The DFA - Mandatory Visit Before Spouses Departure?

[lastlid]

Hi
I did a search for DFA but didnt find anything.

We are just on the verge of my wife applying for he spouse visa. When she took her english test she met some girls in a similar, but not exact, position as her. They were each at slightly different stages and still are. They got chummy and planned to try and do everything together, even to the point of boarding the same flight to the UK at the same time!! Which isn't really practicable as they are mostly going to be dispersed across the length and breadth of the UK. (Nice idea though)

I felt, overall, this was a good thing as it gave my wife a chance to exchange ideas about all of the hurdles and issues associated with coming to the UK. One of the things that has cropped up is that some or all of these girls are planning a trip to the DFA in Manila this week. I asked my wife why she is going as her passport has got a good few years on it and we are retaing her maiden name throughout the visa process.

She said it was to validate the Marriage Certificate. But that has aready been done by the NSO. It was issued by the NSO.

Can anybody shed any light on this? I am worried that it isnt necessary and will add delay to our application

Many thanks.

[hawk]

hi there as far as am aware all she should need is the stamp or sticker for her passport that alows her to go out of phil my fiancee has this in her passport and she can go anywhere with or without visa depending on were shes going i think she has got this from nso were she was given passport

[hawk]

also you can try this www.nbi.gov.ph)you will find more information

[Terpe]

.............Can anybody shed any light on this? I am worried that it isnt necessary and will add delay to our application

Many thanks.

It could be this:-
http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1347:for-filipinos-leaving-the-country-with-an-immigrant-visa&catid=139

[grahamw48]

Phew....glad we're trusted to go abroad without all that baloney....and milking of cash. :NoNo:

At least it's all been laid out nice and clearly on that site though.

[lastlid]

Well, she is going to the DFA on tuesday so she will soon find out. She seems to think it is a part of the Red Ribbon process. And there was me thinking Red Ribbon was just the bakery where we got our wedding cake from. :D

[lastlid]

She thinks it will take a good part of a day and she assures me it wont involve leaving anything with them. She has 3 copies of the marriage certificate so she can afford to leave one of those with the DFA if she has to.

I think she just wants a day out with the girls and a natter ........

[grahamw48]

Yes, just tell her to take 3 copies of every document she's received in her life, lots of (unsmiling) photos, and she should be ok. :)

Really it's a system to make sure that the emigrants are reminded to send as much money back to the mother country as possible, and not to inconvenience or put to expense the govt. by getting into any kind of trouble while overseas. :rolleyes:

[lastlid]

OK. So there is Method in the Magners?!! Thats good.

Thanks

[somebody]

psst this link may help should have googled before writing lol

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/6348-red-ribbon-is-necessary?daysprune=-1


A quick google brings this up Some great members on there many of whom have not been seen for a while :( Eula Mckays answer seems to help a great deal..

Andys Waffle

I would find out the real reason why from memory ( long while ago now since we went though the process) the wife needed to get her Passport changed so she had my family name this took a day out at the DFA.

It could be the CFO which is very very important you do as your wife will almost definitely get turned back if she does not have the CFO Stamp in her Passport.

I can't remember having to get the DFA to validate the marriage cert i thought that was all down to the NSO as mentioned.

Personally I would find out exactly what is required, be careful as possibly another country has certain requirements or someone has a particular reason to get validated. Offered UK and US are thought the same by Phills and don't realise that various countries have very different policies and rules regarding Visas. Your wife of her friends hears about a process and thinks with the best intentions she must do to ensure you are both together.
Many women on here applying for Brit visas have been advised tey have to take a medical like the Americans do and at present this is not the case.

Lastly and I don't like to cast any aspersions on your Wife's new friends or their associates but be careful this is not a money making scheme by someone who has had contact with one of the ladies.

Near any public place certainly public office building or process in Phill I have noticed some who work in and around the location or just people hanging around will look for ways to either with the best intentions provide a service (therefore earn a fee) or just con people. Those marrying Foreigners are thought to be fair game by many..

The Wife when applying was quite young and this was the very early Phill internet age with a fraction of the information available there is now. So when an aunt who lived in the Uk was in town of course the Wife went to speak to her.
Now she had come over in the era of penpals/letters and no one had thought about ym and skpye so she suggested a lawyer which was how they did it on the passed (example of well intentioned help which is not so useful). Of course the lawyer had long since retired so the wife before I was even awake had ended up with various Aunties looking for a lawyer/agent to assist now such companies exist but as we all know from evidence on here rarely do a typical Brit phill couple need the help of anyone they need to pay with resources like this website available now days. Various people and companies that could help were approached and of course once the news got out started to approach the Wife. The fees for the services supplied were in some cases mind boggling and the jargon and waffle offered would possibly convince many who are desperate to help.



