CFO view by the petioner

[Jeff @ Missy 9]

So I go with my wife to the CFO location on the 24th of January. We arrive at 5:30am but the line is very long and they have already separated the workers from the emigrants. The first applicants had arrived at 2am, most were there by 4am. My wife gets in line and waits while I watch our child, we take turns in line as the time slowly passes. So the time finally comes and the line moves, we get to the guy checking forms and are given a badge with a meaninless number and then she is directed to go wait in holding cell, aka the waiting room. In the cell there is a billboard with numbers that increment and window numbers, this is all meaningless as my wife has the afternoon session. A few of the applicants go across the street for breakfast as the wait for registration is set for 2 hrs later. So they finally let the waiting room out about 9:15am and they head to the 3rd floor, I being with my wife with our child was given a badge with an "X" on it so I was allowed in.

The online registration form that requires the passport photo was not used, but maybe they wont let you go in without it I do not know, it's all about control. So they ladies (all were women, mostly K1) were given a new form which asked for emergency info, where I was born, my mothers full maiden name, DOB yada yada, I filled out half the form for her otherwise some of these items would have been blank. She gets to the registration desk and they take some of the data and enter onto the computer, then they take her picture with the attached camera, no photos were taken from the form we filled out. So the time is now about 10:30am and we go eat, then back to the hotel where I stayed the duration of the day. She goes back and texts me before they begin asking what year I was divorced. Supposedly they took two rooms and used for the USA applicants so maybe more than 15, the Euro side was pretty empty. The questions they asked were pretty routine and most likely documented on this forum. At 5pm she texts me saying she is done and needs to go back on Monday, I hit the ceiling...she was joking, not so funny.

I have been to the DFA with her when she got her passport a few yrs back and was given a queue number that was 800 more than the calling number, OMG. Then the guy handing out the numbers asked how many months pregnant she was and we were taken to the front of the line. This is not the case at the CFO as I saw an obviously pregnant lady who did not get priority. This experience of 12 hrs for a 3 hr seminar would never happen in a first world country.

Get there at 2am...

[icebryker 21]

Oh wow. So I will be looking forward to more lines then.

Last week I had to fall in line in the NBI office for 5 hours only to be told that we would have to be scheduled to get process our NBI Clearance on January 29. They said people starts to fall in line before midnight and they just sleep there.

[Jeff @ Missy 9]

Oh wow. So I will be looking forward to more lines then.

Last week I had to fall in line in the NBI office for 5 hours only to be told that we would have to be scheduled to get process our NBI Clearance on January 29. They said people starts to fall in line before midnight and they just sleep there.

Wow...we never had that problem for the NBI. we waited maybe 20 minutes but not in Manila area. Get ready for the longest waits and lines in your life. Is it worth it? I am beginning to wonder myself but only a few steps away from the wife's visa. I just remembered today I must get my childs BI exit clearance too...

[irishc30 4]

. This experience of 12 hrs for a 3 hr seminar would never happen in a first world country.

Get there at 2am...

Well, don't you just love the Philippines? I dread the CFO seminar more than the interview at the embassy. I don't know why they like giving people a hard time. 30 slots is not cool. They should do something to accomodate everyone who wishes to attend the CFO seminar I just don't get it.

[Jeff @ Missy 9]

Well, don't you just love the Philippines? I dread the CFO seminar more than the interview at the embassy. I don't know why they like giving people a hard time. 30 slots is not cool. They should do something to accomodate everyone who wishes to attend the CFO seminar I just don't get it.

Actually I do love the Philippines but over time it has worn me down, is why I am taking my wife and child to the USA. If it were a little more like Thailand...

Ya , the CFO thing from what I saw will make the interview at the Embassy look easy. The questioning is much more in depth at the CFO and the wait was extremely unreasonable. The attendees that are going overseas to work can register online at least from what I saw on their website but why not spouses or fiance's?

My friend who was in the USA at the time of his now wifes interview and med exam, had a relative fly to Manila with her, then she took the CFO class in Cebu later which was not so bad at the time. With the backlogs at USCIS and the Yolanda expedite I kind of think things will get worse as far as the waiting goes.

There was a British guy who arrived at 4am with his wife, they were about in the middle of the line. He was complaining about the system, then the line started moving and he came out and said they don't want us inside (petitioners), I saw hime leaving with his wife a few minutes later, do not know why but I assume they did not have the correct paperwork. I think the only reason I was able to enter was because of my child

[Hank_ 9,173]

The online registration form (so I have been told) is for receiving the sticker after the seminar, why it is not good for the seminar is beyond me...

[Jeff @ Missy 9]

The online registration form (so I have been told) is for receiving the sticker after the seminar, why it is not good for the seminar is beyond me...

Huh, I will have to try that as she has not had her interview yet. Interesting that there was a lady in front of us in line, must have been 5:20am that was there just to get her sticker. I saw her when we had lunch and she was still waiting for the sticker. I asked the guy at the bottom reception area if we can come say 10am to pick up the sticker and he said yes, just go to third floor. The guy at the bottom reception also said you can have your child in the seminar but the lady on the third floor told us no....normal for the Philippines, there is no continuity in answers or procedures