Requirements to leave the Philippines on a valid COPR

[motard]

Am hoping this topic is allowed as it relates to family sponsorship and coming to Canada on a valid COPR.
Just found out that to leave the Phillipines my spouse is required to attend either an online or in-person information session about life in Canada.
Seems the Filipino government is implementing this to curb "mail order brides" and child trafficking among other malicious intent.
Have any of the forum members gone through this information session?
If so could you share your experiences?
Thanks

 

[Person001]

Am hoping this topic is allowed as it relates to family sponsorship and coming to Canada on a valid COPR.
Just found out that to leave the Phillipines my spouse is required to attend either an online or in-person information session about life in Canada.
Seems the Filipino government is implementing this to curb "mail order brides" and child trafficking among other malicious intent.
Have any of the forum members gone through this information session?
If so could you share your experiences?
Thanks

I'm also curious about this, and also curious what happens if you want to leave on a spousal TRV? Do you fulfill the requirement in Canada once you get COPR?

 

[rcincanada2019]

Am hoping this topic is allowed as it relates to family sponsorship and coming to Canada on a valid COPR.
Just found out that to leave the Phillipines my spouse is required to attend either an online or in-person information session about life in Canada.
Seems the Filipino government is implementing this to curb "mail order brides" and child trafficking among other malicious intent.
Have any of the forum members gone through this information session?
If so could you share your experiences?
Thanks

AFAIK, this has been in place for quite some time now. When my wife and son applied for SOWP and SP respectively in 2019, we were told that they won't be allowed to board their flight without this mandatory seminar. My wife inquired with the BID, even with the POEA, and were assured that the seminar was only mandatory for PR approved immigrants. Please note that this was in 2019.

The seminar cost around that time was Php300. Don't know if it's still the same today. According to my contacts from BID, this is a half-day seminar where you will only listen to some chit-chat about living outside the Philippines as a new immigrant (not just Canada, if I'm not mistaken).

 

[motard]

Thanks for the replies.
As far as I know, this specifically targets Filipinas with foreign male partners (non Filipino), either married, common-law or bf/gf, that are looking to go abroad to either visit or stay with their foreign partner, if the couple is of both Filipino nationalities it does not apply.
Now the current time frame to book an in-person session is about 1 month and half at very few select locations, there is also possibility to book an online session, booking is only available from Monday to Thursday, 7am to 5pm.
Am leaning towards booking an online session, as travelling to Manila is challenging, for someone living in the province.

 

[Person001]

Thanks for the replies.
As far as I know, this specifically targets Filipinas with foreign male partners (non Filipino), either married, common-law or bf/gf, that are looking to go abroad to either visit or stay with their foreign partner, if the couple is of both Filipino nationalities it does not apply.
Now the current time frame to book an in-person session is about 1 month and half at very few select locations, there is also possibility to book an online session, booking is only available from Monday to Thursday, 7am to 5pm.
Am leaning towards booking an online session, as travelling to Manila is challenging, for someone living in the province.

Can it be booked with just a PPR for a TRV for example? Can you book any time? And would you happen to have the link for the online session sign up? Thank you so much for the information!

 

[Xilikon]

My wife went thru this to get a CFO certificate necessary to immigrate to Canada. We did this so that we have it to be able to travel together to Singapore and not be offloaded at Manila airport.

You can go to https://cfo.gov.ph/ to find out more about it. The one which concerned us is the GCP; it is an easy program to follow, including a seminar and an interview. You can book it before you get PPR or TRV (my wife said she applied to become a PR in Canada but needed it earlier for the Singapore trip so they gave a temporary CFO certificate and to contact her when she gets the counterfoil on her passport to have an official CFO sticker).

 

[Person001]

My wife went thru this to get a CFO certificate necessary to immigrate to Canada. We did this so that we have it to be able to travel together to Singapore and not be offloaded at Manila airport.

You can go to https://cfo.gov.ph/ to find out more about it. The one which concerned us is the GCP; it is an easy program to follow, including a seminar and an interview. You can book it before you get PPR or TRV (my wife said she applied to become a PR in Canada but needed it earlier for the Singapore trip so they gave a temporary CFO certificate and to contact her when she gets the counterfoil on her passport to have an official CFO sticker).

Thank you for the link!

 

[Kaibigan]

Am hoping this topic is allowed as it relates to family sponsorship and coming to Canada on a valid COPR.
Just found out that to leave the Phillipines my spouse is required to attend either an online or in-person information session about life in Canada.
Seems the Filipino government is implementing this to curb "mail order brides" and child trafficking among other malicious intent.
Have any of the forum members gone through this information session?
If so could you share your experiences?
Thanks

I spoke last week with a man in Ontario whose wife arrived from the Phils this past Sunday. He said that the PPR letter advised that the CFO certificate was necessary in order to board the aircraft with a visa to Canada. He thought the CFO seminar was somewhat country-specific in content. But, in any event, required.

