CFO

[Alans 0]

Hello , As you can see I am new here. I applied April the 17th 2006 with U.S.C.I.S in Vermont and finally have a date at the embassy. I am going to be in the Philippines to show my support for my fiancee. I have been informed by others that it is possible to attend the CFO in Manila, (never in Cebu), My fiancee lives in Cebu and (NO WAY). She went there and asked questions and they told her that she needs to know all information when she arrives there and they made her feel like she was at the wrong place to ask CFO questions. So I am here depending on those who have already gone through this. I bought my tickets to go to the Phili. in advance due the worries about the prices going up in December as I have seen in the past. I had to quess my fiancees time at the embassy acording to the past history in Visa Journey and it was right on target. I have my tickets to land the Philippines on the 15th and my fiancee has her St. Lukes appointment the very next morning. WOW. I was advised to miss the morning at the ST, Lukes Hospital and attend the CFO while she has her passport. I am concerned if this is ok. We have the appointment for Friday so it means we will be in Manila for the whole weekend. It seems that it may be of no gain if I must stay in Manila for the weekend. I am thinking that it is possible to have her in line at St. Lukes at 3 am then she may be done in one day only, then we go home on the last flight out of Manila and they now have late flights from Manila to Cebu.Last year they did not have late flights. Is it better to pay the Plane tickets for both of us to fly again from Cebu later for the CFO? Do we have something to gain by missing the morning time at St Lukes and attending the CFO which starts around 10 AM. [http://www.cfo.gov.ph/fs_cebu.htm] This link makes me think that the advise was wrong that was given to me becasue they ask for the visa and she dont have this till after she is approved, however I was told by one lady at the embassy that they do accept early people but they only get the certificate and must return again for for the stamp after they have the visa. Once again we will fly back to ge the stamp so. Is it wise to just forget the CFO untill after she has the Visa? I am certainly confused at this time about what to do so it all flows best for us both. My Fiancee cant fly there early because I will have my Divorce Decree in my hands when I fly to the Philippines and they do ask for this as i have read in the past from other expieriences. Unless that is only in Cebu? According to counseling requirements only, She needs to have 1. two valid I D cards with photos. 2. I have no idea what Duly completed guidance and counseling form IS? 3.She was never married and i already have the CENTOMAR because one year ago I took her applied for this.4.Other documents as may be required by the counselors????? what is this about??? other documents so once again it seems hopeless that she can attend this untill I arrive with the entire paket that most people send Federal Express and so it means the same day she is scheduled for her Exam at St Lukes is the only early option. It all comes down to whether it is feasable to try to do this in one day or make the weekend of this. Perhaps it is only a dream to think it will be in one day if she is in line early ,but i was told that the girls who are in line b4 5 am get the lower numbers and they finish in one day. I know that St Lukes takes her passport and after that time there is no CFO untill she gets it back from the Embassy. I hope I explained this well enough to get some feedback that will help me make the proper decision... If it is a gaurantee that she will be in manila for the weekend then it may be ok to go to the CFO first? Thankyou all so much! Alan

[Alanlvsjudy 0]

Wow, quite a post, you should repost it here or ask the Mods to move it...

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=6

[sunandmoon 450]

thats alot of questions. i'll try answering a couple. the CFO can be attended at anytime. you do not need your pasport to attend. when you need the visa is to get the sticker. CFO may ask for a copy of your divorce decree. my fiance attended in Cebu with no problems. you probably might want to get another Cenomar if the one you have is more than a year old. no guarantees the medical will be done in one day, even if you show up very early.

[Alans 0]

thats alot of questions. i'll try answering a couple. the CFO can be attended at anytime. you do not need your pasport to attend. when you need the visa is to get the sticker. CFO may ask for a copy of your divorce decree. my fiance attended in Cebu with no problems. you probably might want to get another Cenomar if the one you have is more than a year old. no guarantees the medical will be done in one day, even if you show up very early.

Thankyou for you reply to my questions. Perhaps She should try the CFO in cebu since she lives there and if it seem to be a problem then we move on to Manila later. However when she went to ask simple questions they refused to give any advise to her. I cant give her the original divorce Decrees so fast but I can e-mail them to her if it will be good enough! again Thanks Alan

['my_destiny' 0]

Hi! When is your fiancee's medical appointment at St. Lukes? For all I know St. Lukes and CFO Manila dont allowed fiance or friends to go inside, only the applicants. St. Lukes will takes 2 days to complete. You will ask to go back the second day for your x-ray result and other vaccinations. Be sure to go there not Friday so that she dont have to go back Monday at St. Lukes.

CFO in Manila/Pasay can only takes 2-3 hours. If she dont have passport since St. Lukes have it because they are the one who will forward her passport and medical result at the US Embassy, she can still attend the CFO. Just bring Birth Certificate and NBI original and photocopy. Dont forget to bring Valid ID's since she have to leave it at the guard. If she dont have visa yet, she can just get the certification and return there once she have the visa already for her sticker. She can attend CFO anytime whether her passport is still with her or not anymore. She can also bring some pictures of you together because some applicants were asked to show pictures. Bring also a divorce certificate. I think the payment is less than P1000. But Im not sure the exact price. There are morning session and afternoon session.

Good luck!!!

[ilovecookies 0]

this was way back in 2004 but i do remember having to go back to st. luke's the following day. i think it is almost impossible to finish everything in one day. i had to go back for the xray and immunization record. also make sure she doesn't go when she has a cold or is coughing, or her monthly visitor. i would go before her assigned medical exam date, just in case they need further testing or something.

for the CFO, she would need your mom's maiden name, divorce decree, and pictures of you two. there will be a class, then you meet the counselor and she asks you all kinds of questions about the relationship. again, just to be sure, i would do this ahead of time...in case something happens. one can never be too sure. when i went to the CFO (in manila), they accepted faxes of the divorce decree....providing you fax it to her while she is at their office.

hope this helps you somehow!