Licensed Recruitment Agencies (LRA) can avail of POEA online services in order to move the recruitment process of an overseas Filipino faster. These services aim to streamline processes for faster results in the recruitment of overseas workers for abroad.
Some of the online service facilities offered by POEA to LRA include the following: Issuance of New POEA License, Renewal of POEA License, Registration of Employers, etc.
Instead of having to go to the nearest POEA office, the job agencies can simply avail of these online services through their respective computers. They can also process the documents needed for the specific service requested online.
Table of Contents
Overview
Applying for work as an OFW is risky since they are the targets of illegal recruiters. With this, a law was made to give awareness and protection for the workers and also an assurance for the recruitment company. An agency is assigned to cater to the needs of recruitment agencies. This is the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA).
Recruitment agencies must apply for POEA to be considered legal. With this, POEA offers services for recruitment companies since they have a common goal: to give jobs to Filipinos as well as protect their rights and interests as a worker.
What is a Licensed Recruitment Agency (LRA)?
A Licensed Recruitment Agency (LRA) is a job agency that has fulfilled the requirements set by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), s the government agency responsible for regulating and supervising recruitment agencies to provide protection to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
These agencies are authorized by POEA to recruit and hire Filipino workers for overseas employment. They are also responsible for the documentation of their workers’ papers and documents.
Agencies that are not licensed by POEA to recruit overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) shall be considered illegitimate.
List of POEA Services for Licensed Recruitment Agency (LRA)
Here are the services for the Licensed Recruitment Agency (LRA) offered by POEA:
1. Issuance of New License of Recruitment Agencies
This service offers to give licenses to new agencies as long as they fulfill the requirements needed for starting up an agency.
2. Renewal of License of Recruitment Agencies
This service is offered to agencies whose licenses will expire soon. So, it is advisable to apply for renewal 30 days before the expiration of the license.
3. Registration/ Accreditation of Landbased Principals/Employers
POEA gives authority to a foreign employer to recruit and hire Filipino workers for overseas employment through a licensed Philippine Recruitment Agency (PRA). This kind of accreditation is for Land-based employers.
4. Registration/ Accreditation of Sea-based Principals/ Employers and Enrollment of Ships
Same as the accreditation for Land-based Principals, accreditation of Sea-based Principals is giving authority to a foreign employer to hire Filipinos for employment abroad through a licensed agency.
5. Documentation of Landbased Agency-Hired Workers
The licensed agencies will process their recruits’ papers and documents for working abroad in a land-based position.
6. Documentation of Agency-Hired Seafarers
Same as the documentation for land-based workers, the agency will process the papers sea-based workers and submit them to POEA.
7. Issuance of Job Fair Authority (JFA)
This gives authority to licensed recruitment agencies to do or conduct a job fair.
8. Issuance of Special Recruitment Authority (SRA) and Letter of Acknowledgment (LOA)
This is required for licensed recruitment to operate and to have a partnership with recruitment agencies abroad.
Benefits of LRA to Filipinos
Here are the benefits of licensed recruitment agencies to Filipinos.
- Provide job opportunities
- Makes sure of their safety at work
- A guide for the aspirant OFWs as well as the Balik-Manggagawa
Qualifications to be Licensed Recruitment Agency
Here are the qualifications for starting a Licensed Recruitment Agency in the Philippines.
- A Filipino citizen must have at least 75%(seventy-five) of the authorized and voting Capita stock which is dominated by Filipino citizens.
- Must pay a minimum capital of five million pesos( 5,000,000 PHP)
- Does not have any violations and does not have qualities to be disqualified by the law.
Grounds for Disqualification
Those who are disqualified to start a recruitment agency are the following:
- Travel/sales agencies of the airline companies.
- Those who are engaged in the business of a travel agency, either officers/members of the Board or partnership engaged in the business of a travel agency.
- Corporations and partnerships whose officers, members or partners are engaged in the business of travel agencies.
- Those who are in the insurance company (individuals, partners, officers, or directors) that provide an insurance contract for OFWs under the compulsory insurance coverage.
- Those who are on the board with derogatory records.
Requirements
Applicants/Principals/Employers who are applying for a license to operate a recruitment agency must pass a written application alongside with the following documents:
- A certified copy of the Articles of Partnership or Incorporation duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or a certified copy of the Business Name Certificate (if sole proprietorship).
- Ability to pay off debts (bank certificate, ITR, etc.).
- Proof of existence of a new market (recruitment/service agreement that has been verified or authenticated by POLO).
- Employer’s Profile( Personal Details and Employer Details)
- Head of the company must have a Bachelor’s degree minimum of 4 years in human resource management or have experience in managing a manpower business.
- For the proprietor, partners, and all members of the applicant agency’s board of directors, valid clearances from the NBI and the Administration’s Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch.
- The sole proprietor, the managing partner, or the corporation’s president must sign a notarized agreement.
- List of all officials and personnel involved in recruitment and placement, along with their appointment, signed bio-data, and two (2) copies of passport-size pictures, as well as their NBI clearances and individual affidavits declaring that they have no criminal convictions or pending criminal cases for illegal recruitment or moral turpitude, as well as their individual affidavits declaring that they have no convictions or pending criminal cases for illegal recruitment or moral turpitude.
- Attendance to a Pre-Licensing Orientation Seminar (PLOS) by the single owner, managing partner, president, chief executive officer, and/or operations manager.
- Step-by-step flowchart of recruitment procedures.
- Four-year business plan(includes financial, market and operational viability)
- A non-refundable filing fee of P25,000.00 is assessed by the POEA.
Summary
POEA does not limit its services to employers/workers/ OFWs only, it also extends to serve the agencies that recruit them. By giving services to licensed recruitment agencies, we can ensure that many Filipinos will secure a job. Recruitment agencies are of great help to our workers as well as our economy.
Without these licensed recruitment agencies, many of our fellow Filipinos will still fall victims to illegal recruiters once more.
More licensed recruitment agencies have been established to support POEA in providing employment opportunities, especially to OFWs. Although there might be some unregulated agencies that do not comply with the rules and regulations set by the agency, most of these licensed recruitment agencies continue to help find work for our people so that they can earn money abroad and provide more for their needs at home.