Avoid Illegal Recruitment

12 ways on how illegal recruiters operate:

1. Tourist Visa Scheme

Workers leave the country as tourist but are actually leaving for employment abroad.

2. Escort Services

Workers are 'escorted' at the airport and seaport and allowed to leave even without the required travel documents.

3. Blind Ads

Advertisement for overseas employment published in the dailies that do not indicate the name of the recruiters but provides a P.O. Box to which applications may be submitted.

4. By Correspondence

Applicants are encouraged to submit their requirements through mail together with a seemingly small fee.

5. Backdoor Exit

Workers leave through the southern ports of exit where immigration control is lax. They usually leave on cargo ships or on boats.

6. Assumed Identity

Workers leave under another name either using the name of another worker or through the 'barkada' system or obtaining passposts through fake birth certificates and other documents. Minors are normally deployed throough this scheme.

7. Direct Hiring

Workers are recruited directly by the foreign employer and deployed either as tourist or through any other illegal means.

8. Trainee-Worker Scheme

Workers are recruited and deployed as trainees on a training agreement. More often, HRM students leaving in the guise of a traineeship program for hotels abroad but eventually landing jobs in hotel/restaurant abroad.

9. Tie-Up or Kabit System

Unlicensed recruiters tie-up with licensed agencies and recruit workers through the facilities of the latter. Workers are either deployed under the job order of the licensed agency but actually work for another employer abroad or the foreign principal of the unlicensed recruiter is registered or accredited under the licensed agency name.

10. Visa Assistance or Immigration Consultancy Scheme

Entities operating under the guise of consultancy or offering services for visa facilitation are actually engaged in recruitment by offering placement abroad on immigrant visa. Some of them also operate through the conduct of orientation seminars, which are actually recruiting activities.

11. Camouflaged Participants/Representative in Seminars/Sports Event

Workers leave as participants in seminars or sports event abroad but actually intend to work there.

12. Mail Order Bride

Marriage is arranged by brokers between women and foreigners. The wife end up being a domestic helper to her husband and her family or in worst situation abroad.



Taken from the Modus Operandi of Illegal Recruiters leaflet of the POEA(Philippine Overseas Employment Administration).