I had an email exchange with this gentleman in which I asked if his wife was required by the IRCC to provide an AOM certificate, since it gets asked for in some cases thus:

In order to continue processing your application, we require the following information and/ordocumentation:

Your Advisory on Marriages (AOM) certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)

Please note that this document is different from your marriage certificate.


In a June 13 email, my friend in Ontario provided the following advice:

We were not asked to provide that information. In fact, we were not asked to take a course prior to being married in Iloilo. [This refers to a half-day marriage counselling course couples are instructed (at least in some cases) to attend in order to get a marriage license. My wife and I had to take it, in Iloilo no less.]
I'm not sure if you are aware, after [My wife's name redacted] receives her visa she will need to complete a course with the CFO Commission on Filipinos Overseas. https://cfo.gov.ph/about-us/ It can be taken online. The certificate is required by the Philippine Authorities prior to boarding the flight to Canada. The course consists of a zoom meeting with other applicants and the counselor. After that an appointment is scheduled between the applicant and the councilor. The course is free, but there is a charge for the certificate. I believe it was approx. 80 peso. A digital copy of the certificate is issued after payment.
There is a bit of a trick to booking the appointment. The booking site is open 7am Monday to Thursday. If you attempt to log on prior to 7am a message will display stating all spots are full. You must log on at precisely 7am. By 7:10 all spots are taken. It took us 3 attempts .

His tale about booking the appointment is sure familiar. Similar system to renew a passport. You must make an appointment online and appear in person at the appointed time. The competition for appointments is fierce and, when slots are opened up, the Department of Foreign Affairs servers get overloaded and, when you see and opening and try to book it, you get punted off the system and have to start all over again.

As an aside, it seems that, if a Filipina is flying out of the Phils to another country, not Canada with a Canada visa, she can leave with her husband or bf, with no CFO certificate. All the same, I can see the dreaded "offloading" occurring if you end up with the wrong immigration officer. Last November, we flew from Manila to Dubai and nothing was said.

 

[motard]

I spoke last week with a man in Ontario whose wife arrived from the Phils this past Sunday. He said that the PPR letter advised that the CFO certificate was necessary in order to board the aircraft with a visa to Canada. He thought the CFO seminar was somewhat country-specific in content. But, in any event, required.

I had an email exchange with this gentleman in which I asked if his wife was required by the IRCC to provide an AOM certificate, since it gets asked for in some cases thus:

In order to continue processing your application, we require the following information and/ordocumentation:

Your Advisory on Marriages (AOM) certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)

Please note that this document is different from your marriage certificate.


In a June 13 email, my friend in Ontario provided the following advice:

We were not asked to provide that information. In fact, we were not asked to take a course prior to being married in Iloilo. [This refers to a half-day marriage counselling course couples are instructed (at least in some cases) to attend in order to get a marriage license. My wife and I had to take it, in Iloilo no less.]
I'm not sure if you are aware, after [My wife's name redacted] receives her visa she will need to complete a course with the CFO Commission on Filipinos Overseas. https://cfo.gov.ph/about-us/ It can be taken online. The certificate is required by the Philippine Authorities prior to boarding the flight to Canada. The course consists of a zoom meeting with other applicants and the counselor. After that an appointment is scheduled between the applicant and the councilor. The course is free, but there is a charge for the certificate. I believe it was approx. 80 peso. A digital copy of the certificate is issued after payment.
There is a bit of a trick to booking the appointment. The booking site is open 7am Monday to Thursday. If you attempt to log on prior to 7am a message will display stating all spots are full. You must log on at precisely 7am. By 7:10 all spots are taken. It took us 3 attempts .

His tale about booking the appointment is sure familiar. Similar system to renew a passport. You must make an appointment online and appear in person at the appointed time. The competition for appointments is fierce and, when slots are opened up, the Department of Foreign Affairs servers get overloaded and, when you see and opening and try to book it, you get punted off the system and have to start all over again.

As an aside, it seems that, if a Filipina is flying out of the Phils to another country, not Canada with a Canada visa, she can leave with her husband or bf, with no CFO certificate. All the same, I can see the dreaded "offloading" occurring if you end up with the wrong immigration officer. Last November, we flew from Manila to Dubai and nothing was said.

