend my call right now.

 

Does anyone have an experience like this? 

What did you do?

 

Thank you so much for your help.


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-10-20 22:31:00
PhilippinesAnyone Denied CFO Every Went to Other CFO?

CFO counselors are just doing their job. They will not put your fiancé through it, if it is not needed. I know some with same case as yours passed the CFO, they(beneficiaries) just have the courage to prove that they know they rights and will not be abused in America.

 

If she already felt shy and intimidated by the counselor, how much more in America where people are known to be straightforward and blunt.

 

I hope that in her second try she will get approved. smile.png


Edited by RickandChez, 24 October 2013 - 06:25 AM.

RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-10-24 06:24:00
PhilippinesApproval with DS-160

They didn't asked for my passport photo either on my interview even though I brought some with me during.

 

Andy_san is right, US embassy will use the one that we submitted during medical at Saint Lukes.


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-10-26 09:11:00
PhilippinesDeadline (Experienced Manila Couples Preferred)

Is it cheaper to book the ticket in the Philippines rather than the US?

 

 

Oh, that I don't know. Maybe its just the same. My husband booked the ticket for me at cheapticket.com, MNL-PEK-JFK cost him 800 US dollars.


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-10-30 11:30:00
PhilippinesDeadline (Experienced Manila Couples Preferred)

@rickandchez

did you pick up your visa immediately or did you have it mailed to you?

 

 

I picked up my visa at MOA 2GO office. They said its more faster than have it delivered at home.


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-10-29 02:32:00
PhilippinesDeadline (Experienced Manila Couples Preferred)

I got my visa three business days after my interview. But I have read in US Embassy form that you have to allow them 7 to 10 business days from the interview date, that is (hopefully) if you don't get an AP. And sometimes, since you are processing more than 1 visas (your fiancee and your son), not all visa with same interview date has same releasing date.

 

My husband got my ticket right after the interview date, and the flight is 30 days the day he got my ticket. So if there is any problem on the releasing of my visa or visa info on passport, we still got 30 days to fix it before my flight.

 

You have to consider CFO (if you still haven't got this), AP, and the correctness of your visa info on your passport in getting a ticket before visa on hand.

 

I hope these info help.

 

God bless!


Edited by RickandChez, 28 October 2013 - 11:11 PM.

RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-10-28 23:08:00
PhilippinesOriginal and Photocopy of Visa for CFO? But it is sealed!

 

 

K-1 does not have an Immigrant data sheet (not an immigrant visa).  So do NOT bring the whole package to CFO.

 

 

ohh.. my bad headbonk.gif


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-11-06 01:45:00
PhilippinesOriginal and Photocopy of Visa for CFO? But it is sealed!

Bring the whole package at the CFO coz she also needs the Immigrant data summary Xeroxed. Don't detached that from the brown packet. Xerox copier there at the CFO Xerox that portion together with the whole package so it will not be mesed up. CFO copier there near the CFO knows what to do. I did the same. I hope this info helped. God bless!


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-11-05 22:26:00
PhilippinesAirport fees at Philippines

Does anyone know all the current fees that i have to pay when leaving the Philippines and how much? I am leaving on a CR1 visa if that matters in the fee or not. I know everyone pays the 550 pesos terminal fee but what other fees are there? I'm trying to prepare in advance so i'm not short handed on money or carry to much. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance and God bless


RickandChezMalePhilippines2013-11-10 17:06:00