DFA warns vs. recruiters offering jobs abroad without valid visa

DFA warns vs. recruiters offering jobs abroad without valid visa

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has warned the public against individuals offering job vacancies for household service workers in United Arab Emirates, Turkey and other European cities, but who do not provide valid working visas.

In a statement, the DFA said that the individuals have a recruitment network in Pampanga and Pasay City in the Philippines, Dubai in UAE and Erbil in Iraq.

The agency reported that eight trafficking victims were secured by the Philippine Embassy in Bagdad last month and are now being deported back to the country.

The victims claimed the recruiters will usually offer jobs in the mentioned countries, promising them that their visas will be available during their move to Iraq.

However, one victim was detained at Basra prison for having a Kurdistan visit visa, which was not valid for her stay in Basra from July 2018.

The victim was released for deportation earlier this year, but only after three months in detention for visa violations.

The DFA advised Filipinos residing, working, or vacationing in Iraq that their Kurdistan visas are not valid in Baghdad, Basra or other provinces in Iraq outside of the Kurdistan provinces of Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah.

Iraq imposes imprisonment and hefty penalties for persons without proper visas or with expired visas, the agency noted.

The DFA warned household service workers of the following early signs of fraud:

(1) applicants are not provided copies of their visas to the intended destination;

(2) vague information regarding the nature and conditions of the work offered by the recruitment agency;
(3) applicants are not in control of their own identification documents such as IDs or passport, and are advised to claim to authorities that they are just tourists visiting a particular city;
(4) the agency has no permanent address, and its agents do not reveal their full names and contact details, applicants are advised of particular immigration lanes to choose during departure from the Philippines; and,
(5) they are told that there is no Philippine Embassy in Iraq, and applicants must coordinate with particular individuals in case of emergencies.

The DFA advised Filipinos searching for work abroad to first check job offers with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). —Jamil Santos/LDF, GMA News

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