CFO seminar

[StraightShooter 62]

My fiancé just did the CFO a few days ago. I had somehow been under the impression that it was a simple 2 hour class that she had to sit through. I'm thinking, oh, it's like traffic school, you just go and sit there and listen. Hah! Poor Lyn. She was there all day long. Interviews, forms, etc. Back and forth texting me, needing to know my college degree and mother's maiden name.... It was much more intense than the actually interview at the Embassy! And she had Visa in hand. Not 'hard' in the long run, but certainly more intense than I had thought it was going to be.

I'm still unclear of the purpose of it. Can they 'deny' her the CFO if they suspected we weren't 'right' for each other or something? Does anyone know what power exactly they have? If for example, you have a visa, can they deny the CFO certificate on any grounds they choose? What happens then?

So strange, but glad it's over.

Yeah, I have done a LOT of reading on this CFO thing and in a word... it sucks. We know that they will demand far more from her than the USEM interview ever will. And she is well prepared as a result and we will be glad when it's over too. She's going to have her visa in hand and when asked for her passport, will hand it to them opened to the visa page.

I believe the purpose of it is that it is the epitome of a corrupt nanny-state government, sticking its nose into citizen business. A minor functionary can delay or perhaps even deny a citizen from leaving their country to get married just because they don't "feel" that the situation is right. Can you imagine such a thing here? Balderdash!! If I decided to get married in another country, I'd just grab my passport and get on a plane and go. No "interview" from some government weenie telling me that I can't go because he doesn't think it's right for me. Arrghhh! Don't get me started...

[Hank_ 9,174]

My fiancé just did the CFO a few days ago. I had somehow been under the impression that it was a simple 2 hour class that she had to sit through. I'm thinking, oh, it's like traffic school, you just go and sit there and listen. Hah! Poor Lyn. She was there all day long. Interviews, forms, etc. Back and forth texting me, needing to know my college degree and mother's maiden name.... It was much more intense than the actually interview at the Embassy! And she had Visa in hand. Not 'hard' in the long run, but certainly more intense than I had thought it was going to be.

I'm still unclear of the purpose of it. Can they 'deny' her the CFO if they suspected we weren't 'right' for each other or something? Does anyone know what power exactly they have? If for example, you have a visa, can they deny the CFO certificate on any grounds they choose? What happens then?

So strange, but glad it's over.

All day??!! That sounds like Cebu, I have read of that happening more than once there, curious. I know PRISM has scheduled times and my fiancee was out of there on time (I was sitting outside waiting)

Yeah, I have done a LOT of reading on this CFO thing and in a word... it sucks. We know that they will demand far more from her than the USEM interview ever will. And she is well prepared as a result and we will be glad when it's over too. She's going to have her visa in hand and when asked for her passport, will hand it to them opened to the visa page.

I believe the purpose of it is that it is the epitome of a corrupt nanny-state government, sticking its nose into citizen business. A minor functionary can delay or perhaps even deny a citizen from leaving their country to get married just because they don't "feel" that the situation is right. Can you imagine such a thing here? Balderdash!! If I decided to get married in another country, I'd just grab my passport and get on a plane and go. No "interview" from some government weenie telling me that I can't go because he doesn't think it's right for me. Arrghhh! Don't get me started...

She better have photo copies of her bio page and the visa page also.

CFO:

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

Required documents & "OTHER DOCUMENTS" they ask for at CFO: copies of; CENOMAR, certified birth certificate, bio page of passport, visa page from passport, pictures together, from USC - bio page of passport, birth certificate, divorce decree (if been married before) are the most common. The "other documents" clause can be ANYTHING with those nit-wits at CFO.

** From the Family Code of the Philippines: it's 21-25 for advice and 18-21 for consent.

Art. 14. In case either or both of the contracting parties, not having been emancipated by a previous marriage, are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, they shall, in addition to the requirements of the preceding articles, exhibit to the local civil registrar, the consent to their marriage of their father, mother, surviving parent or guardian, or persons having legal charge of them, in the order mentioned. Such consent shall be manifested in writing by the interested party, who personally appears before the proper local civil registrar, or in the form of an affidavit made in the presence of two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by law to administer oaths. The personal manifestation shall be recorded in both applications for marriage license, and the affidavit, if one is executed instead, shall be attached to said applications. (61a)

Art. 15. Any contracting party between the age of twenty-one and twenty-five shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian for advice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such advice, or if it be unfavorable, the marriage license shall not be issued till after three months following the completion of the publication of the application therefor.A sworn statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such advice has been sought,together with the written advice given, if any, shall be attached to the application for marriage license. Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the sworn statement.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Way to get around CFO; buy a separate round trip ticket to Malaysia (or such) like taking vacation, don't need CFO for that. Then from there have a one way ticket to the U.S, no CFO needed, no exit fee either.

Edited May 27, 2012 by Hank_Amy

[StraightShooter 62]

All day??!! That sounds like Cebu, I have read of that happening more than once there, curious. I know PRISM has scheduled times and my fiancee was out of there on time (I was sitting outside waiting)

She better have photo copies of her bio page and the visa page also.

CFO:

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

Required documents & "OTHER DOCUMENTS" they ask for at CFO: copies of; CENOMAR, certified birth certificate, bio page of passport, visa page from passport, pictures together, from USC - bio page of passport, birth certificate, divorce decree (if been married before) are the most common. The "other documents" clause can be ANYTHING with those nit-wits at CFO.

