CFO: 12 slots per day?!

[Kev0 0]

Apparently the CFO process now only allows 12 people per day in each location, for each destination country.

I was looking at this last week, and it said 70 slots in Cebu. Now it says 12 slots in Cebu, backdated to a July 16th effective date.

If she goes to the Cebu CFO office, will she have to line up the night before in order to have hope of getting a slot?

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1704

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348:fiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140

There are about 300 Filipinos emigrating to the US per business day, year-round. With 2 or 3 locations serving 12 people per day, how can they possibly serve the volume of people who need to go through the process?

Am I mistaken about how this works? Are the "slots" for more than one person?

[newbster 4]

Wow those seem like big changes. I would love to read about people's experience at Cebu vs Manila and in general of their experiences doing the sessions at CFO instead of at SMEF-COW. I've read horror stories about SMEF-COW (particularly Cebu but also some about Manila) so I wonder if these are a little more rational than those? I read some people have spent weeks or months trying to get SMEF-COW approval. If this new process is more of an educational in-out in 3 hours session then that would be nice to know about.

[newbster 4]

Wow those seem like big changes. I would love to read about people's experience at Cebu vs Manila and in general of their experiences doing the sessions at CFO instead of at SMEF-COW. I've read horror stories about SMEF-COW (particularly Cebu but also some about Manila) so I wonder if these are a little more rational than those? I read some people have spent weeks or months trying to get SMEF-COW approval. If this new process is more of an educational in-out in 3 hours session then that would be nice to know about.

I can't edit my original post but the way I read this is that after July 13 no more GCP classes at PRISM in Manila. After Sept 15 no more GCP classes at SMEF-COW in Manila and Cebu. After those dates all attendees must go to CFO Manila and CFO Cebu for the GCP classes.

It does seem like there are only 12 people allowed per day for US immigrants at each location. And it also seems like the class starts at 9am and lasts until noon (3 hours).

Is this how others read it as well?

[Hank_ 9,174]

Yup it looks like 12 is the number

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348:fiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140

Edited July 27, 2012 by Hank_

[newbster 4]

Hank, do you also read this as saying that the sessions at PRISM and SMEF-COW are being shut down and the only classes will be at the CFO facility?

12 seems like a very small number if there are 300 people going to the U.S. per day. It seems impossible if there are 2 locations doing 12 people per day (24 total) while 300 people per day are trying to leave for the U.S......

[Rob&Ema 12]

Seriously, 3 hrs ahead of time to stand in line? More? Can Ema go before her interview and get the sticker or does she have to wait till after the interview?

Edited July 27, 2012 by Rob&Ema

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hank, do you also read this as saying that the sessions at PRISM and SMEF-COW are being shut down and the only classes will be at the CFO facility?

12 seems like a very small number if there are 300 people going to the U.S. per day. It seems impossible if there are 2 locations doing 12 people per day (24 total) while 300 people per day are trying to leave for the U.S......

Yup that is what I am reading that seminars will only be at the CFO office (Cebu & Manila) soon, think I read SMEF is done in September. I don't understand CFOs limitation for seminars.

CFO does 70 seminars a day for other types of visas

http://www.cfo.gov.p...-visa&catid=139

Edited July 27, 2012 by Hank_

[rlogan 2,036]

I don't understand CFOs limitation for seminars.

It's very simple. It's extortion. To get more money, more power, and more pleasure out of tormenting the people that need this worthless stamp, you withhold it from them. You can turn thousands of people into your lobbyists to give them more funding, more salary - anything to get the extortion to end.

There's no feeling of satisfaction like grinding the boot-heel into people who are going off to live better lives than you could ever dream of, while pretending to be rescuing them. Having them beg you to give them that precious stamp. When you see the immigrant and spouses smiles turn into agony and despair, that goes a long way towards alleviating the jealousy and envy you feel.

I feel badly for the people facing new additional delays and frustrations. The best thing they could do for immigrants is get rid of this asinine requirement.

[Kev0 0]

So, it's a Crab thing. That's basically what I figured.

But, how should I have my sweetie proceed next week? She's got a ticket to Cebu.

