SMEF COW is closed ..

[rhaichard]

The one stop processing for GC seminar and CFO sticker in SMEF COW is closed .


The SMEF COW have their seminar for Guidance and Counseling monday to friday without a limit of applicants in every country .. and they also give CFO GC certificate and CFO sticker if you have already your spouse/fiancee valid visa,if dont have your valid visa they only give you GC certificate.The counselors is also nice.


but unfortunately CFO removed SMEF COW as their partner thats why they closed their office. It's getting more rushed and not easy for the coming applicants to have their seminar.Even though we cant say that not much applicant is going to UK ( like today im the only UK bound in the seminar ) we cant say when its few people who going to attend the seminar. Only the CFO main office now do the seminar and for UK bound they scheduled it only every thursday.


I'm lucky that i done my seminar there and got my GC certificate today , so i only need to get in the CFO main office is the CFO sticker for my passport without a problem .

[lastlid]

I'm lucky that i done my seminar there and got my GC certificate today , so i only need to get in the CFO main office is the CFO sticker for my passport without a problem .

:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[rhaichard]

lastlid , my only problem is i still dont have my passport ... British Embassy sent an emails to us that they despatched my passport ... that is last wednesday and yesterday ... they give date where they going to despatched my passport so my husband booked our flight this 23 sept:doh:doh

[Trefor]

This is not good news. We were planning on going there next Thurs. Looks like a 5am 'sit on the doorstep' at the CFO to make sure Rose gets her session.

Is the CFO planning to have another partner offering this service?

[RickyR]

The whole thing is a farce, waste of time and money.

[Trefor]

Am I on the right website for the CFO? I don't remember the days/choices being like this last time I looked:

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1378%3Apre-departure-registration-and-orientation-seminars&catid=145%3Aintegration-and-reintegration&Itemid=833

[rhaichard]

This is not good news. We were planning on going there next Thurs. Looks like a 5am 'sit on the doorstep' at the CFO to make sure Rose gets her session.

Is the CFO planning to have another partner offering this service?

i have no idea ...:doh

[lastlid]

lastlid , my only problem is i still dont have my passport ... British Embassy sent an emails to us that they despatched my passport ... that is last wednesday and yesterday ... they give date where they going to despatched my passport so my husband booked our flight this 23 sept:doh:doh

I see. :doh Cutting it a bit fine.

[rhaichard]

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1348%3Afiancee-spouses-and-other-partners-of-foreign-nationals&catid=140&Itemid=833


here's the link for the schedule and requirements

[rhaichard]

I see. :doh Cutting it a bit fine.

its a bit hard now ... and thinking my husband will be here next thursday .. im pretty mad because its look like they are only playing ...

[rhaichard]

The whole thing is a farce, waste of time and money.

:xxgrinning--00xx3::xxgrinning--00xx3:

[rhaichard]

its up your luck i think ...
depends how many applicants will
going to seminar in UK

[melovesengland]

ohhh dear!!! tsk tsk tsk. Very bad. :doh:NoNo:

[rhaichard]

ohhh dear!!! tsk tsk tsk. Very bad. :doh:NoNo:

truly bad ...

[lastlid]

its a bit hard now ... and thinking my husband will be here next thursday .. im pretty mad because its look like they are only playing ...

Does your hubby have any flexibility in his flight ticket(s)?

[rhaichard]

i have no idea ... he didn't email yet the ticket to me ... and he also booked holidays from work :bigcry:

[Trefor]

i have no idea ... he didn't email yet the ticket to me ... and he also booked holidays from work :bigcry:

Thank you for letting us know about this btw, we would have turned up next Thurs and found out the hard way otherwise!

[rhaichard]

Thank you for letting us know about this btw, we would have turned up next Thurs and found out the hard way otherwise!

there's nothing wrong if you try ... :)

[Terpe]

I believe CFO has an office at the airport.
Some folks here have been in similar tight timeframes and have received the sticker at the airport office upon presentation of the seminar certificate.

Just now I cant find the contact details and opening hours of CFO at the airport.

[rhaichard]

I believe CFO has an office at the airport.
Some folks here have been in similar tight timeframes and have received the sticker at the airport office upon presentation of the seminar certificate.

Just now I cant find the contact details and opening hours of CFO at the airport.

yeah i think you can get the CFO sticker in the airport ..

but the only problem for the applicants in the future is the seminar ...:NoNo:

[rhaichard]

CFO – NAIA Desk Office
Departure Area
Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal I
Pasay City
Tel. No. (632) 879-5685


i hope this is the right one:Erm:

[Arthur Little]

Rhaichard ... :thankyou: for this timely - or untimely [for you!] - alert.