Not saying this is happening but its worth asking a few more questions just to be sure.

One place to ask is the British Embassy in Manila and check if they have heard of a process they have recently implemented?

[lastlid]

psst this link may help should have googled before writing lol

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/6348-red-ribbon-is-necessary?daysprune=-1

Many women on here applying for Brit visas have been advised tey have to take a medical like the Americans do and at present this is not the case.



Hi Thanks. I was curious about the medical as I had seen mention of it and yet I also found (think it was on the UKBA website) that she doesnt require a medical for the UK from Philippines.

Her "friends" are in a similar position to her and all are applying for spouse or fiancee visas. It may be a case of the blind leading the blind. I am now getting the impression that the DFA visit wont do any harm. She is keen to meet up with the girls again because they all have something big in common. I was worried that she might end up submitting documents to the DFA when she will need them in about a week for VFS and her visa application. We had a chat today about it and whilst she remains uncertain as to exactly why she needs to get our marriage certificate authenticated at the DFA, she seems sure it will be a quick process and is wary of releasing documents that she will need for her visa application.

Like I say, our marriage certificate was issued by the NSO, so why on earth would it need authenticating? And her passport doesnt expire till 2014

She seems to be preoccupied with this so called "Red Ribbon" certification which I think is primarily informal jargon for the CFO sticker and she thinks the DFA visit is part of that process. But she remains uncertain so is reserving judgement....

Isnt the Red Ribbon thing an American term?

Actually I have just googled Red Ribbon and Passport and DFA and there is a heap of stuff coming up so I will have a read......

[lastlid]

Yes. Thanks. I think I am getting the feeling that a visit to the DFA will not be necessary for my wife. Trouble is I had to eat humble pie with her as when she told me about the CFO sticker requirement I thought that was a red herring also and now it is most obvious to me it isnt!! We fell out over that, long distance style!

So I hope to steer her away from this DFA digression.

Thankyou for the link. I typed in DFA but nothing came up. I should have typed in Red Ribbon.........

[febmary]

I knew "red ribbon" when I have it on my TOR (transcript of records). Hope its not needed with Marriage Certificate? I got now my SECPA MC.

[lastlid]

I knew "red ribbon" when I have it on my TOR (transcript of records). Hope its not needed with Marriage Certificate? I got now my SECPA MC.

Hi febmary, can you tell me why you needed or had the red ribbon? Was it purely for work visas? Nothing to do with spouse visas?

Thanks

[febmary]

In my experience, it has to do with working visa, before I applied for Canada. They said its a requirement. and mostly I knew who holds a working visa, have get to red ribbon.Got friends from dubai, qatar, they have to do the red ribbon because they applied for a working visa.

[lastlid]

False Alarm - Phew

Fortunately my wife got word this morning from one of her chums who already has her spouse visa and is flying to the UK on Sep 8th and she told my wife that it wasnt necessary to go to the DFA for the marriage certificate authentication.

So thats a weight of my mind. CFO on thursday though.......:yikes:

[lastlid]

Hi lastlid. This is Maricris I got our Marriage Certificate this morning. It is came from NSO with a dry seal. As far as I know no need to go to DFA for authentication.

Yes. Thanks. We got ours from the NSO about 3 weeks ago. But my wife's chums told her she needed to go to the DFA aswell as the CFO, which seemed very strange. Anyhow, I think she knows now that it is CFO only and not the DFA too.

[febmary]

Hi Maricris,

Do you plan to change your maiden to ur married name for your passport? I also got my NSO SECPA today.

[lastlid]

No. We decided that she will keep her maiden name until she comes to england. So we didnt have to change the name in her passport. It is all being done in her maiden name.

[grahamw48]

I think that's wise.

The less complications the better.

A tip:

Make sure names and (exact) spelling of names are consistent on all documents. :)

[lastlid]

Thanks. We had a small problem with her Yahoo nickname! It is nothing like her name and it is based on her actual nickname. So her Yahoo name and her email address doesnt immediately match everything else..........slight digression for this thread I know....i hope it isnt too confusing for the UKBA.....

[brokenpieces]

wahhhhh mine as well would that be a problem if my nickname in yahoo and skype and even in my facebook lol hahahaha they are not the same you see i like pen names :P even my email wahhhhhh:hubbahubba::yikes:

[lastlid]

I have been assured today that nicknames etc are okay. The worst that can happen is being called for an interview. But unlikely. We didnt think of this from the outset and presumably nor would many. But nice to hear from others on this.......

[grahamw48]

I was meaning on OFFICIAL documents. :)