Ann went for the CFO Seminar today. After the seminar she had to go across town to get the stamp for her visa at another office. At the second location she was interviewed. She was not expecting to be interviewed. She said the interviewer was hostile. She was asked why she was marrying me. The lady asked her about my 2 divorces. Then the woman told her that my middle name was incorrect and she could not issue the visa stamp because of the discrepancy. The woman insisted that my middle name was Flanagan (my mother's maiden name). Ann told her it was Brandon. The woman told her she was wrong. Fortunately, I had advised Ann to take all the documents that she had brought to her interview to the CFO seminar and she did. Ann was able to show her my original birth certifcate. The woman also wante to see the divorce decrees. Ann was the able to get her visa stamp and get out of there. Ann's embassy interview was less than 5 minutes and very friendly. Her CFO interview was ten minutes and unfriendly.

My CFO interview was very unfriendly too. I had a friend with me and when my friend told the CFO counselor that her fiance is a divorced man, she raises her eyebrowse and asked her about the divorce papers. She even asked why she wanna marry a divorced man and how will she know that she will be happy with him and will not divorce her like his previous marriage

The 2 most important things are that your spouse knows your middle name and the last name of your Mother.

If they get that wrong or mixed up, when first asked. Then the CFO person will get agressive as they take it the spouse

was not paying attention @ the CFO.

Claudeth had kind of a hard time at the CFO in Cebu. She was there for about 12 hours and the people there weren't the friendiest in the world. This was two years ago so I guess it must be the same people

WoW... These CFOers are very harshed... ANGER MANAGEMENT!!

Just wondering coz i already finished taking the seminar and i have interview also same question in what u mention here now im just going to come back for sticker, do u think they still goingto conduct an interview to me ,how many interviewed she had ?

Ann had her interview at the place where they issue the stamp. She said everyone there was interviewed. Recommend you bring all your documents in case they ask you to verify anything.

Ann is on a plane heading for Japan, then Minneapolis and with her final destination Denver.

CONGRATS man!!

Hmm, my fiance had an easy time with the one on one counselor. Maybe just good luck, or the fact that I live in Hawaii. Oh well good luck to us all who went to this process.

when i have my interview the woman is nice well i really know all the details in my husband even her parents surname and answer right away maybe its the way u answer the question , anyway i go to the CFO today , the lady is nice just asked me the documents like xerox copy of visa , original passport , CFO certificate, she asked for pictures and try to give me forms but i said i have one fill up online for me and my kids , she said ah ok very well done and prepared , she tell me to pay for the fee 400 each of us , were are 4 persons, it took only 30 mins to finish and thats its im done.

Ruchies experience in Cebu wasn't good either.... I have lost 2 wives to Cancer and they questioned her about the Death Certificates.. I felt like I was being accused of something to do with their Deaths. I ended up having to send a statement from the Hospices that took care of my dying wives stating why and how they died...... It's ashame they couldn't believe a Certified Death Certificate! Anyway, the CFO experience can be pure HELL for some of the Fiancee's ..........

Hello Irene,

So you needed to bring a xerox copy of the inside of your passport showing the visa? What photos did she want from you? Photos of you and your husband together or do you need one or more 2" x 2" photo for the CPO when you go there to get your CFO stamp/sticker?

Thanks.

hi Tsup2!!!!!! my nterview on CFO is only one. i have my hubby with me but his not allow to enter inside the hall. he wait me a very long time outside the hall. we start at 10 and finished at 1pm.mu consul is not terrror she ask me desame a lot of questions,im the only last who have my nterview some r very quickly but my nterview is very long bcoz my hubby is divorce too.
then she said that i wait my certificate then go to the other office, when we arrived there just very easy to get my stamp but u wait long bcoz theres a lots of peoples in there. mu hubby was hungry and he wait under the hall wich is waiting room. ion the first window we fall in line then the gorl ask my papers then he said then go to the other window to pay then we wait and no nterview.
i just cannot believe that they have a big changes now bcoa my CFO is last May 2007.

i think they're rude if they knew that your man had previous divorce. I never had such problem during my time although i think it took me 45 minutes before my name was called at the CFO (this is in Quirino south super highway) in manila.

