CFO seminar for K1 immigrants - Philippines

[JM2008 0]

My fiance recently went to the US Embassy in Manila for her interview. While there, she learned that she'll have to attend the CFO seminar before she can get her passport stamped.

I've reviewed their website and it appears as if she will have her passport stamped and returned to her on the day of the seminar, but it isn't 100% clear.

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

Can someone who is familiar with this process give us some feedback?

What is the approximate period of time between the day of her visa interview and when she receives her passport back in the mail?

What delivery method is used to return her passport to her?

How much does the CFO seminar cost?

What is the typical lead time on CFO seminar appointments?

Does she get her passport back & stamped at the end of the seminar? (as opposed to it being mailed back to her)

Will she be able to board a plane to travel to the USA upon completion of the seminar and the stamping & returning of her passport?

Thanks much for your help & feedback

[bratikicks 0]

hi,

she needs to attend seminar at the CFO as a requirements,if she is in MANILA she can find CFO office at the QUIRINO or in KATIPUNAN near LRT2 station.

i am not particular in province officess...

be there around 8am for the first session then i think 2nd sesion is around 11am or 1pm i guess,i just fogot cuz i attended 1st session before.

DFA (DEpartment of foriegn affairs)wont allow me to renewed my old passport with out it,and i was married that time,so i need to change my status aswell...

cost is about 600 pesos or 650 pesos i bet ,just forgot but that's the range,its only half day....she will be instructed anyway....dont worry about it...

i went back to cfo to get my sticker,and it was attached to my 1st page of my passport,all i knew is she'll required to go there personally...........they need photocopy of passport and visa and she will present her guidance and counseling certificate.....

it's really requirements,she needs sticker on her passport,or else she will be trap at the airport.......

i dont encounter ur 1st and 2nd question ,because ill make it sure i have all my requirements before my interview......

hope it helps........

[bratikicks 0]

and she needs also to present her personal data/biodata that is attached to her packet coming from USEM.....(photo copy)

to sum up:

she needs to attend seminars as a requirements/amount 600-650pesos,3hours seminar only or lets say half day

then when she got her visa she needs to go back for her:

sticker

then present her guidance counseling certificate

Photocopy of her:

Passport

visa and

personal data/bio data that is attached to her packet coming from usem

[tallcoolone 102]

My fiance recently went to the US Embassy in Manila for her interview. While there, she learned that she'll have to attend the CFO seminar before she can get her passport stamped.

I've reviewed their website and it appears as if she will have her passport stamped and returned to her on the day of the seminar, but it isn't 100% clear.

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

Can someone who is familiar with this process give us some feedback?

What is the approximate period of time between the day of her visa interview and when she receives her passport back in the mail?

What delivery method is used to return her passport to her?

How much does the CFO seminar cost?

What is the typical lead time on CFO seminar appointments?

Does she get her passport back & stamped at the end of the seminar? (as opposed to it being mailed back to her)

Will she be able to board a plane to travel to the USA upon completion of the seminar and the stamping & returning of her passport?

Thanks much for your help & feedback

Your fiance will rec her passport back via Delbros Delivery with Visa, Timeframe varies.

CFO is around 600 pesos, Lead time - We went to CFO after USEM interview on the same day, we arrived around lunch time (We went to PRISM location,not as crowded and easier to deal with) and took care fo the CFO same day. CFO took a couple of hours

CFO is two part, ONe part is seminar and other is getting a stamp for travel. You can do both if you have Visa in hand.

Most do the CFO class first, and once they receive Visa they go back for the Stamp.

Yes she will be able to board plane to USA once she has : Visa, CFO Stamp, Passport

[lady23 0]

i was attended cfo seminar last Dec. 04 in St. Mary's, it is a one stop processing, they will issue cfo certificate and passport sticker. The registration is 250.oo php and the cfo sticker is 400.00 php. IT's better to attend seminar when have visa so that you dont need to go back for the passport sticker. It is just two hours. They will ask for fiance mother maiden name, and tel. phone no. is also important. the first session is 8:30 am then second is 10:30 am then last session is 1:30 pm. Goodluck...

[bratikicks 0]

its just that we went cr1 route so,just follow k1 said....

but what i am saying is almost same as k1,the only difference is that cr1 has changes their status,

so it is a requirements before u can renew or get new passpost....

seminar before we can get our new passport,

then after we have our visa in hand,we required to go back to present our visa and need stamp/sticker.....

[JM2008 0]

My fiance recently went to the US Embassy in Manila for her interview. While there, she learned that she'll have to attend the CFO seminar before she can get her passport stamped.

I've reviewed their website and it appears as if she will have her passport stamped and returned to her on the day of the seminar, but it isn't 100% clear.

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

Can someone who is familiar with this process give us some feedback?

What is the approximate period of time between the day of her visa interview and when she receives her passport back in the mail?

What delivery method is used to return her passport to her?

How much does the CFO seminar cost?

What is the typical lead time on CFO seminar appointments?

Does she get her passport back & stamped at the end of the seminar? (as opposed to it being mailed back to her)

Will she be able to board a plane to travel to the USA upon completion of the seminar and the stamping & returning of her passport?

Thanks much for your help & feedback

Your fiance will rec her passport back via Delbros Delivery with Visa, Timeframe varies.

I've been told it is about 1.5 to 2 weeks. Does this sound right to you?

CFO is around 600 pesos, Lead time - We went to CFO after USEM interview on the same day, we arrived around lunch time (We went to PRISM location,not as crowded and easier to deal with) and took care fo the CFO same day. CFO took a couple of hours

According to the website, there appears to be only one location in the Metro Manila area. The only other CFO office appears to be in Cebu.