Should she go to smefcow and risk terrible abusive behavior that could delay us while we cater to their whimsical requirements? It seems smefcow has up to 3 daily sessions for around 15 people each. Or, should she go to the CFO and have a greater risk of not getting in that day due to the limit of 12 people?

Sigh.

Also, regarding the numbers... The limit does appear to be only for fiancee/spouse visas, so maybe the number of these per day is still in line with actual numbers of people using them.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Kev0

[newbster 4]

I think never go to SMEF-COW Cebu. I've heard too many horror stories about that place.

[Tahoma 2,292]

After mid-September, when only the Manila CFO and the Cebu CFO will be providing the Guidance and Counseling Program for Filipinos with U.S. spouses / fiancé(e)s, here is my prediction:

According to my rough calculations:

> When you take away weekends and holidays, there are about 250 business days per year.

> Based upon 12 slots per day for the Manila CFO, and 12 slots per day for the Cebu CFO, together they will be able to accommodate 24 Filipinos per business day.

> If both CFO's are running at full capacity each and every business day, they will be able to accommodate 6000 people per year.

> According to CFO statistics, 9,411 Filipinos with U.S. spouses / fiancé(e)s completed the Guidance and Counseling Program in the year 2010. CFO link. (See page 36)

> Based upon 250 business days per year, in 2010 an average of 37 Filipinos per business day completed the Guidance and Counseling Program.

> If the number of Filipinos needing the Guidance and Counseling Program stays at 2010 levels, the two remaining CFO locations will lack the capacity to provide the Guidance and Counseling Program for everyone who needs it.

> 37 people per day business day will need it. Only 24 people per business day will be accommodated.

Am I overlooking anything here?

[Tourseasia 5]

The CFO in CitiGold Center Manila is M-Fri 9:00 am-12:00 nn, and only take 12 slots, first come first serve, no appointments, SURELY they can fit and have more then 12 chairs for all the people that need this.

Has anyone done this, how do you get in if there is like 40 people waiting in line?

Edited July 29, 2012 by Tourseasia

[LeRoY DrAgOn 2]

So just to make sure im reading correctly from the CFO website, She has to go to the Guidance and Counseling Sessions in CFO (12 Slots per day) and the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) for Filipino Emigrants (70 slots per day) 2 different Seminars, or can she just go to the Pre-Departure Seminar once she have her Passport with Visa in Hand??? prior to her leaving to the USA? just want to make sure so less time spent in hotels waiting cause she from a different island, and a 7yo child will be along with her.

Thanks in Advance

[cardilene 26]

#######,..!

This is a huge blow to ALL of the fiancee and spouses and other partners of foreign nationals,

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348:fiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140

Only 12 slots everyday, that's gonna be one heck of a line just in case, it would have been better though if they would just set it up to be by appointment na lang, instead of first come first serve, they do not think of the well being of those applicants that are coming in from different provinces around the country, I have nothing against the seminar per se, but what I am so ticked off is the fact on how they run the registration for each applicant.

We also underwent the same seminar, together with my 2 teens before we migrated to the US last April, the seminar is indeed enlightening, the speaker is really good, but somehow, the process of registration really sucks big time. We arrived by the CFO around 4 or 5 am I think, but the line was already a mile long, and all of which would not be accommodated due to the limit on the slots (70) for emigrants, it was so sad to see that CFO has been earning these HUGE amount EVERYDAY, due to the number of attendees, but somehow, they simply do not care to the applicants, they won't give a SH*T even if you came from the farthest area, simply no consideration, and they wouldn't even take your registration for the next day, that's how UGLY their system is, I told myself, I pity our country, seeing that these kinds of people would not even give a SH*T to their own kababayan, considering that they are still in our homeland.

In my opinion, CFO is just a means for corruption, money making scheme for the government, really sad...

[Tourseasia 5]

Walk-in's are for when a business is so slow appointments aren't necessary. Appointments are for when there is such a large volume, to organize and avoid wasting peoples time and money and being inconvenienced.

These people can't understand that with 70 people waiting since 4am and only a limited amount of slots that you need to due it by appointment?

Does it get any more ignorant?..