If you want to bring people from The Philippines to Australia for work, you need to know how to comply with additional exit requirements.
Australian companies of all sizes rely on The Philippines as a source market for skilled talent. They either bring in skilled talent when no Australians are available to fill roles, or build an offshore team then relocate key members from The Philippines to the Australian office.
The Philippines is an incredible resource for Australia when it comes to skilled talent because the population is educated, caring, responsible and highly proficient in speaking English. It is also relatively close and in a similar time zone to Western Australia, which makes managing the workday relatively easy.
However, there are requirements involved when it comes to bringing Filipino talent to the country.
Find out what’s required when you invite someone to relocate from The Philippines to Australia as part of your business:
Exit requirements for skilled Filipino workers
Filipino citizens who intend to work overseas must have an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC). This can be obtained from the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO), which is now known as the Department of Migrant Workers.
The reason these rules exist is to support the rights, welfare and interests of Filipino citizens who wish to work overseas, and ensure they are not exploited.
Before a worker can obtain a OEC certificate, your business needs to be accredited by the POLO Office. Achieving this accreditation can be a complex process, which is why it helps to have an established partner who can guide you through the process, such as Global Talent Agency.
To be accredited to employ Filipino workers under the law of Philippines, your business will need to:
- Be approved under Australian immigration rules as a standard business sponsor OR
- Be covered by a Labour Agreement, an Enterprise Migration Agreement, or Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) in specific industries to hire skilled and professional foreign workers for jobs allowed to be filled under Australian laws
- Use a licensed recruitment agency authorised by the Philippines authorities to place Filipino candidates abroad
- Provide evidence of robust employment practices, terms of employment and pay conditions and a commitment against worker exploitation.
The process can initially seem lengthy and complex if you’re a hiring manager, but if you have the support of an experienced agency it can be streamlined.
POLO approval: how we help
Global Talent Agency is an accredited partner of POLO and provides compliant pre-departure services for skilled talent from The Philippines to comply with the country’s labour laws. Global Talent Agency help Australian businesses manage the process of becoming an Accredited Employer by handling all legal complexities and compliance requirements.
With Global Talent Agency’s support, your business can be approved as an eligible employer within weeks, compared to doing it independently, which can take months and be very stressful.
The POLO office in Canberra frequently directs companies to Global Talent Agency to manage the paperwork if they have been unable to complete the process successfully themselves.
Partnering with Global Talent Agency will:
- Reduce onboarding and recruitment headaches
- Reduce hiring lead times from many months to a few weeks
- Minimise the challenges of bringing in staff from The Philippines
- Ensure transparent and legally-compliant recruitment processes
- Facilitate the smooth arrival of your Filipino employees in Australia.
Once the POLO Accreditation is set up for you, it will take us approximately a couple of weeks to obtain an OEC for your employee. Then you can book flights and look forward to meeting your new team member.
After they arrive in Australia, Global Talent Agency provides a comprehensive onboarding experience for people so their transition is as smooth as possible and they can focus on their new role and career.
Streamline your overseas hiring process
At The Migration Agency, we recognise the important role that POLO plays to support the rights, welfare and interests of Filipino citizens who wish to work overseas.
If you intend to bring skilled talent from The Philippines to Australia, they must have an OEC. If one is not obtained, they may be subjected to action from Philippines immigration.
