Current CFO Process in Philippines?

[bolero_pa 34]

We're very excited. My fiancé had her interview today and the visa is supposed to be delivered in 2 weeks. There is a requirement for a CFO Certificate. I've read multiple posts here and no post seems to have all the information and certainly not current information.

 

Has anyone here recently completed the CFO process? Is it in person in Manila or online? Can it be completed immediately once the visa is received, or is there a waiting list? I'm hoping to purchase airline tickets in three weeks, but the concern is that there may be a backlog of CFO applicants.  The CFO interview/application requires a few documents. If it is online, how are those documents provided? Do we scan them and email the images?

 

Thanks for this information and any other information which might clarify this process and the timeline.

 

[Hank_ 9,174]

Online currently.

 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND PRINT YOUR TEMPORARY OF-CORS CERTIFICATE:

Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) and Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP)
https://cfo.ph/Online_PDOS_Account_Creation/

 

https://cfo.gov.ph/filipino-spouses-and-partners-of-foreign-nationals/

[bolero_pa 34]

Thanks. I guess only possible to register Monday - Thursday from [07:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m.]). 
 

i watched the little movie about the process. It’s out of date and talks about attending in person live orientations in Manila or Cebu. I wish there was a single location which included accurate, current,  detail information 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

4 hours ago, bolero_pa said:

Thanks. I guess only possible to register Monday - Thursday from [07:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m.]). 
 

i watched the little movie about the process. It’s out of date and talks about attending in person live orientations in Manila or Cebu. I wish there was a single location which included accurate, current,  detail information 

That's because pre-covid everything was in person not online and you had to travel to one of the four locations. This is the Philippines and they are winging the whole thing

[bolero_pa 34]

Thanks for replies. I'm still trying to navigate this process and more importantly the timeline. You'd expect to feel relieved and elated after a visa approval rather than burdened and uncertain. 

I've been plowing through old VisaJourney posts and the one linked below seems to indicate that the visa is not required. I have no idea about how long the online CFO process takes. Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks. It's a big deal when you have other deadlines to consider. Just as stunning is the absolute lack of current accurate information on the process and the timeline. I think it's probably quite informal on the backend, Like maybe one the payment is received an email request is sent to the beneficiary. That email is replied to with more attached documents. Once that email is received then I suspect there is one person in charge of assigning an agent. The agent receives the email and depending on workload, makes the phone call. This has to be the system, but I've no idea how long it will take. Fingers crossed, two days?

 

Post which indicted visa no required in hand:

 

[RO_AH 1,659]

7 hours ago, bolero_pa said:

I wish there was a single location which included accurate, current,  detail information 

The American government is not even that way, how could you wish that of Philippines? 🤣

[flicks1998 1,044]

1 hour ago, bolero_pa said:

Thanks for replies. I'm still trying to navigate this process and more importantly the timeline. You'd expect to feel relieved and elated after a visa approval rather than burdened and uncertain. 

I've been plowing through old VisaJourney posts and the one linked below seems to indicate that the visa is not required. I have no idea about how long the online CFO process takes. Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks. It's a big deal when you have other deadlines to consider. Just as stunning is the absolute lack of current accurate information on the process and the timeline. I think it's probably quite informal on the backend, Like maybe one the payment is received an email request is sent to the beneficiary. That email is replied to with more attached documents. Once that email is received then I suspect there is one person in charge of assigning an agent. The agent receives the email and depending on workload, makes the phone call. This has to be the system, but I've no idea how long it will take. Fingers crossed, two days?

 

Post which indicted visa no required in hand:

 

Our CFO completion process is not current, but I can let you know what we did as some steps will be the same.  We did the CFO in December 2020 but due to a stolen passport and visa, we were not able to get the CFO until February 2021 when we both flew to the US a few days later. 

 

We communicated through their Facebook page when we made initial contact as well as sent an email to them (Ive heard the Facebook page was deleted or changed since then but I cant confirm).  After our initial contact we were able to do the CFO about a week later over the phone.  Since we did not have the visa at that time and since we had to get a new passport, we were still able to do the counseling part then.  The counseling part was strictly questions asked about myself, the USC.  I had been working in Manila for the previous 10 years so once that was established, the interview essentially ended.  The counselor could not issue the CFO certificate at that time since they need the copy of the visa and passport.

 

When early February came and we had the new passport and visa, we immediately sent a copy to our CFO counselor.  We ended up getting the temporary certificate within 24 hours, but normal time frame can be up to 1 week.  The temporary certificate (which is emailed to you) can be used to leave the country.  Dont wait for the copy that is mailed to you.  It may never come.  In fact, even to this day, we never received a mailed copy.

