Can we take the CFO interview now and get the CFO stamp later?

[CebuGuy 7]

My Fiancée finished her K-1 interview last week and everything went smoothly with them taking her passport and the consular giving her a verbal confirmation. We are still waiting for our status to be updated and the visa to be actually issued. It is taking a while now and feels kind of frustrating because we know others in her same interview date batch have already been issued. For certain reasons, we are on a tight timeline, so I was wondering if it's possible to take the CFO (online or offline) interview soon and then get her CFO stamp issued once she gets her passport back with the K-1 visa? My Fiancée says it might be possible and already has a CFO interview scheduled. It says on the CFO interview confirmation that a visa may not be necessary as one of the requirements to bring. Any thoughts or experiences?

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by CebuGuy

[Kurt and Kristina 72]

I have heard of others obtaining the CFO without having the visa in hand. There is a little more explaining to do, but in the end, the information is given, an interview takes place, and a temp CFO is issued until the final is issued with the temporary usable with Philippines immigration. It is good information for the Filipino. Honestly, I was surprised at all the topics covered and how it could help a Filipino acclimate in the USA. 

[confusedshoes 193]

From what I remember when I did the CFO seminar, there was an option to complete the CFO and come back later to get the stamp.

 

However very recently, a friend who just completed a CFO thing was told there is a 5 month wait for the stamp. But they were given a temporary CFO certificate that she has to print herself and this is supposed to be enough at immigration to be let through. So I guess you don't even need to come back for the stamp? Because once you leave the country to emigrate, what do you need the stamp for?

 

The temporary certificate looks like this and you have to print it out:

 

[top_secret 2,387]

My wife paid the courier fee for delivery of the sticker to herself and her daughter.  When they emigrated they only had the temporary printout.  BI didn't even look at that.  Literally 6 months after they have been here in the US CFO finally sent the sticker for her daughter to their old address.  They never sent the sticker for my wife.  Traveling with a US green card they haven't needed CFO since.

[Chancy 6,241]

On 3/7/2023 at 10:03 PM, CebuGuy said:

I was wondering if it's possible to take the CFO (online or offline) interview soon and then get her CFO stamp issued once she gets her passport back with the K-1 visa? My Fiancée says it might be possible and already has a CFO interview scheduled. It says on the CFO interview confirmation that a visa may not be necessary as one of the requirements to bring. Any thoughts or experiences?

 

A print-out of the CFO certificate is enough for the exit inspection at the airport.  No need for the CFO stamp.  And yes, it is possible to have CFO tele-counseling without visa on hand, but you will not get the certificate until after you submit a scan of the visa.  I completed CFO in 2021 that way, but my counselor was annoyed that I booked the session without having my visa yet.  They even suggested to re-schedule the call when they learned that my visa wasn't issued yet, but I pleaded for them to conduct the session anyway.

 

[CebuGuy 7]

Thanks everyone for the input. Our status finally changed to approved and then issued yesterday.