Anyone done with CFO recently?(Philippines)

[NicholasNissel 2]

Hi VJ,

We have our visa now and getting ready to be with the love of my life.

But first ofcourse we need to get stamps in CFO.

Okay since I'm 22 years old I would need to get an Advice letter to Marry from the City hall'.It takes time for me to get it cause in city hall they ask for cenomar which I alread submitted to USEM on our interview and now it takes 2-3 weeks to get cenomar again To those people who went to CFO between 21-25 years of age, have you been ask for this Advice letter to marry?Is it really this necessary?

And the ITR of my fiance too.We already submitted it to USEM does it mean I need to bug my fiance again to get copies of his ITR and send it to me ?

Thanks guys those are only questions.

You an also tell me what papers they asked when you went to CFO.

Thanks guys I just really need answers ASAP', I hope I'd get quick responses.

Nissel

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from K-1 Process to Phil. Regional Forum~

~Inquiry is country-specific~

[Atlcat 3]

Hi VJ,

We have our visa now and getting ready to be with the love of my life.

But first ofcourse we need to get stamps in CFO.

Okay since I'm 22 years old I would need to get an Advice letter to Marry from the City hall'.It takes time for me to get it cause in city hall they ask for cenomar which I alread submitted to USEM on our interview and now it takes 2-3 weeks to get cenomar again To those people who went to CFO between 21-25 years of age, have you been ask for this Advice letter to marry?Is it really this necessary?

And the ITR of my fiance too.We already submitted it to USEM does it mean I need to bug my fiance again to get copies of his ITR and send it to me ?

Thanks guys those are only questions.

You an also tell me what papers they asked when you went to CFO.

Thanks guys I just really need answers ASAP', I hope I'd get quick responses.

Nissel

[Atlcat 3]

Hi NicholasNissel,

I am past that age but when I did my CFO I met ladies who were 20-26yrs old. They were never asked of it but of course its a case to case basis and depending on who your counselor will be. During the part 2 of the session is the one-on-one interview which you need to prove that your relationship with your fiance is for real. The counselor will ask for proof like pictures, etc..basically they will ask you to show what you have compiled for your USEM interview. Photocopies will do. SO if you have photocopies of what you mentioned and tell them that original were submitted to the USEM already they will be ok with that. At least for some that I knew. Also be sure to know the maiden name of your fiance's mom. One of the girls had to comeback for the sticker because she cant provide it.

I hope that helps.

[icebryker 21]

I just finished m CFO last week. I suggest you also bring a photocopy of your fiance's birth certificate. Almost everyone from my the class I attended were asked that because they want to make sure they have the right maiden name of your fiance's mom. And bring pictures of you and him with your family as well. Yes and bring ITR, coz I think it proves that he is single. You can just ask him to scan all the documents you need and email it to you and just have it printed.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi VJ,

We have our visa now and getting ready to be with the love of my life.

But first ofcourse we need to get stamps in CFO.

Okay since I'm 22 years old I would need to get an Advice letter to Marry from the City hall'.It takes time for me to get it cause in city hall they ask for cenomar which I alread submitted to USEM on our interview and now it takes 2-3 weeks to get cenomar again To those people who went to CFO between 21-25 years of age, have you been ask for this Advice letter to marry?Is it really this necessary?

And the ITR of my fiance too.We already submitted it to USEM does it mean I need to bug my fiance again to get copies of his ITR and send it to me ?

Thanks guys those are only questions.

You an also tell me what papers they asked when you went to CFO.

Thanks guys I just really need answers ASAP', I hope I'd get quick responses.

Nissel

It is hit and miss with the consent/advise letter being asked for at CFO, some get asked some don't, no logic to it at all.

As for the ITR, was you fiance ever married before? What CFO is looking for is proof of singleness, and a copy of a divorce decree works for this. the ITR is asked for when a divorce decree or death certificate isn't an option, only a copy is needed so it can be emailed to you, and for sure have the vital info blacked out.

As for more detail on CFO follow the flashing arrow

Edited February 17, 2014 by Hank_

[mrs. carey 4]

Hi! I did my CFO seminar when I was 24, back in 2011. I was never asked to get an Advice Letter to Marry from the city hall. I'm thinking things might have changed over the years, but the CFO website is not asking for that as a requirement. Please check out this link to see all of the documents you need to take for your seminar: http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348%3Afiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140%3Aguidance-and-counseling-program&Itemid=833

Oh, and if they ever tell you that you need it, challenge them to show you where in their list of requirements on the website says that it's required for a certain age group! Ha!