 

The CFO website is out of date and has not been updated.  A few things to note though is you dont get to pick a CFO counselor.  One will reach out to you once you have asked for the counseling.  Some people have received a counselor who was not very responsive and communication took awhile.  Others have received a counselor who wanted even more additional information, some even asking for police certificates etc on the USC which can take awhile to get.  Total time with a responsive CFO counselor may be around 1 week, possibly 2 weeks.  With an unresponsive counselor or one who requires additional documents, it could take 3+ weeks.  Some counselors will want the visa copy before scheduling the counseling while others will not require this at that time. 

Edited July 8, 2021 by flicks1998

[bolero_pa 34]

Thanks, Flicks. Very informative. I already booked a flight three weeks from today. My thinking is that my fiancé can start the process and hopefully make contact with a person willing to conduct the interview without the visa, so that when it come she can email them and hopefully receive the certificate within a day or two. Would you advise this strategy, or would you wait for the visa? My concern with waiting is that the visa might take 10 days to arrive at which point we'd only have about a week to start and complete the CFO process, which may not even be possible.

 

I wonder if there is such thing as an "Expedited CFO". That would be terrific.

Edited July 9, 2021 by bolero_pa
question added

[flicks1998 1,044]

31 minutes ago, bolero_pa said:

Thanks, Flicks. Very informative. I already booked a flight three weeks from today. My thinking is that my fiancé can start the process and hopefully make contact with a person willing to conduct the interview without the visa, so that when it come she can email them and hopefully receive the certificate within a day or two. Would you advise this strategy, or would you wait for the visa? My concern with waiting is that the visa might take 10 days to arrive at which point we'd only have about a week to start and complete the CFO process, which may not even be possible.

 

I wonder if there is such thing as an "Expedited CFO". That would be terrific.

There is no expedited CFO.  When does your visa expire?  It will be 6 months from the date she completed the medical.  If you have time, I wouldnt book flights right away as the timing can fluctuate.  We had to push the CFO counselor a few times as ultimately we left for the US 5 days before the visa was due to expire and the Embassy had called to make sure we could get to the US before they would re-issue the new visa.  However it seems you have already booked your flights so I would have your fiance reach out immediately and push for a session. 

 

Also, the Embassy says two weeks, but Ive seen this go up to 3+ weeks.  Its not to say she wont get it in 2 weeks, just that timing can be a little longer.  I believe ours took 2.5 weeks to get.  Once she gets the visa and passport back, she needs to immediately email her counselor with those copies along with proof of payment of the CFO session.  As I mentioned before, we got lucky and had a very responsive counselor who made sure we had everything we needed quickly.  We did tell them the expiration date of the visa which they could see for themselves on the copy we sent.  At this stage, the CFO place will tell you they need a week to issue the temp CFO certificate, but we pushed them and said we were leaving in a matter of days.  Luckily they sent the next morning.  If you find yourself with only days before you depart, when she sends a copy of the passport and visa, also send a copy of your flight itinerary.  It may or may not help.

 

This was our process in the Dec-Feb 2021 timeframe.  There could be slight variations but I think in general the process is about the same.  

Edited July 9, 2021 by flicks1998

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

1 hour ago, bolero_pa said:

Thanks, Flicks. Very informative. I already booked a flight three weeks from today. My thinking is that my fiancé can start the process and hopefully make contact with a person willing to conduct the interview without the visa, so that when it come she can email them and hopefully receive the certificate within a day or two. Would you advise this strategy, or would you wait for the visa? My concern with waiting is that the visa might take 10 days to arrive at which point we'd only have about a week to start and complete the CFO process, which may not even be possible.

 

I wonder if there is such thing as an "Expedited CFO". That would be terrific.

Yeah there is no such thing as a "Expedited CFO" at all unfortunately. Where in Pinas does she live? If she lives in Luzon or near a large city it could take less time to get her passport back to her due to Covid restrictions

[top_secret 2,451]

Things are different now.  Due to an increase in Filipinas traveling solo overseas to visit foreign boyfriend's who previously would have visited them in the Philippines , BI is randomly applying CFO requirements to would be tourists resulting in a large unplanned expansion of CFO with no clear plan or rules and a resulting huge cluster@#$.

 

Basically the way I understand it works now is sign up online and pay your bill at a Bayad center.  The primary objective is to simply establish email or telephone contact with the counselor.  The counselor can them play it however they want to.  They 'might' expedite the process with urgency if they are inclined to.  Or they may not be responsive to attempts to contact them.  You could get a good efficient counselor....or not.  After the counseling phone call takes place they will promise to send a CFO sticker that is not actually going to come and the counselor will email a qr code temporary e-certificate that will get them past immigration.  Overall it seems to more or less work out for actual immigrants with visas but the girls just trying to visit thier travel banned boyfriends are discovering a new kind of nightmare with CFO.  

