CFO seminar for K1 immigrants - Philippines

[TomJK 2]

Can the K 1 Fiancee attend the CFO before the USEM interview in Manila? Is this a smart thing to do or should he wait until he has his US VISA package in hand? My understanding is that the K 1 packet is sealed and cannot be opened until arrival in the US so how does my fiancée give the CFO people the data and number of his visa ? This is confusing

Thanks so much for all of your help!

Thomas

[sweet cakes 326]

Can the K 1 Fiancee attend the CFO before the USEM interview in Manila? Is this a smart thing to do or should he wait until he has his US VISA package in hand? My understanding is that the K 1 packet is sealed and cannot be opened until arrival in the US so how does my fiancée give the CFO people the data and number of his visa ? This is confusing

Thanks so much for all of your help!

Thomas

Hi Tom! Your fiance can attend the seminar before his interview, but doing so, he will have to go to CFO twice. That is, he has to return to CFO after he received his visa, so he can get the CFO sticker.

CFO needs only to have a copy of the visa affixed on his passport. The visa number can be easily seen and printed in red like here: https://e-verify.uscis.gov/esp/help/EvHelpVisaNumber.htm

[Hank_ 9,174]

Can the K 1 Fiancee attend the CFO before the USEM interview in Manila? Is this a smart thing to do or should he wait until he has his US VISA package in hand? My understanding is that the K 1 packet is sealed and cannot be opened until arrival in the US so how does my fiancée give the CFO people the data and number of his visa ? This is confusing

Thanks so much for all of your help!

Thomas

Yes a person can attend CFO before the visa interview. Is it smarter? Depends where you live and timing whether making one trip or two is feasible. With the new appointment system I don't see as much advantage to attending CFO early anymore.

There is a DO NOT OPEN envelope that is delivered with the passport (visa printed inside the passport), you do not take the DO NOT OPEN envelope to CFO (IR/CR-1 different for this) just your passport and the required documents ... and potentially requested documents.

Follow the flashing arrow below then click on the CFO tab for details.

[TomJK 2]

Thank you both so very much! Since Michael is very eager to get here, as I am sure all the K 1 fiancees are, he will probably want to do the CFO interview early if he can possibly do so. He lives in Dasmarinas so it is relatively close to Manila if you don't mind a full day in traffic But the wonderful Philippino people are very patient and never seem to complain about how long it takes to get everything. I am so humbled by his patience, his belief in a higher power, and his ability to always look on the bright side of things. I am a teacher and recently one of our teachers was complaining about her new classroom in our new 117 million dollar school because her window will not show Mt Rainier, and I just couldn't control myself! I said my fiancée family still needs a roof on their house after Yolanda, the typhoon season regularly hits with at least 25 storms, and you are complaining because you cant see a mountain?!!! She wont probably talk to me much anymore lol.

[zuluweta 250]

Thank you both so very much! Since Michael is very eager to get here, as I am sure all the K 1 fiancees are, he will probably want to do the CFO interview early if he can possibly do so. He lives in Dasmarinas so it is relatively close to Manila if you don't mind a full day in traffic But the wonderful Philippino people are very patient and never seem to complain about how long it takes to get everything. I am so humbled by his patience, his belief in a higher power, and his ability to always look on the bright side of things. I am a teacher and recently one of our teachers was complaining about her new classroom in our new 117 million dollar school because her window will not show Mt Rainier, and I just couldn't control myself! I said my fiancée family still needs a roof on their house after Yolanda, the typhoon season regularly hits with at least 25 storms, and you are complaining because you cant see a mountain?!!! She wont probably talk to me much anymore lol.

First world problems versus third world problems!

On a related note, I think it's more convenient to do the CFO seminar AFTER your fiancé gets his visa. That way, if everything turns out right, he gets both the CFO certificate and CFO stamp on the passport all on the same day. No need to come back just to get the CFO stamp another day.

Once the visa packet is received, it is possible to open the plastic package, get the passport with visa on it, and take that to CFO without destroying the yellow packet envelope that is to be surrendered to the immigration officer at the port of entry.