Edited February 17, 2014 by mrs. carey

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi! I did my CFO seminar when I was 24, back in 2011. I was never asked to get an Advice Letter to Marry from the city hall. I'm thinking things might have changed over the years, but the CFO website is not asking for that as a requirement. Please check out this link to see all of the documents you need to take for your seminar: http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348%3Afiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140%3Aguidance-and-counseling-program&Itemid=833

Oh, and if they ever tell you that you need it, challenge them to show you where in their list of requirements on the website says that it's required for a certain age group! Ha!

Challenge them (?) or read Item # 4 on the CFO requirements list at it pretty much handles ANYTHING the counselors wants to ask for:

4. Other documents as may be required by the counselors; and

Edited February 17, 2014 by Hank_

[mrs. carey 4]

Challenge them (?) or read Item # 4 on the CFO requirements list at it pretty much handles ANYTHING the counselors wants to ask for:

1. Other documents as may be required by the counselors; and

OMG! Completely missed #4! Thanks for correcting me and no thanks to my selective reading! That's complete BS! I guess I'm just so pissed and fed up with all the gov't bs they impose on everyone. I can understand getting consent for people marrying at the age of 21 and below, I think 22 and up should not be asked for consent anymore. Seems like just another money grabbing scheme.

Edited February 17, 2014 by mrs. carey

[icebryker 21]

Yeah they could ask for anything. I even brought with me all our paperwork coz I am from another island and it's a hassle to go back just for a document that they could possibly ask. The counselor said she has around 2 feet stack of CFO counseling forms on hold because the applicants weren't able to provide documents she required. She also wants everyone to pay attention during the seminar. If you looked like you weren't listening attentively and you ask questions about topics she has already thoroughly discussed then she could ask you more questions which leads to more documents required.

When she asked me to verify the maiden name of my fiance's mom I just showed her a copy of my fiance's birth certificate. She said they need it because sometimes there are several people with the same first name and last name. Some of these people are on their black list (e.g. pedophiles, abusers) so the mother's maiden name is proof that your fiance is not the person on their black list.

One more thing I remember during my CFO seminar is if your fiance is divorced you need to bring the divorce decree and make sure you read it. They ask why was he divorced. Then you need to know the nationality of your fiance's ex-wife (or ex-wives) and number of children per ex-wife.

She also explained that they need a landline number (your fiance's landline number, or his/her parent's landline number, relative's landline number, neighbor's landline number).

Some of the questions I remember are:

* Are you marrying for love or are practicality? Are you sure?

* Why do you love him? Why does he love you?

* Where/How did you meet your fiance?

* How long have you known him?

* Did your family meet him already? Do you have pictures?

* What's your fiance's job?

Heard from other applicant's interview:

* How can you say he is mabait?

* (Also asked details about pictures like who is this, where was this)

[JbTin 51]

Im 24 and attended the cfo seminar 2 months ago in cebu but was never asked to provide a consent or letter, or anything regarding my husband. However during the interview, the lady asked me "aside from the affidavit in lieu...how were you able to prove that your husband was single?" and i was like "uhmmmm....(i just know, maam) *cricket cricket*" Lol i didnt know i should show her ITR or any document that says he was single before our marriage. I know, so stupid hehe..when i told my hubs about it he said i shouldve shown her the paper he sent me that has his military info. But at least i still passed and got my certificate.

I say bring anything and everything. Better be prepared than sorry. You'll never know what other documents they will ask you. And dont forget to bring nice pictures of you together

Edited: OOPS! Sorry i just realized this is for a K1 applicant. :/ but anyways, yes just bring all documents that you think you might need. Good luck

Edited February 17, 2014 by krispykreme

[mrs. carey 4]

Yikes! They've gotten sooo intense over the past years, I guess? They were all cranky then for who knows what reasons, but I was never asked of so many questions. Just a couple of questions and they also asked for Php 150.00 for some photocopied booklet I never had any use for. LOL

Oh well... to the OP, It always pays off to be prepared! So just bring every single document you have to the seminar! Good luck and hope everything goes smoothly for you!

Edited February 17, 2014 by mrs. carey

[zimzim2012 2]

Imagine a country where an adult woman can be prevented from traveling with a valid visa at the whim of some "counselor". Only in the Philippines. Unbelievable.

[NicholasNissel 2]

Hi guys,

Thank you all for posting your personal experiences and more infos.

So is it okay if I just provide the photocopy of my CENOMAR and ITR together with photocopies of me, my fiance and my son, and some other documents they want? I just wanna clarify.If photocopies are fine to show them then I think I can do the CFO ASAP.

Yes _Hank I got all the infos from your flashing arrow and I saved it That flashing arrow help us through it too, Thanks A lot!

[Steve&Ema 25]

I think for CENOMAR they will probably want an original. Or at least to see the original and then you can give them a copy.