POEA reminds recruiters, OFWs on rules for placement fees

No placement fees for overseas Filipino worker (OFW)  hired as domestic workers, caregivers and seafarers, and no placement fees for OFWs heading for five countries.

This was the reminder of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Sunday, as it reiterated its warning against recruiters violating the placement fee rules.

“Fresh warning to violators of the POEA rules on placement fees. ZERO TOLERANCE, read my lips,” POEA chief Hans Leo Cacdac said on his Twitter account.

He said there is no payment of placement fees for OFWs bound for:

• US (H2B visa)
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• Netherlands

Placement fees for all other OFWs are allowed, but only for one month's salary and only after an employment contract is signed.

Cacdac also said an appropriate official receipt specifying the purpose of payment should be issued.

He also reminded OFWs to deal only with POEA-licensed recruiters with POEA-registered foreign employers.

“Deal only with a POEA-licensed recruiter witha  POEA-registered foreign employer,” he said. — KBK, GMA News