Procedures For POLO /POEA that you should know before hiring Filipinos

*What is the procedure for hiring Filipinos?*

In the Philippines, there are many people who work overseas because there are few jobs that match their abilities for the number of people and it is difficult to find a job. Normally, when hiring a foreigner from overseas, there is no problem with just the visa acquisition procedure in Japan. However, in the case of the Philippines in order for a company to hire Filipinos worker a separate procedure at the Philippines government agency (POEA) is required.

Three institution related to human resources in the Philippines

① Department of Labor and Employment, Philippines (DOLE)
It is a ministry that enforces and regulates employment guidelines for the purpose of protecting vulnerable workers.

② Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)
It is the central institution of sending policy that works to protect the rights of Filipinos working abroad. Located in the Philippines, they screen the employment before sending out to human resources. If a Japanese company hires human resources directly from the Philippines, it must be examined by the POEA.

③Philippines Overseas Labor Office (POLO)
Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Japan POLO is the local agency for POEA. POLO has offices in various countries overseas, and in Japan it has offices in the Philippine Embassy.

I will explain the flow of procedures for hiring Filipinos.

In preparation, a business owner who wants to hire Filipinos signs a POEA-certified local agency contract.

The basic flow is “the agency and the company that wants to hire Filipinos work together to get permission from POLO and POEA and start hiring from there.”

And even if you give a job offer to a human resource before obtaining permission from POLO and POEA, the job offer will be canceled if you do not obtain permission to hire from various organizations in the Philippines as a company.

What is the procedure for hiring Filipinos?

1.”Document preparation and submission”     The purpose is to make sure that the company in Japan can properly accept Philippine human resources.

2.”You will receive an interview notice from POLO”     in Japan and you will be interview in English on the day you schedule. The president of a company that wants to hire Filipino human resources, will be interview in English about the purpose of employment, business content, etc. it is also possible to prepare an interpreter.

3.”Receive the permit document from POLO”     and send it to the local agency .If you pass the interview, you will receive the original POLO-Verified Document, which has been approved and stamped by the Philippine government.

4.”The local agency submits the documents to POEA”    and obtains approval from POEA. As a general rule, documents can only be submitted to this POEA by an agency designated by the Philippine government.

5.”Obtained approval from POEA”    started recruiting human resources, interviewed etc. With the approval of POEA, you will finally be able to hire Filipino personnel without any problems.

6.”Application for status of residence in Japan” Once you have decided on the personnel to be hired, apply for a Certificate of Eligibility.

7.”Send necessary documents to workers”    Once you have obtained the Certificate of Eligibility (COE),  we will mail it to the Filipino workers who will be hired along with the Original POLO-Verified Document.

8.”Submit documents to the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines”    The worker himself goes to the Japanese embassy in the Philippines, submits the COE and passport.

9.After submitting the documents to POEA”     an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) will be issued to the worker so that he / she can enter Japan. The worker himself go to POEA and submit  the “Original POLO-Verified Document” and “a copy of the stamped part of the passport”.

By presenting the OEC at the airport, the worker himself / herself will be able to leave Japan and enter Japan.

* In some cases, pre-travel seminars and medical examinations are required before departure.