[flicks1998 1,044]

20 minutes ago, top_secret said:

Things are different now.  Due to an increase in Filipinas traveling solo overseas to visit foreign boyfriend's who previously would have visited them in the Philippines , BI is randomly applying CFO requirements to would be tourists resulting in a large unplanned expansion of CFO with no clear plan or rules and a resulting huge cluster@#$.

 

Basically the way I understand it works now is sign up online and pay your bill at a Bayad center.  The primary objective is to simply establish email or telephone contact with the counselor.  The counselor can them play it however they want to.  They 'might' expedite the process with urgency if they are inclined to.  Or they may not be responsive to attempts to contact them.  You could get a good efficient counselor....or not.  After the counseling phone call takes place they will promise to send a CFO sticker that is not actually going to come and the counselor will email a qr code temporary e-certificate that will get them past immigration.  Overall it seems to more or less work out for actual immigrants with visas but the girls just trying to visit thier travel banned boyfriends are discovering a new kind of nightmare with CFO.  

I have a friend who has lived in the Philippines on an SRRV for the last 15 years or so.  He left in August 2020 because he became so sick and tired of the rules in the country with COVID.  In January this year he was making plans for his long time girlfriend to fly to Colombia and meet him.  However they were told she needs a CFO (which is not required for tourism purposes but still insisting on one).  So out of curiosity they reached out to the CFO place and this is what they were told to answer and provide:

 

• How was my friend able to retire at age 41 as thats not possible?
• How can he manage his income while in the Philippines if his investments are in the US?
• What is an SRRV visa?
• Why are you not married after several years together?
• Do you realize that living together so long without being married could be a violation of the law? (a little truth to that)
• What are your romantic plans?
• Proof residence and address in the US?  (He is a resident of the Philippines)
• Affidavit of financial support and invitation letter to Columbia
• An official Cenomar 
• copies of his passport/visa and entries for the last 4 years.
• copies of all of his ID's
• Pictures with his family and travel itinerary
• Then get all of the documents notarized and apostilled by the Philippine Consulate closest to his USA address.  It cannot be done at any other place. (he does not live in the US)
• Plus she would have to do an entire affidavit of undertaking
• Also the CFO counselor told her that my friend may be using her as a way to stay in the Philippines legally (he retired at 41, he has an SRRV)

They are going to try and make plans in the next month or two to meet in the Middle East or Eastern Europe.  He has no plans to return until Covid restrictions are lifted which is going to be awhile. 

 

 

[top_secret 2,451]

Here's what they sent some other woman trying to visit her long term boyfriend traveling as a tourist to Maldives.  

 

In May when my wife was leaving for our Peru trip, immigration in NAIA T3 interrogated her for an hour and a half though they did let her pass.  Lack of CFO was brought up but they were just going to hassle her no matter what.  At one point the immigration officer did tell my wife that she suspected I had married her so that I could "sneak in to the Philippines".  She made it out again last time but she is probably going to get a CFO before the next tourist visit to avoid being hassled about it.

 

[Joe Kano 327]

6 hours ago, top_secret said:

Things are different now.  Due to an increase in Filipinas traveling solo overseas to visit foreign boyfriend's who previously would have visited them in the Philippines , BI is randomly applying CFO requirements to would be tourists resulting in a large unplanned expansion of CFO with no clear plan or rules and a resulting huge cluster@#$.

 

Basically the way I understand it works now is sign up online and pay your bill at a Bayad center.  The primary objective is to simply establish email or telephone contact with the counselor.  The counselor can them play it however they want to.  They 'might' expedite the process with urgency if they are inclined to.  Or they may not be responsive to attempts to contact them.  You could get a good efficient counselor....or not.  After the counseling phone call takes place they will promise to send a CFO sticker that is not actually going to come and the counselor will email a qr code temporary e-certificate that will get them past immigration.  Overall it seems to more or less work out for actual immigrants with visas but the girls just trying to visit thier travel banned boyfriends are discovering a new kind of nightmare with CFO.  

Interesting 

[Joe Kano 327]

5 hours ago, top_secret said:

Here's what they sent some other woman trying to visit her long term boyfriend traveling as a tourist to Maldives.  

 

In May when my wife was leaving for our Peru trip, immigration in NAIA T3 interrogated her for an hour and a half though they did let her pass.  Lack of CFO was brought up but they were just going to hassle her no matter what.  At one point the immigration officer did tell my wife that she suspected I had married her so that I could "sneak in to the Philippines".  She made it out again last time but she is probably going to get a CFO before the next tourist visit to avoid being hassled about it.

 

Yep. Looks like CFO is going to be standard operating procedure now of days for a single girl going on a tourist visa. Many years ago I knew a girl who was required to do CFO who was going to Australia with her bf on a tourist visa there.