Confused on getting CFO stamp

[Anne]

Hi Everyone,

I'm confused about this CFO seminar, my aunt who's married to a british got her settlement visa and she just arrived here in UK few months ago without attending CFO seminar or CFO stamp on her passport (she even doesn't know about this CFO stuff)!

But before she got her settlement visa, she and her husband already living together here in UK for several years..

On CFO's website, this seminar is applied to all filipinos who's married to a foreigner and going to settle abroad.

can anyone please tell me why?

Thanks in advance

anne

[ginapeterb]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Anne &#064; May 29 2006, 11&#58;43 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Hi Everyone,

I&#39;m confused about this CFO seminar, my aunt who&#39;s married to a british got her settlement visa and she just arrived here in UK few months ago without attending CFO seminar or CFO stamp on her passport (she even doesn&#39;t know about this CFO stuff)&#33;

But before she got her settlement visa, she and her husband already living together here in UK for several years..

On CFO&#39;s website, this seminar is applied to all filipinos who&#39;s married to a foreigner and going to settle abroad.

can anyone please tell me why?

Thanks in advance

anne
[/b][/quote]



Anne,

I read your post with interest ? the reason I say Interest is this &#33;, you alledge that your Aunt has lived in the UK for several years ? if she has lived here as you have described, surely she would not be subject to immigration controls ?

Several years, means at least 3-5 years and above, if that is true, then surely your Aunt would have qualified for naturalization ? if she was indeed here legally in the United Kingdom, it seems rather strange that also you alledge that your Aunt has recently arrived in the United Kingdom, following her recent issuance of a UK Entry Clearance Visa.

Why would you be concerned about her obtaining a certificate of counselling for life in the UK issued by the St Mary&#39;s Euphrasia Foundation, if your Aunt had already sucessfully lived in the UK.

Certificates of Counselling by the SMEF - COW (Centre for Overseas Workers) are normally a requirement for those fiancee&#39;s and spouses of foreigners, this is a mandatory requirement as issued by the Commission on Filipinos overseas. The object of the Counselling is to orientate the prospective Filipino fiancee&#39; or wife into the country they are travelling to.

This seems rather strange you asking this question, since your Aunty has already arrived, it is not a requirement of the UK Immigration Service that your Aunt has this certificate, the certificate in itself has no immigration value, other than to preclude the issuance of an Emigrant number by the DFA.

This requirement is mandatory for all Fiancee&#39;s Fiance&#39;s spouse(s) of Foreign Citizens who embark from the Philippines for other countries, the requirement however is not mandatory for those Filipinos who have already lived in such countries prior to marriage to a foreign national, as they would already possess a valid visa in their Filipino passport, in fact if your Aunt has lived in the UK for several years, she would at least have Indefinate leave to remain, this is in fact more better known as a Residency Permit.

So forgive me, but I fail to see the object of your post ?

[charlvil]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Anne &#064; May 29 2006, 11&#58;43 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> Hi Everyone,

I&#39;m confused about this CFO seminar, my aunt who&#39;s married to a british got her settlement visa and she just arrived here in UK few months ago without attending CFO seminar or CFO stamp on her passport (she even doesn&#39;t know about this CFO stuff)&#33;

But before she got her settlement visa, she and her husband already living together here in UK for several years..

On CFO&#39;s website, this seminar is applied to all filipinos who&#39;s married to a foreigner and going to settle abroad.

can anyone please tell me why?

Thanks in advance

anne [/b][/quote]





Hello Anne, [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Wave.gif[/img]



Just read ur post. Dont worry CFO is not a hinder for ur aunt to apply her settlement. I&#39;d had a friend here in Cornwall, same situation with ur aunt. She came in this country without a stamp from CFO in

her passport. The personn am telling u got a settlement without a single problem. Now she&#39;s a British citizen as well. So, nothing to worry about.. Cheers.

[Anne]

ginapeter - thanks for your reply, i understand that her situation for you is a bit confusing as I didn&#39;t include in my post her previous history here in UK but that doesn&#39;t really matter because I only wanted to know about the CFO stuff.., if you don&#39;t mind.

chat - thanks for your reply as well &#33; I have posted my question as well in other forum, and I got reply she said
"Regarding your question, if the couple is married for six months or less then the CFO seminar is required. If they have been married for longer than that then they don&#39;t need to take the seminar".

I just got confused, because I&#39;ve read before in other forum that if they don&#39;t have CFO stamp in their passport (ofcourse for those whose married to a foreigner and going to settle abroad), the immigration officer in NAIA airport won&#39;t let them go abroad... hmmp&#33; I don&#39;t know&#33; but her replied (replied from other forum) makes a lot of sense, and now I understand.

Thanks again&#33;

anne