Think of it this way...

CFO is like the mother of all Filipinos... They really investigate before they let the Filipinos go to other countries..

I mean alot of Filipinos get abused abroad.. So I kinda understand where their coming from..

If your a parent you would understand this..

i wasnt happy with my CFO experience as well.
The video that was shown before the seminar was not explained "in balance" with the current situations. So instead of serving it as "informative" one to the applicants, it generates fear & nervousness..

I'm planning to send them an email regarding on this but still im checking on other applicants' experience. Good nor bad, I feel that they need to ..somehow "improve" their seminar. I observed that they were asking some documents that i find it very immaterial ..in short "too much".
Their objective should put awareness to these applicants the life in foreign country & the "must-thing-to-do" in case of emergancy in such country of destination. So i dont see any point why staffs' should be rude.

Thank you all for your experiences. Ann will be attending her CFO in December (I'll be the guy sitting outside patiently waiting, looking totally lost).

Your experiences will help us make sure to have all the items we might be asked for, and to prepare Ann for the possible questions. At least if she's expecting the questions, they won't come as a shock, and will be easy to answer.

yap and also the front of ur passport , picture is only one i put in the form is my picture which is passport size. Better to fill up form online they accept it and answer it so when u get there u will just passed ur documents. here is the documents u need to submit :

1. xerox copy of front passport
2. xerox copy of visa
3. fill up form with 1 passport size picture
4. CFO certificate from the seminar
5 400 registration fee

if u dont have form fill up online they will give u there just be sure u know the zip code of the country ur going to and also ur zip code .

I remember that middle name thing, i put Clark which is my then Fiance's (now my husband)middle name,the counselor asked me what is my Fiance's Mom's maiden name and i answered Ozburn and she returned the form to me and told me to change it, she explained that i should fill out the form in Filipino way. She was very nice and i haven't had any problem, she asked me some questions and i answered it straight forward. My husband is also divorced. I guess it depends on how you answer the questions.

Any experience on both Filipino couples? No divorce or annulment history..

Well if you mean Fil-am and Filpino, than I am not. But I was never married and have no kids and so was my fiance. So for her it was pretty easy. Also she is going to to Hawaii which is as close as you get to being PI without going there, no offense to those in Cali. Also the age gap was 8 years so not so bad. But main thing is it seems our SO passed and will be coming to America soon, or here already.

I posted on this topic recently (sort of) hhmnnn, sounds like, appears, there is 'also' alot of 'jealousy' with CFO.

Being a 'mother figure' is one thing, I can understand being protective, however, being manipulative...controlling....jealous...envious....pridefull....arrogant, arent really 'christian values' or 'catholic values' are they? No matter where you live in this world.

This process has been stressful, time consuming, costly, to say the least, and to think that CFO would try to keep someone from the possibility of having a chance to better their life & families life is totally ignorant. I could rant and rave about all of the things I as an american 'disagree with' concerning the philippines....but there is more I Love about it....one and foremost is Jenny.

We will be well armed when it is my fiance's time to go to CFO. We will have a 'folder' and 'documents' for them (CFO) as well, since they missed the real interview, the one that counts. ~david

i was previously married to a filipina.( they told my wife i was a habitual marriage risk because of this) my new wife was 18 and we had to bring her parents to cebu to talk with the interviewers. also my grown children had to send emails to the cfo saying they were happy with my new wife. i also had to submit a letter of intent to them( as i was there with my wife)

this was in addition to the notorized statement from her parents, showing my divorce decree and marriage license, and all of the k3 paperwork. it took 2 full days.

at the sticker office i had to explain what my job was to them.

we have now been married almost 2 years and have a 3 month old baby girl.....chris