CFO Requirements for K1 Fiance VISA

[Kawika & Michelle 108]

2 hours ago, ultrasoul said:

@RO_AH My brother in law just completed the CFO seminar but now they want him to pay 30 php + 90-200 php shipping for the sticker even though the email cert with QR code should be free.

 

 Am I missing something here?

 

When does he need the sticker? In a couple of weeks (May 1st), they do away with the sticker system in favor of a digital certificate.

[RO_AH 1,614]

6 hours ago, ultrasoul said:

@RO_AH My brother in law just completed the CFO seminar but now they want him to pay 30 php + 90-200 php shipping for the sticker even though the email cert with QR code should be free.

 

 Am I missing something here?

We didn't need to do that, but things may have changed.

[W199 264]

11 hours ago, RO_AH said:

Have you tried scanning the code? It's just the number underneath the QR. If they scan the code it would only say that it matches the number on the certificate.

Does BI verify the certificate ID to make sure it is not fake? Given the excellent forgers there and that it would be so trivial to just edit the name, I wonder how BI caught the ones with the fake certificate?

 

[Kawika & Michelle 108]

4 minutes ago, W199 said:

Does BI verify the certificate ID to make sure it is not fake? Given the excellent forgers there and that it would be so trivial to just edit the name, I wonder how BI caught the ones with the fake certificate?

 

One can only assume that they scan the QR code and verify the certificate in hand against what is in the system. Whether or not every person does their job diligently is another question. 

[W199 264]

8 minutes ago, RO_AH said:

We didn't need to do that, but things may have changed.

We just did the online GCP.  The only way to get the free emailed "temporary" certificate was to pay $8 fee for them to mail us a hardcopy.  The hardcopy is useless since they are backlogged and it takes 3-12 months to actually receive it. The CFO said they know this and is doing away with the hardcopy version soon.  But since the seminar and couseling was totally free, this seems quite reasonable. Most of this is the courier fee. 

[W199 264]

1 minute ago, Kawika said:

 

One can only assume that they scan the QR code and verify the certificate in hand against what is in the system. Whether or not every person does their job diligently is another question. 

Yeah, that is what I was thinking too,  which is why its probably prudent to do the CFO "amendent" online once we get the K-1 visa,. Our ceritifcate right now is just registered for a tourst visa to Canada. 

[RO_AH 1,614]

27 minutes ago, W199 said:

Does BI verify the certificate ID to make sure it is not fake? Given the excellent forgers there and that it would be so trivial to just edit the name, I wonder how BI caught the ones with the fake certificate?

Because some are not so excellent. 🤣 The QR code is just the certificate number which is listed below it. Not much of a security measure if you ask me. But this is the Philippines. I don't recall them even scanning my wife's. There are people that generate a lot more scrutiny than others. Young females for example. Us being a husband and with with 2 toddlers did not draw any concern.

[RO_AH 1,614]

1 hour ago, W199 said:

We just did the online GCP.  The only way to get the free emailed "temporary" certificate was to pay $8 fee for them to mail us a hardcopy.  The hardcopy is useless since they are backlogged and it takes 3-12 months to actually receive it. The CFO said they know this and is doing away with the hardcopy version soon.  But since the seminar and couseling was totally free, this seems quite reasonable. Most of this is the courier fee. 

We may have even paid for the delivery now that I think about it. It showed up at my wife's house about 9 months after we arrived in USA. The temp is all you need.

[ultrasoul 51]

19 hours ago, W199 said:

We just did the online GCP.  The only way to get the free emailed "temporary" certificate was to pay $8 fee for them to mail us a hardcopy.  The hardcopy is useless since they are backlogged and it takes 3-12 months to actually receive it. The CFO said they know this and is doing away with the hardcopy version soon.  But since the seminar and couseling was totally free, this seems quite reasonable. Most of this is the courier fee. 

Correct that seems to be the current way right now - you need to pay for 120php++ delivery or 30php pickup of the sticker but the second pickup option is not possible since there isn't any stickers in stock lol.

 

We will be emailing and sending a DM to the CFO FB account to see if they can just generate the digital certificate using the PDOS completion registration number without any payment. 

 

If not- we'll just email them back on May 1 since flights are in June anyway.

