URGENT: Does my Dependant need a CFO sticker to come to the UK?

Hi All,

I am an Indian national. I do not have ILR nor british citizenship and I am in the UK on a Tier 2 General Visa aka work visa. My partner is coming to join me for three years and she is a Filipino citizen.

Does she need a CFO considering she only has a non-immigrant visa valid for 3 years and if not renewed will be coming bac to the Philippines anyway?

Would you recommend getting one just in case they stop her next week?

How long does it take to get this sticker?

I hope to hear from you guys as a matter of urgency.

Thank you

What kind of visa is it? You say it is "non immigrant" so, exactly which type?

I am not certain to the answer but if she should have one and doesn't then she will find she cannot leave.

My guess is that she would need one.

It takes a few hours to go through the process in Manila.

I am sure if she contacted the CFO they would tell her if she needed one. I phoned the CFO myself before my wife went for her CFO sticker, so they are contactable.

http://cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1345&Itemid=843

From their website:

What you need to know...

"As a Filipino emigrant, or those who have been granted an immigrant-class visa, you are required by the Philippine Government by virtue of Article 19 of Presidential Decree No. 442, to register with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas before leaving the country to settle in a foreign land. An emigrant who has properly registered with the commission will have in his passport the CFO sticker which will be inspected by the Bureau of Immigration upon departure."

HI,

My partner's visa is Tier 2 Dependant Visa. This does not lead to ILR and means she has to go back to the Philippines after 3 years with myself. Although I am an Indian national I hold a permanent residency in the Philippines as I was born and grew up there.

Me and her aren't settling in England if that makes sense? We are coming back home after 3 years?

Yes. I see your point.

How about giving them a quick phone call? Just to be safe. You risk losing your flight ticket (if it isnt changeable) and then there is all the anguish if they bump your partner back.

Yeh,

we'll do that. Although I know they can be greedy sometimes and ask for you to apply for the sake of money.

I know what you mean. Good luck.

It says on the requirements for CFO to submit an authenticated marriage certificate if it was done abroad. We entered in a civil partnership in the U.K. how can I get this done? This is more stressful than the Visa

She is leaving on thursday and how the hell am I suppose to get this done?

IS there any way out?

I mean I know it's very common to pay someone to get things done in the Philippines I just dunno who to go to or where.

Anyone?

I think there is a very real chance that your partner will be stopped at the airport; Filipino immigration officers often take a very high handed attitude to their fellow citizens, and seem to regard foreign travel as a privilege and not a right. By way of example, a colleague had to visit Singapore on business and wanted to take her boyfriend with her - this was fine with her employers, who bought tickets for both - he was stopped at the airport but she was allowed to travel. No reason was given, except that "his journey was not necessary".

My definite advice is that your or your partner should phone the CFO immediately and ask for an urgent appointment explaining that "owing to misunderstanding the regulations" you had not thought that a CFO was required as you are already in a UK civil partnership and she will not be settling in the UK.

I doubt if you will need to pay anything more than the official fee but a lot of grovelling and flattery may help.

As Methersgate suggests, they can be a "funny bunch" both the CFO and Philippine "Immigration". I have read many a horror story relating to both. Fortunately my wife cleared both hurdles with ease, having said that. But a phone call to the CFO might just clear things up. If your partner phones then it will no doubt be a relatively cheap phone call.

Your partner will most definitely require a CFO sticker valid for travel to the UK. In order to obtain this, she will have to attend a seminar which deals with marriage to and life with a foreign partner. At the end of the seminar, she will be given a certificate of attendance which she takes to the CFO office and exchanges for the necessary sticker.

She will need an original plus at least one photocopy of your marriage certificate; the nuns who run the seminar will require to see that.

In view of the limited time, I suggest you DHL her the necessary documents.

I would strongly suggest you do this the legal way and not attempt to bribe officials or obtain a fake sticker - even if this means rebooking her flight to a later date.

Hi All,

As Kuya said, civil partnership are classed as marriage for same-sex marriage in the UK. June came to the UK and entered this civil partnership with me as it is not legal in the Philippines.

She is going to the queue for that seminar on Tuesday but as they require authenticated certificates, which we do not have. She only has the original UK civil partnership certificate. She rang the CFo and they said that since it is not a settlement visa, she does not need a CFO sticker but I still asked her to get one.

Can anyone here please tell me how hard it is to get a slot as I know there are only 15 slots? We have booked her flight for this Friday.

and what sort of questions would they be asking her?

As Kuya advised, she has all the evidence of our relationship with her.

Thank you

Make sure your gf has access to or better still has all the info she needs to hand. This will include things like your address, phone number, place of work etc etc. Whilst this might seem strange it is exactly the kind of thing they ask. My wife had to text me when she was there to get my works address, for example.

They also ask to see pictures of husband and wife together so my wife showed them one of us together in her smart phone.

Be there very early is the best bet.

Thank you.

Since we were married or entered a civil partnership abroad and the requirement is produce authenticated copy, wil lthey turn her down if she doesnt have an authentication? but she has the original?

thank you

All your questions are answered on this page of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, parts of which I've copied below:

On arrival at the seminar venue, your partner will need to complete a form which asks for the following details:

1. Basic information about her including date and place of birth (including city/town and province).
2. Basic information about you and the counsellor may require a(n authenticated) copy of your birth certificate.
3. YOUR mother's full maiden name.
4. Full details of your partner's contact person in Philippines, which should be a member of her immediate family. That person's NSO birth certificate may be required.
5. YOUR full address - including postal/zip codes and landline telephone number(s).

In addition, the counsellor can require your partner to produce other documents including documentary evidence of where she will live (ie housing), proof of your earnings, etc., etc., and this is very much on a case-by-case basis.

She should arrive at the venue no later than 4.30am in order to secure a place for that day's seminar.

However, I note you say that your partner has an original copy of your Civil Partnership certificate, it has not been authenticated as being a legal document issued on behalf of the British Government. In view of this, the Nuns who conduct the seminar are very likely to refuse her application and she will then have to go to the British Embassy, in Taguig City, where an authenticated version will be prepared, for a fee, but this will take 2 or 3 days.

If your partner is accepted for the seminar, she should be aware that she will be subjected to hostile questioning which she is likely to find distressing, simply because of the nature of your and her partnership and that same sex relationships are heavily frowned upon by the Catholic Church.

All of the above said, I would strongly advise your partner to visit the Bureau of Immigration's office in Intramuros early tomorrow morning and ask a senior officer if a CFO sticker is actually required, bearing in mind that her visa is non-immigrant. If she does not require one after all (a slim chance though it may be), she should ask for that in writing so that she can produce that note to the Immigration Officer at the airport who may otherwise refuse her for lack of the CFO sticker.

Does she have to be there that early? I though 6:30 am would be fine

When she rang the CFO they said it is okay if the civil partnership is not authenticated. I seriously do not know what to do! I am getting different answers adn hate to say this but the country's systems are so crap!

So if it starts at 9 she shud be there at 6?

Also, which one do I go to coz it says:

I am an Indian National but she is coming to the UK. Should she be going to the Asian or Europe countries?