[nickwhan 0]

Hi Guys.... I just wanna ask about CFO application form what if we don't have a visa yet what should we write on the VISA NUMBER part, should we write NOT YET ISSUED or leave it blank? And on the registration form petitioner's data part what is MIGRANT YEAR means? Thanks much

[nickwhan 0]

What would be the Migration Year if your an American citizen by birth?

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi Guys.... I just wanna ask about CFO application form what if we don't have a visa yet what should we write on the VISA NUMBER part, should we write NOT YET ISSUED or leave it blank? And on the registration form petitioner's data part what is MIGRANT YEAR means? Thanks much

Leave it blank

What would be the Migration Year if your an American citizen by birth?

Leave that blank as well.

[nickwhan 0]

Thank you for the info....and another question how do you re-schedule an online G&C Appointment cause my flight might be cancel due to a coming typhoon. Thank you

[Hank_ 9,174]

I would suggest calling CFO

CFO Manila Location Tel. (+632) 552-4700

[nickwhan 0]

Thank you...

[dvensel1 5]

We got her visa and went after we had it. That way they can stamp it on the spot. We went in at 12:30 for a 2PM seminar and she got out at 6:30pm. We ended up taking a ship back to Bohol that night. We attneded in the Cebu office. It would have been nice if they had told us they moved the seminar but there was nothing on the flyer they sent us with the directions. The flyer told us how to get to the old site; not the new one. The guard gave us attitude and told her she had to be there at 8 AM. When he mentioned this to her, she came and got me and I walked the 4 flight up to have a word with him about it. Then I showed him the letter we got from them telling her to report at 12:30 to the wrong address. There was no more problem after that. He suddenly got real nice once someone pointed out the error of his ways.

[dvensel1 5]

Hi gang!

I just read that in order to chage my wife's name to mine once we're married, she'll have to attend ANOTHER CFO seminar. I read this on this very site. Is this true? She's here in the states with me now on a K1 and we're getting married on May 9th. Why would she need another seminar when she's all ready here now?? Remember, we're back in New York state now and it's a K1 visa.

There's so much to changing her name that she may elect to keep her maiden name instead of having to go through more BS just to change her passport name.

Can anyone clear this up for us??

She wants to use my name but it might be hard to get the documents we need from here unless I get someone in Tagbilaran Bohol to do it and courier them to me.

One more point a bit off topic; If we get married on the 9th of May will we be all right time wise. She got here on the 3rd of April. I'm worried about the 90 day thing. If we send the AOS immediately after we marry will they allow her to stay through the procesing? The 90 day thing has us wondering how to go about it? It could take this long or longer for the AOS to come through. In fact, how does anyone do it? The K1 is 90 days and then gone, but the AOS can take longer. What???

Please rush you correct answer so we'll have time to try and change dates for the marriage if we need to.

Thanks all you wonderful people

Doug

Edited April 13, 2015 by dvensel1

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi gang!

I just read that in order to chage my wife's name to mine once we're married, she'll have to attend ANOTHER CFO seminar. I read this on this very site. Is this true? She's here in the states with me now on a K1 and we're getting married on May 9th. Why would she need another seminar when she's all ready here now?? Remember, we're back in New York state now and it's a K1 visa.

There's so much to changing her name that she may elect to keep her maiden name instead of having to go through more BS just to change her passport name.

Can anyone clear this up for us??

She wants to use my name but it might be hard to get the documents we need from here unless I get someone in Tagbilaran Bohol to do it and courier them to me.

One more point a bit off topic; If we get married on the 9th of May will we be all right time wise. She got here on the 3rd of April. I'm worried about the 90 day thing. If we send the AOS immediately after we marry will they allow her to stay through the procesing? The 90 day thing has us wondering how to go about it? It could take this long or longer for the AOS to come through. In fact, how does anyone do it? The K1 is 90 days and then gone, but the AOS can take longer. What???

Please rush you correct answer so we'll have time to try and change dates for the marriage if we need to.

Thanks all you wonderful people

Doug

Attend CFO in the USA? Huh? Never heard that one before! IS IT TRUE? NO.

90 days from POE is to get married, not to file AOS. Relax. FYI - Once you file AOS and receive your NOA1, that 797 gives your wife legal status for being in the USA for one year. So even if the 90 days of the I-94 has expired she still has legal status once AOS is filed. Remember to use the married name on ALL documents after marriage.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Hank_