Do you attend CFO before or after the interview? Also, can the benificiary just show up to attend the seminar without any appointment notice?

You can do it before or after the interview and no appointment is needed. Which one is better really depends on your schedule, and how far you are from Manila. If you do it before you receive your VISA, you will have to return there to get the stamp in your passport.

Sometimes they give you a little personal interview and might ask questions about your fiance, and they can request documents such as divorce papers of your fiance. If you don't have what they want, they will ask you to return with it later. They asked my fiancee (now ny wife of course) for photos of us.

its either way... which ever you think is convenient for you. i had my seminar before my interview while my then fiance (now husband) and i were in manila, we decided for me to attend the cfo seminar and no need for appointment but just show up early coz its first come first serve basis... after i got my visa, i just went to the cfo office and have my passport stamp before i flew to the US... good luck!

Its two different visits. What we did is one before the interview and then the next very short visit after it. That worked out better for us. You don't have to do what we did, you can attend them both after your interview but remember that the second visit must be done after because thats when you receive a sticker from the CFO..

either or.,.. if you need to have ur passport changed before the interview.. it is one of the passport's requirement to have the certificate from the CFO... if you dont need to change your passport name etc... u dont have to.. u can take the Counselling after the interview...

the thing is if you take the counselling before the interview.. you need to go back to CFO for the stamping of the passport (coz u have to have ur visa before they stamp the passport!) just show your certificates they gave you from the first visit, photocopy of the visa, CFO certificates etc... and there you go! stamp and ready to go...

you can visit their site for further info...

try searching CFO Manila....



either or.,.. if you need to have ur passport changed before the interview.. it is one of the passport's requirement to have the certificate from the CFO... if you dont need to change your passport name etc... u dont have to.. u can take the Counselling after the interview...

the thing is if you take the counselling before the interview.. you need to go back to CFO for the stamping of the passport (coz u have to have ur visa before they stamp the passport!) just show your certificates they gave you from the first visit, photocopy of the visa, CFO certificates etc... and there you go! stamp and ready to go...

you can visit their site for further info...

try searching CFO Manila....

Thanks guys...

I'm a fil-am by the way, my family migrated in the early 90's..I remember taking part with my family in the CFO seminar..its' just that I don't remember when or how we did it because I was still young at that time. I'm trying so hard to remember, but I couldn't, all I remember was my family going thru a lot of red-tape bureaucracy in PI.

heres the CFO link, http://www.cfo.gov.ph/emig_manila.htm, and when my fiancée went she needed copies of my divorce decrees. she went really early and will return to get the stamp when she gets the visa