Is it true that the CFO can be attended prior to the visa interview? In my correspondence with the US Embassy, they said nothing about the CFO seminar and made it clear that unless there were problems with the medical, she would be clear to head to the USA following her interview. So surprise #1 was that she wasn't getting her passport back right away and surprise #2 was that the "seminar" was not part of the interview process. We thought we had done our homework, but perhaps we should have been a little more diligent. We sure hope there aren't any more surprises.

How did you do the CFO after USEM interview on the same day? Don't you need to have passport in hand to do the CFO seminar? And doesn't the USEM deliver the passport back to you via mail at a later date?

CFO is two part, ONe part is seminar and other is getting a stamp for travel. You can do both if you have Visa in hand.

Most do the CFO class first, and once they receive Visa they go back for the Stamp.

Yes she will be able to board plane to USA once she has : Visa, CFO Stamp, Passport

As she doesn't live on Luzon or near Manila, is it going to be feasible for her to attend the CFO seminar during a 1 to 2 day layover at Manila while on her way to the USA?

[JM2008 0]

i was attended cfo seminar last Dec. 04 in St. Mary's, it is a one stop processing, they will issue cfo certificate and passport sticker. The registration is 250.oo php and the cfo sticker is 400.00 php. IT's better to attend seminar when have visa so that you dont need to go back for the passport sticker. It is just two hours. They will ask for fiance mother maiden name, and tel. phone no. is also important. the first session is 8:30 am then second is 10:30 am then last session is 1:30 pm. Goodluck...

Thanks for the feedback. From the way you're describing it, it seems as if my fiance can attend the CFO seminar during a 1-2 day layover in Manila on her way to the USA. Do you envision any problems with us handling it in this manner? Or would it be better for her to plan on flying back to her home after attending the CFO seminar and then later heading to the USA?

[PingLocalHostess 1]

I attended the CFO seminar with a couple of VJers and had it stamped on the same day. I posted it, heres the link:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2354695

[JM2008 0]

My fiance received her K1 visa to come to the USA. Attached is the only information she received regarding the CFO. After reviewing the form, there doesn't appear to be anything on the form indicating that she needs to get any additional stamps in her passport before she can head to the USA.

Is it strictly through word of mouth that K1 visa applicants know they are supposed to go to the CFO seminar? My fiance was told absolutely nothing about the CFO during her visa interview and only subsequently learned about it through other applicants she met at her medical or at her visa interview.

The only stamp she has received in her passport is the St. Luke's medical stamp and attached to her passport is the visa. My attempts to reach an immigrant visa official to have my questions answered have been entirely unsuccessful.

Does anyone have any official work (perhaps a website) that clearly indicates she needs the CFO seminar stamp in her passport to head to the USA?

[usa_honey 0]

My fiance received her K1 visa to come to the USA. Attached is the only information she received regarding the CFO. After reviewing the form, there doesn't appear to be anything on the form indicating that she needs to get any additional stamps in her passport before she can head to the USA.

Is it strictly through word of mouth that K1 visa applicants know they are supposed to go to the CFO seminar? My fiance was told absolutely nothing about the CFO during her visa interview and only subsequently learned about it through other applicants she met at her medical or at her visa interview.

The only stamp she has received in her passport is the St. Luke's medical stamp and attached to her passport is the visa. My attempts to reach an immigrant visa official to have my questions answered have been entirely unsuccessful.

Does anyone have any official work (perhaps a website) that clearly indicates she needs the CFO seminar stamp in her passport to head to the USA?

This is how the way all the immigrants can exit from philippines...we need to attend this, for the ofw like me need to attend PDOS...but all immigrant visa holder need to have CFO....only in the philippines but if your fiance exit in other countries heading usa then no need to attend CFO...me, i got my fiance visa here in hongkong but the fact that i need to see my parents first before heading usa then its they said i need to attend CFO in manila,which makes me nervous too because i dont have the so called biodata from USEM because i came from hongkong embassy.....so worried too....

[Jeff and Emily 0]

i was attended cfo seminar last Dec. 04 in St. Mary's, it is a one stop processing, they will issue cfo certificate and passport sticker. The registration is 250.oo php and the cfo sticker is 400.00 php. IT's better to attend seminar when have visa so that you dont need to go back for the passport sticker. It is just two hours. They will ask for fiance mother maiden name, and tel. phone no. is also important. the first session is 8:30 am then second is 10:30 am then last session is 1:30 pm. Goodluck...

[Jeff and Emily 0]

Hi,Happy New year,May i know wheres St Mary located?thanks

[Hank_ 9,174]

My fiance received her K1 visa to come to the USA. Attached is the only information she received regarding the CFO. After reviewing the form, there doesn't appear to be anything on the form indicating that she needs to get any additional stamps in her passport before she can head to the USA.

Is it strictly through word of mouth that K1 visa applicants know they are supposed to go to the CFO seminar? My fiance was told absolutely nothing about the CFO during her visa interview and only subsequently learned about it through other applicants she met at her medical or at her visa interview.

The only stamp she has received in her passport is the St. Luke's medical stamp and attached to her passport is the visa. My attempts to reach an immigrant visa official to have my questions answered have been entirely unsuccessful.

Does anyone have any official work (perhaps a website) that clearly indicates she needs the CFO seminar stamp in her passport to head to the USA?

The CFO is a Philippine requirement so the US Embassy isn't going to tell you about it (nor do they care), reality is your Fiancee will not be allowed to leave without the stamp in her passport.

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

[Tahoma 2,292]

Hi,Happy New year,May i know wheres St Mary located?thanks

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