** From the Family Code of the Philippines: it's 21-25 for advice and 18-21 for consent.

Art. 14. In case either or both of the contracting parties, not having been emancipated by a previous marriage, are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, they shall, in addition to the requirements of the preceding articles, exhibit to the local civil registrar, the consent to their marriage of their father, mother, surviving parent or guardian, or persons having legal charge of them, in the order mentioned. Such consent shall be manifested in writing by the interested party, who personally appears before the proper local civil registrar, or in the form of an affidavit made in the presence of two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by law to administer oaths. The personal manifestation shall be recorded in both applications for marriage license, and the affidavit, if one is executed instead, shall be attached to said applications. (61a)

Art. 15. Any contracting party between the age of twenty-one and twenty-five shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian for advice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such advice, or if it be unfavorable, the marriage license shall not be issued till after three months following the completion of the publication of the application therefor.A sworn statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such advice has been sought,together with the written advice given, if any, shall be attached to the application for marriage license. Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the sworn statement.

She'll have more than everything that she needs.

The age restriction stuff you mention has nothing to do with my case. I'm marrying a grown woman, not a child. I have adult daughters who are older than those limits! LOL!

[Hank_ 9,174]

She'll have more than everything that she needs.

The age restriction stuff you mention has nothing to do with my case. I'm marrying a grown woman, not a child. I have adult daughters who are older than those limits! LOL!

Age requirement stuff was not aimed at you, just part of the info I have, but others will read that posting so I don't delete it. It didn't apply to my Bride either.

[StraightShooter 62]

Way to get around CFO; buy a separate round trip ticket to Malaysia (or such) like taking vacation, don't need CFO for that. Then from there have a one way ticket to the U.S, no CFO needed, no exit fee either.

Now that's interesting. So she'd have to go to the other destination and then from there go to the US?

[Hank_ 9,174]

Now that's interesting. So she'd have to go to the other destination and then from there go to the US?

My fiancee has traveled to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand a few times and they do not require CFO or exit fee.

[StraightShooter 62]

My fiancee has traveled to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand a few times and they do not require CFO or exit fee.

Well, I just did some airfare price checking and for the additional $400-500 fare, I guess she'll just have to put up with the CFO nonsense. LOL!

[Hank_ 9,174]

Now that's interesting. So she'd have to go to the other destination and then from there go to the US?

Of course the ONLY flaw to that "master plan" is the visa sticker in the passport....

[Mogambi 96]

I'm not sure your strategy would work. Upon exiting the Philippines, they very thoroughly check your passport if you're a Filipina, and when my fiancé and I traveled to Singapore and Hong Kong, both times, they looked at every page of her passport, asked her lots of questions, etc. This is 'leaving' the Philippines. The outgoing immigration there can be tougher than incoming immigration in the US!

I would be too worried that they would see the K1 Visa with no CFO, and suspect something like that. They could easily just deny her exit.

In our case, Lyn was there at 10am, and was done I think around 4pm, but I guess in truth that included going to the CFO to register and also she opened a BDO bank account the same day.

I don't mean to imply that we had a nightmare scenario, just that I was surprised at how much more thorough it was than just a 'class' which is what I had somehow thought it was.

We only brought the passport and photocopies of it and the visa. She didn't bring her cenomar, birth certificate, any evidence of us as a couple, etc, because nowhere on the page that I read did it say anything. I thought the visa itself would suffice instead of any of those things (thinking, heck, the US Embassy has already blessed that we're a couple, how is the CFO to argue!)

Maybe because we didn't bring a lot of extra documents, they spent more time interviewing her.

So maybe it's a good idea to bring your Embassy paperwork with you, you'll likely have it all still organized, just bring it.

[Hank_ 9,174]

I'm not sure your strategy would work. Upon exiting the Philippines, they very thoroughly check your passport if you're a Filipina, and when my fiancé and I traveled to Singapore and Hong Kong, both times, they looked at every page of her passport, asked her lots of questions, etc. This is 'leaving' the Philippines. The outgoing immigration there can be tougher than incoming immigration in the US!

I would be too worried that they would see the K1 Visa with no CFO, and suspect something like that. They could easily just deny her exit.

In our case, Lyn was there at 10am, and was done I think around 4pm, but I guess in truth that included going to the CFO to register and also she opened a BDO bank account the same day.

I don't mean to imply that we had a nightmare scenario, just that I was surprised at how much more thorough it was than just a 'class' which is what I had somehow thought it was.

We only brought the passport and photocopies of it and the visa. She didn't bring her cenomar, birth certificate, any evidence of us as a couple, etc, because nowhere on the page that I read did it say anything. I thought the visa itself would suffice instead of any of those things (thinking, heck, the US Embassy has already blessed that we're a couple, how is the CFO to argue!)

Maybe because we didn't bring a lot of extra documents, they spent more time interviewing her.

So maybe it's a good idea to bring your Embassy paperwork with you, you'll likely have it all still organized, just bring it.

Read post just above yours...

Besides I was only joking around...... would not take any of that serious.

[Mogambi 96]

Hah, OK, just making clear in case someone thought that might work (and hey it might). I just remember how much some friends of ours have had leaving Manila for Thailand, etc. They get grilled (or can) pretty good leaving the country. Not the same for us Americans.