newbster

Thanks for the post and congrats!

Congrats! Post back once you are in U.S. and let us know how it is going, things that you like, that you don't like, what helps you to adjust, etc. Best of luck.

Agree, don't lie. That is the best way to get denied. Just tell the truth. If you committed suicide and understand that it was a mistake, tell them that. When you have the psych eval, don't lie. It's a big mistake to lie to them.

AlohaBabes, I'm so happy to see you are approved. Congrats to you. So fast, great job!

2GO Scanning Details

Date/Time Scan Activity  

9/17/2012 8:38:09 AM IN-TRANSIT  

9/17/2012 12:39:16 PM ACCEPTED SHIPMENT FROM CUSTOMER  

9/17/2012 4:32:58 PM ACCEPTED SHIPMENT FROM CUSTOMER  

9/17/2012 5:12:27 PM IN-TRANSIT  

9/17/2012 11:56:34 PM LOADED 5J559  

9/17/2012 11:58:08 PM IN-TRANSIT  

9/18/2012 6:44:01 AM ARRIVAL CEBU  

Is this ready for pick up??

That looks like it's ready for pickup. If it's been scanned at Cebu I'd assume it's ready sometime today. But I haven't ever tracked a 2GO package before.

What does it mean?

Tract my visa in 2go website & it is IN-transit today 8Am

Accepted shipment from customer 12non

Accepted shipment from customer 4pm

In transit 5:pm

Does it mean i can pick it up tomorrow??

Were there dates and locations on those lines they wrote? All you have are a lot of times with no date/location.

Quick couple of questions, do they require 2x2 passport photos here to attach to the forms? Also the fee is just P400 now for both? Few weeks ago, I thought I saw that it was P400 for certificate plus P250 for the registration.

I've read that they do require 2x2 photos - 3 of them. However I can't say for certain until Leslie attends the seminar.

Anyway I'll know for sure soon since my fiance will probably go to CFO Cebu this week. I'll report here what I find out.

CFO is first come first served... but

Requirements for Registration

1. Original and photocopy of Passport;
2. Original and photocopy of visa;
3. Original and photocopy of Immigrant Data Summary for US bound (K-1 does not need this)
4. Original CFO guidance and counseling certificate;
5. Duly completed emigrant registration form; and
6. Payment of the authorized registration fee.

I really think in practice you don't need your Visa to take the class. As recently as a couple weeks ago a friend of my fiance's took the class in Cebu without having her Visa. Also no one else has mentioned that they actually require this to take the class. All of the visa journey posts from people who took CFO recently did the same method as always that I've read about: Take the class then go back later with your Visa for the sticker.

CFO is first come first served... but

Requirements for Registration

1. Original and photocopy of Passport;
2. Original and photocopy of visa;
3. Original and photocopy of Immigrant Data Summary for US bound (K-1 does not need this)
4. Original CFO guidance and counseling certificate;
5. Duly completed emigrant registration form; and
6. Payment of the authorized registration fee.

I really think in practice you don't need your Visa to take the class. As recently as a couple weeks ago a friend of my fiance's took the class in Cebu without having her Visa. Also no one else has mentioned that they actually require this to take the class. All of the visa journey posts from people who took CFO recently did the same method as always that I've read about: Take the class then go back later with your Visa for the sticker.

I hadn't heard of any change. As far as I know you can still do CFO without having your Visa then get sticker later.

True!!!Hey I met 2 filipinas recently here in Colorado.. They are living in castle rock!!

Hey that's great to hear. I was just in Castle Rock with a few friends yesterday - it's about an hour from my house.

I love reading these posts. Thanks for posting and congrats on completing your visa journey.

Pls post back more thoughts on what is interesting for you about being here in the U.S., ideas to help Filipinas adjust or how you are adjusting, etc. Thanks and have fun.

You know, we had the same issue. All my trips to the Philippines and I never realized that you don't see a lot of fresh milk. My wife buys powdered milk at WalMart, and I won't touch it.

My step daughter is a different story. She adapted to fresh milk in a heartbeat, and now scowls at powdered milk.

I drink unsweetened almond milk flavored with vanilla or coconut. It's really good I think and also extremely healthy (low fat and sugar) and full of nutrition - more than dairy milk by far. That's just an idea if she doesn't like dairy milk - it's definitely for me an easy way to eat much healthier and I really enjoy the taste also. The brand I prefer is Blue Diamond - which I think tastes a lot better than Silk brand.

And generally eating plant-based rather than animal-based products is a green thing to do (due to soil erosion, and efficiency issues) if you care about that sort of thing.

She alreafy said it was cold here and it was 74 today, damm she is in trouble. Luckily, my 2 boys and parents gave her gifts of warm clothes. And we also found out she does not like fresh milk. She liked that its very clean here in the U.S..

Nice, it's really fun to hear Filipinas impressions. I think probably they might not like some things like how little people in the U.S. interact due to fewer people outside and on the street (just my guess). And maybe they will like the lack of litter. But it's fun to hear what they like and don't like and also to think of ways to help my fiance adjust better once she hits Colorado. So far I've just been trying to find other Filipinas near Denver and also around the states (so far she knows someone in Michigan and Florida and California) who we can visit or host as visitors occasionally.

It's so nice to read this. Cheers to you guys. Post in a few days and let us know how it's going for her in the U.S.