Disconcerting news for many ... especially those from the provinces who, in order to obtain their CFO "sticker", could find themselves forced to travel all the way to Manila. :doh

[Arthur Little]

The whole thing is a farce, waste of time and money.

:iagree: ... piece of :censored: nonsense! :angry:

[rhaichard]

Rhaichard ... :thankyou: for this timely - or untimely [for you!] - alert.

Disconcerting news for many ... especially those from the provinces who, in order to obtain their CFO "sticker", could find themselves forced to travel all the way to Manila. :doh

yeah the only offices they have is CFO MANILA and CFO CEBU ...:NoNo:

[Arthur Little]

I believe CFO has an office at the airport.
Some folks here have been in similar tight timeframes and have received the sticker at the airport office upon presentation of the seminar certificate.

Uh ...:cwm24: ... oh! Hadn't realised that ... :icon_sorry:!

[rhaichard]

before they have 2 partner in that service that is SMEF COW and PRISM but they both removed it as their partner ... we also asked the staff in the SMEF COW why rhey removed as their partner , they also:Erm: dont know why

[Terpe]

Uh ... :cwm24: ... oh! Hadn't realised that ... :icon_sorry:!

Well Arthur, that's just for a 'sticker'.
They would still need to have done the seminar and received the certificate

[Arthur Little]

yeah the only offices they have is CFO MANILA and CFO CEBU ...:NoNo:

... ah ... so they'll still be operating in Cebu? :rolleyes: That's a relief, anyway. :D ... just wish they'd open up an office in Davao City, since there're surely bound to be enough folks from Mindanao to warrant it! ;)

[BoholoX]

Very bad news for all the Visayas. Thats a trip to Manila for the CNI, a trip to Manila for the seminar, probably a trip to Manila for the English language test....us foreigners are made of money obviously

[Arthur Little]

Well Arthur, that's just for a 'sticker'.
They would still need to have done the seminar and received the certificate

:yeahthat:'s true!!

I hope and :pray: Rhaichard's [updated] passport is returned to her pronto ... to avoid she and her husband being required to reschedule their pre-booked flight date.

:) Good Luck, Rhaichard!

[rhaichard]

:yeahthat:'s true!!

I hope and :pray: Rhaichard's [updated] passport is returned to her pronto ... to avoid she and her husband being required to reschedule their pre-booked flight date.

:) Good Luck, Rhaichard!

thanks Arthur Little .. :)

[Arjie]

... ah ... so they'll still be operating in Cebu? :rolleyes: That's a relief, anyway. :D ... just wish they'd open up an office in Davao City, since there're surely bound to be enough folks from Mindanao to warrant it! ;)


I agree what you said Terpe..I wish they'd open up an CFO Office in Davao,so that we don't have to travel to Manila for the Seminar.:)

[Trefor]

We (well Rose) did the CFO seminar thing in Manila yesterday. There were 4 people in the UK seminar and around 200 in the US seminar (or trying to get into it!). They combined UK and Italy and I think there were 9 in total in the room at the time. Be prepared with information such as your partner's job, mother-in-law's maiden name, where you met etc. They will ask you in a 1-1 session after the seminar to ensure they are satisfied with your case.

The US groups were a bit of a mess - 12 people only. Then number 13 hung around for a bit and left, then they expanded the number to 15, so no. 13 lost out and 3 other got in. Then a disabled chap turned up having travelled a long way, and they would not let him join (this is all second hand info from Rose, I went back to the hotel for some sleep once I knew she was 'in' LOL!).

After the seminar Rose had to hang around for a bit and then got her passport at 12:30 or so with the sticker etc. Check the sticker is correct it has your name on it. They put it inside on one of the blank passport pages.

When to arrive? hmm. We stayed in a hotel around the corner and got there at 5:30am. Registration starts at 7am for the UK group. When we got there we found around 100 people waiting already! Turned out 95% of them were for the US seminar. Many got turned away from that group. We actually dropped by and checked things out around 7pm the night before with the security guard. There were 3 ladies sitting there, we found out the next day they were the front of the America queue! By the way, there is no queue per country, just a big load of people waiting around the entrance steps, then a bit of a free-for-all to the registration desk when the doors open. People weren't pushing and shoving, but I'd suggest angling your way through as many people as possible.

In my opinion you cannot take a risk that a UK seminar will always have 4-5 people wanting to attend. Arrive early. VERY early.

Of course this was Manila, I'm not sure about the CFO in Cebu.

If anyone has any questions let me know, hopefully our experience will help others.