Filipinos warned anew on websites offering jobs in Canada

Manila: Overseas Filipino workers have been warned anew on websites offering to facilitate jobs abroad, specifically in Canada, which a number of Filipinos consider as a third country destination.

The Philippines' Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) cautioned against websites claiming to be affiliated with the government of Canada.

"We want our OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) to be vigilant against illegal and predatory overseas employment operations. They themselves should become their own lookout during their job hunting to avoid falling victims," Labour and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz warned.

Although not stated specifically by Dimapilis-Baldoz, the warning is apparently aimed at Filipinos in their home country who are looking at the prospect of getting hired directly from the Philippines, or those who are already working abroad, such as those in the Middle East.

It had been a usual practice by Filipinos to gain experience in working abroad in a second country and then secure jobs in a third destination, such as Canada.

Dimapilis-Baldoz cited a report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) which highlighted the website scam operations of unscrupulous individuals or groups who are allegedly charging fees in exchange for high paying yet, non-existent jobs and immigration deals to those hopeful migrant workers bound to Canada.

According to the labour secretary, said the report highlights that fraudulent website operators use the Canada woodmark or Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) logo without legal permission to target individuals aiming to work or live in Canada.

To shed light, the report clarifies that immigration consultants, lawyers, Quebec notaries, and paralegals regulated by a law society are the only authorized entities who may charge fees to job seekers.

Canada is an increasingly attractive destination for Filipinos seeking employment abroad. In the 2011 report of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the country has deployed an increased 15,658 documented OFWs in 2011 compared to the 13,885 workers in 2010.

Thus, Dimapilis-Baldoz urged OFWs intending to go to Canada for employment to go through the legitimate and usual processes which is through the DFA.

"As recruitment scams proliferate, jobseekers should be watchful and should guard themselves against too-good-to-be-true offers that might merely lead them to the path of those who have victimised by scammers," Dimapilis-Baldoz said.

According to her the government is continuously reviewing its deployment of workers to countries and have categorised work destinations under high and medium risk destinations.

Canada mainly employs skilled workers in specific job categories.