CFO GCP Experience August 2016

[ritbo 14]

I would just like to share my experience in CFO in preparation for my departure to the US under the K1 program.

Before I go through this experience I had, let me first briefly explain about myself as this will tie up to the circumstances I had to reveal to the CFO counselor. I am a 24-year old male guy about to marry my boyfriend this coming few months. We're in a relationship for exactly 4 years and counting and we constantly communicate conveniently on an iPhone (iMessage and FaceTime) and I find it hard to extract chatlogs. We visited each other for 4 times. Both of us are single (never married) and have no criminal background. He works at a Casino. I work on a Software Firm and also work as legal researcher (sideline). Both of our parents know each other even for our cousins and some relatives. You will see that everything sums up to a picture of a regular couple who seek nothing but a government marital recognition in the US.

Let me summarize everything:

1.) Both of us are single

2.) Both of us have never been convicted of any crime

3.) Both of us work with a stable income

4.) Both of our parents knew both of us, including relatives

5.) Both of us survive LDR for 4 years and counting.

6.) Both of us visited each other 4 times

Here comes to my experience at CFO. I left the hotel at 6 o'clock in the morning to CFO. Queued the line and most of them are queuing for Au pair emigrants. I was given an F-labeled ID then I was the first one to enter the exact CFO room (I think it was at 3rd floor).

I had to warn you guys who are reading this before planning on entering the CFO. Aside from bringing "other documentation", don't forget to bring the G-325a used to submit as part of the I-129F package. You will need relevant info when you fill up the CFO registration form such as your petitioner's full maiden name, birth dates, etc. I didn't have a problem with that because I know a whole lot more of my boyfriend.

At 9 in the morning, our session started with 18 people participating. I'm the only male participant in the session and also who will contract same-sex marriage. I am comfortable with my communication to half of the people because most of them live from other Visayas and Mindanao provinces and so I can speak Cebuano freely to them. The CFO counselor started introducing herself and the CFO agency about its importance and their goal to alleviate Human Trafficking. I would like to stress the keywords Human Trafficking here because this is really an important thing to put that in mind when preparing for the CFO session.

In the middle of the session, we were grouped and have been given an activity about what marital goals we would expect when we get to the US to marry and settle. The CFO counselor left us to do the activity while she calls each of us for a One-on-one interview/counseling. I was the first one to be called. By the way, the CFO counselor's name is Ms. Magana. I would like to state here that she is not rude but professional because I heard rumors that the CFO is the place that anyone would never want to go back again. It was promising that she is not rude and she is doing her job to assess and hunt for likely victims of human trafficking.

Back to my experience, the interview was smooth. She asked questions mainly about the relationship of my boyfriend. She asked whether my parents knew. I said "yeah they knew my boyfriend" and I told her that my parents said it was my personal choice and not theirs to dictate even though we have a different moral understanding about the morality in samesex marriage. The CFO ended that topic that it was the parent's way of showing respect and thus they likely needed my parent's time to understand.

She asked me how long we have been together. I told her 4 years. She then asked me to explain our story. In the beginning of my explanation to her, I told her that I was so nervous meeting him for the first time at the entrance of the airport and I told her that when we finally met each other for the first time, I was so shock that he looks different than how he looks on the computer screen (talking about photogenic). He was actually handsome in real life. The CFO counselor piqued her interest to look for our pictures. Luckily I was prepared to provide that but, although, I only had 7 pages of photographs. I had no chatlogs or emails or whatnot.

After she was done looking at my pictures, she didn't bother to look for more because I think she stopped at 5 of 7 pages. She didn't even bother to complete my story/explanation to her because time was so short she must be able to end the session at exactly 12 noon. I was done with the one-on-one counseling and asked me to call one of the participants for their one-on-one counseling outside.

So here's the breakthrough of my experience. I wasn't prepared with legal documentation. I didn't produce any CENOMAR, parents' advice, chatlogs, birth certificates, and other stuff. She only asked me for our pictures because I mentioned that he was handsome and it raised her personal curiosity what he looks like. She was lenient to me because I had a unique circumstance to everyone. Nearly everyone but me had a one-week meet up with their fiances and then engaged. Some of them knew for a short time. Some are being asked for divorce decrees. There was one who had a 2-day meet up and then engaged. They were so surprised that I was able to maintain a four-year relationship. Most of them had a conservative sex life. Others do not want to live with fiances in the hotel while they're in the Philippines. They were asked for supplemental documentation because the CFO counselor had the reasons to believe they may likely become victims of human trafficking until proven otherwise, hence, the supporting documents.

Fortunately with all had the one-on-one counseling, the CFO counselor asked if some of us were given white forms (because there was also another counselor who have conducted an individual counselor who is much more stricter than our CFO counselor) and none of us had. Therefore, the CFO counselor congratulated us that we all have graduated.

Continuing the experience, she gave as a manual book, a 1343 hotline brochure, and an IMBRA pamphlet in Tagalog and continued the session. The group activity we had, one person of each group were assigned as a representative to recite in front about what were the goals and expectations for married life. I was assigned by my groupmates on the ground that I was the only male participant. I explained pretty much summing what my groupmates shared to each of us.

Overall, it was fun. We joked about our sex life. It was an opportunity to me to know what sex life to women looks like.

And that's it. If anyone who has the same case to me, don't expect or worry too much on the one-on-one counseling. Like in the medical examination, if you are young and healthy and don't smoke, don't drink and don't do drugs, there's nothing to worry about. How much more in the actual visa interview. Confidence is the key to success. This is not about luck.

Edited August 9, 2016 by ritbo

[Greenbaum 12,259]

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences both at CFO and your future. Your confidence was truly shown during your CFO seminar. Good luck with your interview and God's speed for your journey.