In the advisory issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) the province of Manitoba in Canada recently signed an agreement with the Philippine government for the recruitment of Filipino workers.

The Canadian province is in need of skilled Filipino workers such as truck drivers, welders, machinists, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, glaziers, pipe fitters, plasterers, drywall installers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, bricklayers and stone masons.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which allows overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to enter Canada as a temporary foreign worker or a permanent resident, was signed by Manitoba Premier, Gary Doer. The use of either temporary work permit or permanent residency excludes jobseekers for live-in caregiver or those who are already approved as Manitoba provincial nominees. The MOA also discussed the procedures in hiring and deployment of OFWs to be deployed in Manitoba.

Before entering Canada, either by temporary or permanent resident, applicants must comply with the following requirements:

• Medical health examination by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Passed an English language proficiency test
• Must not have an outstanding custody or divorce dispute, this will make them ineligible to enter Canada
• Must not have a criminal record
• Possess skills required by the employer.

In compliance with the POEA Memorandum Circular regarding the OFW deployment to Canada, recruitment agencies are prohibited from collecting placement fees for OFWs bound to Canada. Applicants are advised that all expenses must be shouldered by the employers. Canadian employers need to register and must be accredited with the POEA to hire OFWs through POEA licensed recruitment agencies.

According to the POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz, there are some two million overseas jobs that are soon to be offered to skilled Filipino workers in the years to come. These job openings are particularly offered in Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and in British Columbia.