NEWS ADVISORY 15 January 2018 “Tourist-to-refugee” illegal recruitment scheme bared

 The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has advised Filipino workers to avoid offers of employment in Japan using “tourist-to-refugee” recruitment scheme.

 The Office of the Undersecretary of Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs has requested the POEA to investigate a possible case of illegal recruitment or trafficking in persons involving a syndicate operating in Saitama Prefecture.

The OUMWA reported that a certain “Mara” through social media entices job applicants to enter Japan using tourist visa and instruct them to apply for refugee visa at the Immigration Bureau of Japan for employment purposes.
The report also said a broker based in Manila prepares fake documents such as certificate of employment and bank statement for the applicant’s visa application. The syndicate allegedly charges Php55,000.00 to Php95,000.00 per applicant for the supposed services.

The POEA said the recruitment scheme is unlawful and warned applicants to deal only with recruiters with valid license from the government. Applicants may look for licensed recruitment agencies and approved job orders at the POEA website’s verification system or the POEA app using smart phones.

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