Pinoy jobseekers warned vs dubious job offers in UK

Filipino jobseekers were warned Friday against dubious job offers in the United Kingdom, especially those coursed through the Internet. The Philippine Embassy in London said Filipinos should particularly look out against employers or agents who would require various "processing" fees. “[Filipino jobseekers] should be wary of attractive jobs offered by the employers or their agents who would ask applicants to remit a certain amount of money purportedly to pay for the processing of their visas or work permits and other travel-related expenses," it said in an article posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Web site. Among the UK jobs that have been offered to Filipino applicants lately include positions like nannies, au pair, hotel staff, store managers, salespersons and engineers," the article added. In line with this, the DFA issued tips to prospective UK-bound Filipino jobseekers: • Filipino jobseekers should check with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to ascertain the authenticity of job orders, employment contracts and the legitimacy of UK employers. They may also send their email request for verification by POLO London at polo.london@yahoo.co.uk. Filipino jobseekers may also verify for themselves through Internet search engines like Google, or by getting in touch with the UK employers directly through their official websites; • Applicants who are "offered" positions through the Internet should ask their prospective UK employers to submit the original copies of their employment documents to the POLO Office, Philippine Embassy in London for verification and authentication. They should not rely on scanned documents sent to them by emails such as employment contracts, appointment letters and the like, as these are often found to be faked or fabricated; •  Job offers asking applicants to pay or remit money are “highly suspicious". Charging of fees, including payment for visa and 'work permit' expenses, are generally prohibited under the UK employment regulations; • The new UK Points-Based Immigration System has removed the work permit requirement, and is now replaced by the certificate of sponsorship. To be able to issue a certificate of sponsorship for a candidate or applicant, the prospective UK employer should be duly licensed as a sponsor by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). A list of employers can be found at the UKBA Web site, where jobseekers could verify the status of their prospective employers. Payment for the certificate of sponsorship is also shouldered by the UK employer; link to UKBA Web site: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk • Application for UK visa is done in the country of origin, at the British Embassy in Manila in this case, and not in the UK. Visas are issued based on the points criteria for qualifications, prospective earnings, maintenance funds and English language proficiency. Since visa application and issuance are done at the British Embassy in Manila, scanned copies of visas purportedly applied by employers’ agents in behalf of applicants, including immigration consultants, solicitors or travel agents, are not valid; • Candidates for the position of nannies and domestic workers must have worked with the sponsoring employer for at least one year prior to the date of application for domestic worker visa. Hence, to qualify to come to the UK to work as a nanny or domestic worker, the Filipino applicant must be an established member of the employer's household. The visa is also applied at the British Embassy in Manila; • Applicants are advised that no au pair visas will be issued by the British Embassy to Filipino nationals, since the Philippines had never been included in the UK's list of au pair countries. Additionally, the au pair visa scheme was abolished effective on November 26, 2008 and has been replaced by the Youth Mobility Scheme under the new UK Points-Based System. Prospective jobseekers with inquiries can contact the POLO London at the Philippine Embassy, at telephone 0044 (0)20-7451-1833 (32) or email at polo.london@yahoo.co.uk. - Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV