Filipino Job Seekers To UAE - Do Not Travel With UAE Tourist Visas

Urgent update from Abu Dhabi has asked Filipino job seekers to not travel to UAE in search for jobs on a tourist visa as these Filipino job-seekers are more vulnerable to exploitation and likely to accept anything offered to them by the prospective employers to beat their visa expiry dates.

Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Libran N. Cabactulan issued this official statement as the UAE government is going to implement stricter requirements for visit and tourist visas from August 1 this year. The Khaleej Times Online, expounds on this:

He said the UAE government is stipulating the new visit visa guidelines because it is better for both the country of origin and the UAE to have no people on visit visas if the same creates problems for workers, employers and their respective governments.

The Philippine Ambassador said of the ten Filipino job-seekers who come on visit visas, only three or even less find the right job they have ever wanted.

"Those who get jobs are also vulnerable to low salary offers and inhumane working conditions as the employers take advantage of the job-seeker's situation," he said.

He advised all Filipino workers to go to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in Manila to find out whatever jobs are available in the UAE and which manpower agencies are recruiting workers to fill in these vacancies before coming to Dubai.

"If our job-seekers insist on finding jobs through the usual procedure, the employers here cannot offer them a salary much lower than what they should receive and won't have the chance to take advantage of them in any way," he added.

The UAE is now second to Saudi Arabia in hiring professional and skilled Filipino workers. Hence, there is a great opportunity for Filipinos to come here as a registered and bona fide worker through the usual employment channel instead of taking risks by coming on visit visas, the ambassador said.

Those who are already here must try their best to convert themselves into resident workers, he said. Once they get employed, they should register themselves with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) at the Philippine Overseas Labour Office in Deira to avail themselves of all benefits and rights due to a Filipino overseas worker.

Have You Tried The New GMA (Greater Modular Access) Jobs Center kiosks?

If you haven't seen the "new" GMA (Greater Modular Access) Jobs Center kiosks, you should. It's a cool touch screen kiosk that's in Robinson's Mall on Fuente. It allows people to job-hunt while in the comfort of the mall -- best of all it's FREE.

You can only access limited sites though. Mostly it's DOLE and their jobs database, which isn't so bad. This isn't the type of thing you'd like to wait in line for though because it takes a long time for people to sign up and actually start sending their resumes from this machine. It's touch screen and there is limited sensorial activity going on.

It is an advancement I think but of course, it does not support a lot of people. It can support about 1 person for an hour then another one. But at least it's an option to paid ways of trying to hunt for a job.

Apart from job-hunting, applicants can also register and post their qualifications as well as do job matching that complements their course

The online employment kiosk is in line with the priority thrust of President Gloria M. Arroyo to provide 1M jobs per year and thus, reduce incidence of poverty.

Though the machine costs about P100T, the DOLE is giving the three LGUs of Cebu free kiosks in recognition and appreciation of their support and cooperation to the programs of DOLE. Definitely over-priced (yet again - remember the lamp posts in Mandaue?), if I do say so myself. But nevertheless it's there so let's put it to good use.

How Much To Become A Nurse? What Will I Make As An Overseas Nurse?

There are a lot of questions about becoming a nurse abroad. First of all though, we'll have to start with asking the preliminary ones about becoming a nurse first. Here in Cebu, there are now so many nursing schools. Everybody thinks it's the next "get-rich, go-abroad" opportunity.

So here's the breakdown of how much it will cost you to 'become' a nurse first (from ABS-CBN News)

A nursing college education costs at least P300,000. But that’s not all. After finishing the four-year course, there are fees and other expenses for a series of qualifying exams.

Take the board exams today. Prior to taking these tests, nursing students spent around P10,000-P15,000 for review centers. Hundreds of pesos were shelled out for reviewer materials. They also paid a P900 exam fee.

Those who want to work in the United States, which is the dream destination for many nursing students, have to spend around P19,000-P25,000 to review for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a standardized qualifying test.

But before they can take the NCLEX, they need to pass the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and English proficiency tests, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), to secure a CGFNS Certification Program Certificate.

Passing the CGFNS test is one of the requirements for an occupational visa in the US. Taking it means shelling out around $450 or around P19,000. In addition, the IELTS costs around P8,000.

Of course, there’s tuition to begin with, which ranges from P50,000 to P80,000 per semester.

That's a total of half a million pesos just to become a registered nurse eligible to work abroad.

But this is pretty good if you can get the job you want abroad. Nurses in the US with a one-year experience have a median salary of $50,000, or around P2 million. In Saudi Arabia, compensation for staff nurses ranges from $23,000 - $33,000, or around P1 million a year.

So after a year of working, you'll more or less make up for the cost of the entire nursing course. That is of course if you're prudent with the money you've earned. Because it also means foreign rate expenses when you work abroad.

Get The New Machine-readable Passport For Better Treatment At Ports

If you're looking to travel, work abroad or migrate, it would be best for you to get one of the new machine-readable passports. Filipinos who hold the new machine-readable passports are no longer segregated at airports or discriminated against globally, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

This Inquirer article details that Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said this started after the DFA began issuing the new passports and implementing the e-passport project.

Romulo assured the integrity, validity and security of the machine-readable passports being issued to Filipinos here and abroad. More than a million Filipinos have already received the new passports.

"As a result of the DFA's machine-readable passports, our kababayans (compatriots) now have greater travel security, confidence and convenience all over the world," he said, without making any reference to the number of Filipinos who still have the old passports.

He said the new passports were produced in full accord with the Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A. 9184) and other relevant statutes and regulations, and are more secure, globally accepted and compliant with standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

It doesn't cost more too - said it will be the same price as the old green ones which were Php 500.

Good News For Wannabe Immigrants "Filipinos In Manitoba Canada - Needing About 30,000 More Foreign Workers By 2010"

Manitoba has some 50,000 Filipino inhabitants who have remarkably blended with the social and economic fabric of the province that has a land area about the size of Texas. A Filipino-Canadian living in Manitoba, Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, had been elected to the Canadian Parliament and had served as Minister of Veteran Affairs according to this Inquirer article

Because of the large number of Filipinos in his province, Premier Doer dined with Chairman Lucio Tan of Philippine Airlines to invite him to extend PAL’s San Francisco run to Winnipeg, Manitoba’s capital.

Canada needs workers. Premier Gary Doer of Manitoba, a recent visitor, explained that because of the discovery of new oil in his Canadian province, and the holding of the 2010 Winter Olympics in British Columbia, Canada has to hire 30,000 foreign workers. And because of their proven industry, adaptability and English fluency, Filipinos are preferred.

via Inquirer
image via Canada photos