Great answer - thank you AlohaBabes - that really helps.

It sounds like everyone is saying this but this topic is too much low-hanging fruit for me to hold back.

Don't try to get sticker at airport when you are trying to catch a flight, have paid $1000+ for a ticket, and are ready to leave. Get it done before - swing by the CFO office for the sticker. Funny topic because it's so absurd to go through all this Visa stuff go to airport then not be able to leave because you don't have a stupid little sticker required by PI. Only in phils.

CFO:

ALL exiting required to attend. There have been changes regarding CFO so for sure read through their website.

http://www.philembassy.no/sites/default/files/downloads/new_gcp_flyer.pdf

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348:fiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140

Required documents & "OTHER DOCUMENTS" they ask for at CFO: copies of; CENOMAR, certified birth certificate, bio page of passport, visa page from passport, pictures together, from USC - bio page of passport, birth certificate, divorce decree (if been married before) are the most common. The "other documents" clause can be ANYTHING with those nit-wits at CFO.

** From the Family Code of the Philippines: it's 21-25 years old for advice and 18-21 years old for consent.

Art. 14. In case either or both of the contracting parties, not having been emancipated by a previous marriage, are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, they shall, in addition to the requirements of the preceding articles, exhibit to the local civil registrar, the consent to their marriage of their father, mother, surviving parent or guardian, or persons having legal charge of them, in the order mentioned. Such consent shall be manifested in writing by the interested party, who personally appears before the proper local civil registrar, or in the form of an affidavit made in the presence of two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by law to administer oaths. The personal manifestation shall be recorded in both applications for marriage license, and the affidavit, if one is executed instead, shall be attached to said applications. (61a)

Art. 15. Any contracting party between the age of twenty-one and twenty-five shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian for advice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such advice, or if it be unfavorable, the marriage license shall not be issued till after three months following the completion of the publication of the application therefor.A sworn statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such advice has been sought,together with the written advice given, if any, shall be attached to the application for marriage license. Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the sworn statement.

Hank thanks for the reply but honestly it doesn't answer my questions. Reading those official CFO pages is nearly useless. It's still not clear to me where to go in Cebu, what time to go there (partly because the offical page says 2pm but Ema's experience was 8am so there are conflicting reports about what time to show up for the class), what docs you actually need copies of to give to CFO, how many copies of each doc, and which docs just need to be shown there to them but you don't need to arrive with a copy already made of.....

Do they just need to see stuff like fiance's divorce decree and birth cert at CFO or do they actually want a photocopy that you can give to them?

Also it's not clear to me what time you have to go to CFO in Cebu to take the class (or do you go somewhere else like SMEF-COW?). I've heard 8am and 1pm. Also I think that the CFO office and the place you actually take the class (SMEF-COW) are different places right? So where do you go exactly and what time exactly do you show up there in Cebu?

Lastly, I have prepared what I think is a list of things to take to CFO Cebu:

400p

Passport with 2 photocopy of bio page

1 other photo ID with photocopy of that picture ID

1 photocopy of fiance passport bio page (you can photocopy this from the embassy packet but do NOT remove it from your embassy packet or folder)

CENOMAR with 2 photocopy

Birth certificate with 2 photocopy

2x2 passport size photos (3 of them I think)

Some pictures of you and your fiance together

Your entire embassy packet to show to them if they need anything like divorce decree, tax return, birth cert of fiance or anything else. But it's extremely important to not remove anything from your embassy packet - only show it to them at CFO or photocopy if they want any copies (still not sure if showing only or actual photocopies are required). Keep your embassy packet or folder intact so you don't fail your embassy interview due to lack of documents....

I hope that list helps someone else.

Thx

Most of the Asian-based airlines have better coach accomodations - better service, food, electric outlets on seat backs, your own flat screen TV on seat back in front of you, ability to pick and choose which movies to watch from a wide range on your own seatback TV, etc. The U.S. carriers generally offer a LOT less luxury in the coach class seating areas. So if I were picking an airline to have an enjoyable flight I'd pick Asiana, Singapore, Cathay, Korean (I'm sure I'm forgetting a few asian-based carriers too). The U.S. airlines are pretty crummy when it comes to trans-pacific or trans-atlantic coach accomodations. The only plus for the U.S. - based carriers might be that they are all fairly safe and fly well-maintained planes. PAL I can't say that about as they have a lot of accidents with their planes. I met a guy in Cebu in Feb who was on a PAL flight that had an engine catch fire and crash-land but everyone survived.

Congrats- so many Visa on this forum today - cheers to you.

Well it's good then, she didn't forget, heheeh! and she prefers for PICK-UP at 2go outlet :thumbs:

If you already picked to get the Visa at a specific location (like a 2go outlet) when you signed up for the Visa interview online - do you still have to go to window 69?

Also Joseyjava - congrats!! Happy day.

What a happy post to see. 4 days is lightning fast. Congrats and post when you hit the U.S. to let us know how it's going and what your experience was traveling, whether you like it here in U.S., etc. I'm glad to hear this news.

What a happy post to see. 4 days is lightning fast. Congrats and post when you hit the U.S. to let us know how it's going and what your experience was traveling, whether you like it here in U.S., etc. I'm glad to hear this news. :-)