Very useful info.
It surprises me that the CFO requirement was mentioned in the PPR letter as mine had no such thing, it did include a reminder for pre-arrival services provided by the Canadian government.
Do you know if the CFO requirement was mentioned in the email or the PPR letter itself, this is important to me as I used a consultant and all I received from the consultant was the PPR letter not the original forwarded email from IRCC.
We provided an AOM when submitting our application, you basically request a CENOMAR and the resulting document if you are married is an AOM.
Booking the appointment seems will be a challenge will update back on Monday.
Just hope for few snags as already have a flight booked for early July, am thinking will have to reschedule.
My wife is flying solo to Canada, hence possibility of extra scrutiny, we want to make sure that she meets all requirements before arriving at the airport.
Would your friend be able to tell how long was the process to get the CFO certificate?

 

[Kaibigan]

Very useful info.
It surprises me that the CFO requirement was mentioned in the PPR letter as mine had no such thing, it did include a reminder for pre-arrival services provided by the Canadian government.
Do you know if the CFO requirement was mentioned in the email or the PPR letter itself, this is important to me as I used a consultant and all I received from the consultant was the PPR letter not the original forwarded email from IRCC.
We provided an AOM when submitting our application, you basically request a CENOMAR and the resulting document if you are married is an AOM.
Booking the appointment seems will be a challenge will update back on Monday.
Just hope for few snags as already have a flight booked for early July, am thinking will have to reschedule.
My wife is flying solo to Canada, hence possibility of extra scrutiny, we want to make sure that she meets all requirements before arriving at the airport.
Would your friend be able to tell how long was the process to get the CFO certificate?

Did you also provide marriage certificate, or just AOM? In my friend's case, just the PSA certificate and that was sufficient. We sent PSA marriage certificate only. That was 7 months ago. So far, they have not requested more. Hearing that some are being asked for AOM, my wife went and got same. We thought it might be confusing things to send it with a webform without being asked, but we have it in case a request comes.

I'lll ask about just where my friend was told about the CFO requirement. I seem to recall that, in a phone call, it was included with the PPR. But I'll ask him to make sure and report back.

His wife flew solo, Manila - Toronto. No problems.

 

[Xilikon]

Did you also provide marriage certificate, or just AOM? In my friend's case, just the PSA certificate and that was sufficient. We sent PSA marriage certificate only. That was 7 months ago. So far, they have not requested more. Hearing that some are being asked for AOM, my wife went and got same. We thought it might be confusing things to send it with a webform without being asked, but we have it in case a request comes.

I'lll ask about just where my friend was told about the CFO requirement. I seem to recall that, in a phone call, it was included with the PPR. But I'll ask him to make sure and report back.

His wife flew solo, Manila - Toronto. No problems.

In our case, we submitted AOM along with marriage certificate as it is one of the country-specific requirements. AOM is basically CENOMAR for married people (CErtificate of NO MARriage).

For the CFO, my wife completed this to be ready for our Singapore trip and all it remains is to get PPR to request the sticker to add to the passport.

 

[Kaibigan]

In our case, we submitted AOM along with marriage certificate as it is one of the country-specific requirements. AOM is basically CENOMAR for married people (CErtificate of NO MARriage).

For the CFO, my wife completed this to be ready for our Singapore trip and all it remains is to get PPR to request the sticker to add to the passport.

As we read the country-specific requirements, we were asked for Cenomar or AOM. We had Cenomar for each of us back from time before we were married, so we included it. But maybe, since we were married by that time, they wanted AOM. I am aware of some (like my friend in Ontario) who provided neither and just the marriage certificate, and they were never asked for more. But I am also aware of one couple who just sent marriage certificate, then got asked to send AOM. When we heard about that, we got it just in case, but we are holding onto it. If asked, it can be sent right away.

 

[motard]

Did you also provide marriage certificate, or just AOM? In my friend's case, just the PSA certificate and that was sufficient. We sent PSA marriage certificate only. That was 7 months ago. So far, they have not requested more. Hearing that some are being asked for AOM, my wife went and got same. We thought it might be confusing things to send it with a webform without being asked, but we have it in case a request comes.

I'lll ask about just where my friend was told about the CFO requirement. I seem to recall that, in a phone call, it was included with the PPR. But I'll ask him to make sure and report back.

His wife flew solo, Manila - Toronto. No problems.

We provided both AOM and PSA marriage certificate.
Would be great to know, how long it takes, for the online CFO process.

 

[Xilikon]

We provided both AOM and PSA marriage certificate.
Would be great to know, how long it takes, for the online CFO process.

It is pretty quick, a couple of days but the thing is to book for one, which could take time.

 

[motard]

It is pretty quick, a couple of days but the thing is to book for one, which could take time.

Amazing info @Xilikon.
A couple of days gives me great hope, that will not have to re-schedule my wife's flight to Toronto.
We are going to make our first attempt, at registering for the online GCP, on Monday morning, will report back on how that goes.