Question for Overseas Filipinas regarding CFO requirement

[Love's JAA 100]

I don't know if anyone can answer this question:

My fiancee is a Filipina residing in Dubai. I believe that since she's applying for fiancee visa at Abu Dhabi that she is not required to do the CFO seminar. However, my fiancee after she obtains (hopefully) her fiancee visa in Abu Dhabi, but before she comes to the U.S.A., she wants to take her company vacation time and company paid plane ticket to fly back to Philippines to see her family one more time. She will then fly back to Dubai and then to the U.S.A. My question is, if when she goes to Philippines and the Philippines officials sees the US visa in her passport, will she have trouble because they will be looking for the CFO stamp even though she's going back to Dubai first.

I know this sounds confusing, let me know if you want more clarification of my question. I just want to know if it is safe for my fiancee to travel back to Philippines once she gets K-1 visa and before she comes here because of that CFO thing. I thought some other overseas Filipinas might understand my question and have some information.

Thank you!

[jetlagged 3]

Exactly got your point..

I think it'll be better for your fiancee to attend the seminar, obtain the GCC and register to get the sticker/stamp for her passport once she returned to the Philippines. It will only take her 4 hours anyway for the seminar and pay 400php (just a bit of a hassle, but we don't have a choice). Even though she still has the UAE residence visa (I assumed as she hasn't resigned at that time yet, the immigration will definitely see the US K-1 Visa in the passport and likely to be questioned in Manila for not having that CFO sticker/stamp.

I'm currently working here in Dubai and my fiance will file K-1 application on Feb 2013. After the K-1 visa was granted (hopefully), I am planning to come home to the Philippines first to see my family also and will then be going to US from Manila. Our only difference would be, I will be resigning from work (UAE residence visa will be cancelled) and won't be coming back to Dubai anymore as I leave for the Manila and then to US.

[Warren and Vivian 10]

Thanks for posting this question because I am in the same boat so to speak. My fiancee is working in Saudi but will be going back to the Philippines to see her family and then come here. I think that I'll have her do what jetlagged proposed. I would rather be safe than sorry.

[C-ma'am 684]

**Moved this post from K1 to Philippines because the question is very specific and can be best addressed in this forum.

[Hank_ 9,174]

I would bet that once you have the visa in your passport and get ready to fly from the Philippines they will be looking for a CFO sticker, they for sure don't want to miss out on another Php 400...

I would plan on attending the CFO seminar just to be safe.

CFO:

ALL exiting required to attend. There have been changes regarding CFO so for sure read through their website.

Update: Please check the schedule of the counseling session before proceeding to CFO because it is country-specific and the slots are limited only to 15 per session (exception: Tuesday & Thursday mornings there are 30 slots). It is on a first-come-first-serve basis.

CFO Online Registration Form: http://www.cfo.gov.ph/pdf/downloadable%20forms/registrationform.pdf Complete this and print a couple copies to bring to the CFO seminar, it will save you time.

http://www.philembassy.no/sites/default/files/downloads/new_gcp_flyer.pdf

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

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 requests. The "other documents" clause can be ANYTHING with those nit-wits at CFO.

** From the Family Code of the Philippines: it's 21-25 years old for advice and 18-21 years old for consent. (Some are posted on VJ that they were not asked for this, yet others have been asked, so be prepared)

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.

[YourHumboldtBud 2]

Entrance Requirements for Dubai and USA are like trying to compare apples and oranges. I would think that fulfilling entrance requirements to a particular country mean exactly that. I'd choose the route of being safe rather then being sorry. The USA requirements are cut and dry and you won't be able to negotiate with anybody at Immigrations at a US POE. You either have the required documents to enter or you don't. Granted they may not check all of the documentation that you may be required to bring like as in the USEM interview, but would you risk the interview by trying to cut corners and not bringing the required docs? Same goes for entrance into the US.

I understand that the CFO Interview/Stamp is a Philippine required process that you do in the PI but that doesn't make it any less important than the required passport your fiance/e obtained in PI to enter the US. Just take the time needed to get your CFO completed so you can have peace of mind, it only takes a few hours to complete. Much better than taking a a trip to the airport only to get denied by the people at the airport and or at the POE just to be forced to turn back around... Then you'll be really wishing you got that CFO Stamp...

[Hank_ 9,174]

U.S. POE doesn't give a rats butt about CFO... so NAIA is the only place not having the sticker may be an issue when she flies back to Dubai. And for that like said, better safe than sorry.

[Love's JAA 100]

Thanks for the responses. My fiancee is now leaning towards skipping the trip back to the Philippines for now and waiting until she (hopefully) gets her conditional residency. If she went back using her vacation time, she wouldn't have a lot of time to be able to do the CFO thing. So we appreciate the cautionary warnings. That was enough for her to make up her mind about that.