Edited April 20, 2023 by ultrasoul

[ultrasoul 51]

@W199 Can I ask once you made that payment was a temporary email digital certificate emailed to you? I'm wondering what's stopping someone from choosing the 30php pickup option for sometime in the future and not actually going to retrieve that sticker if the email digital cert is auto-emailed upon the 30 php payment? i.e. why bother choosing the more expensive delivery when it won't even be delivered until many months after you leave the country when payment of either option triggers the email digital certificate. thanks for sharing!

[W199 264]

1 hour ago, ultrasoul said:

@W199 Can I ask once you made that payment was a temporary email digital certificate emailed to you? I'm wondering what's stopping someone from choosing the 30php pickup option for sometime in the future and not actually going to retrieve that sticker if the email digital cert is auto-emailed upon the 30 php payment? i.e. why bother choosing the more expensive delivery when it won't even be delivered until many months after you leave the country when payment of either option triggers the email digital certificate. thanks for sharing!

You can choose to do the CFO GCP in-person or do it purly online with no face-to-face meeting  For the online option, there is only a delivery option for the certificate. Immediately after you pay the fee for that, they send an email ack with the digital certificiate in the email.

 

Whats the big deal, its only $8 and the CFO seminar and couseling was free. You don't even have to pay to travel to the CFO office. Its so insiginfificant, its not even wroth the time to make this message.  Plus, as we keep saying, they are doing away with this hardcopy requirement.  Its all changing very soon.  

Edited April 20, 2023 by W199

[W199 264]

On 4/19/2023 at 2:23 AM, RO_AH said:

Have you tried scanning the code? It's just the number underneath the QR. If they scan the code it would only say that it matches the number on the certificate.

 

Actually, my fiancee just went through immigration yesterday. She handed her passport and CFO.  He scanned the CFO and then asked "Why is your CFO for Canada if your fiance is from the USA?".  She replied that we are waiting for the K1.  He said "oh, so you will be meeting in Canada while waiting."

 

So the scanning of the QR code provides them the details

 

Then he asked to see the receipt for the CFO!!! She gave him the paper receipt we printed out.  He said "no, he wants to see the EMAIL receipt" !!!!

 

Luckily she was able find it in her email.ile he 

 

If that was not enough, he he then left his immigration booth, with a very long line of other people waiting and went to some back office. 

After a while he came back and gave her back the passport and said "have a nice trip".    I wonder the things he was verifying back there, since he already has access to her passport and CFO data.  Maybe check her Canadian tourist visa or her round-trip ticket? Lucky she didn't have to give a blood and urine sample too.

 

In the meantime, she saw lots of people being sent to secondary including a mother and her daughter. 

 

 

[RO_AH 1,614]

6 hours ago, W199 said:

Actually, my fiancee just went through immigration yesterday. She handed her passport and CFO.  He scanned the CFO and then asked "Why is your CFO for Canada if your fiance is from the USA?".  She replied that we are waiting for the K1.  He said "oh, so you will be meeting in Canada while waiting."

Wow good to know.

[top_secret 2,059]

22 hours ago, W199 said:

Then he asked to see the receipt for the CFO!!! She gave him the paper receipt we printed out.  He said "no, he wants to see the EMAIL receipt" !!!!

Luckily she was able find it in her email.ile he 

 

If that was not enough, he he then left his immigration booth, with a very long line of other people waiting and went to some back office. 

After a while he came back and gave her back the passport and said "have a nice trip".    I wonder the things he was verifying back there, since he already has access to her passport and CFO data.

 

It might be because ANYONE can peruse someone's highly detailed personal CFO information at https://manila.cfo.gov.ph/GCP_Online_Manila/ with nothing more than an e-mail address.🙄  Such as, there is no password or even unique username.  Type in the e-mail address of a CFO participant and you are in with zero security whatsoever. That definitely applies to Manila face to face CFO.  Not sure if it's the same with online only

 

 

[W199 264]

On 5/27/2023 at 11:11 AM, top_secret said:

 

It might be because ANYONE can peruse someone's highly detailed personal CFO information at https://manila.cfo.gov.ph/GCP_Online_Manila/ with nothing more than an e-mail address.🙄  Such as, there is no password or even unique username.  Type in the e-mail address of a CFO participant and you are in with zero security whatsoever. That definitely applies to Manila face to face CFO.  Not sure if it's the same with online only

 

 

We did the online CFO.  I just checked that link, and it said "email not found" for us. Therefore it only applies for the face to face CFO..  But wow, that sure is a security hole.   Maybe that is a good reason to do the online version.