For generations, Filipinos have come to Canada with the hope of building a better future for themselves and their families. Many have contributed significantly to Canadian workplaces and communities, including here in Alberta.
On July 2, 2026, Canada and the Philippines took another important step in strengthening the protection of migrant workers through the signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent concerning Labour and Migration Cooperation between the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Canada’s Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
The Declaration emphasizes something that should matter to every Filipino seeking employment in Canada: international recruitment should be fair, transparent and ethical.
Among its key principles are the prohibition against improperly charging recruitment fees to foreign workers, proper regulation of recruiters and employers, freedom from deception or coercion, access to accurate information, protection of workers’ identity documents, and access to mechanisms for addressing grievances.
What Filipino Applicants Should Know
A Canadian job opportunity should begin with transparency.
Before agreeing to an employment arrangement, applicants should clearly understand who the employer is, the position being offered, the wage, location of employment, working conditions, and whether the position requires an LMIA or qualifies under an LMIA-exempt work permit category.
Most importantly, workers should be very cautious when someone asks them to pay substantial amounts of money in exchange for a Canadian job, LMIA, or guaranteed work permit.
Under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, employers cannot charge or recover LMIA processing or recruitment fees from temporary foreign workers. Employers must also ensure that recruiters acting on their behalf do not improperly charge or recover these fees from workers.
There is an important distinction between legitimate professional fees for an individual’s own immigration services and prohibited recruitment-related fees. Paying someone to obtain or secure a job is not the same as retaining an authorized immigration professional to prepare your own immigration application.
Applicants should therefore always ask: What exactly am I paying for?
A legitimate transaction should be clearly documented. Applicants should know who they are dealing with, what service is being provided, and what each payment represents.
What Canadian Employers Should Know
The Declaration is equally important for Canadian employers.
Employers who hire temporary foreign workers have significant responsibilities. Using a recruiter or third party does not necessarily remove those responsibilities.
Under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, employers must ensure that neither they nor anyone recruiting on their behalf charges or recovers prohibited recruitment fees from the worker.
This means employers should exercise due diligence when selecting recruiters, agencies and representatives, particularly when recruitment takes place overseas.
Employers should know how workers were recruited, what representations were made to them, and whether they were asked to make payments connected with obtaining the employment.
A recruiter saying, “The employer did not charge the worker,” may not be enough if another person acting in the recruitment chain collected prohibited fees.
Recruiters in Canada and the Philippines
Recruiters also have an important responsibility.
The Joint Declaration makes clear that ethical recruitment is expected to become the norm in cross-border labour migration between Canada and the Philippines.
Recruiters should be transparent about their role and fees and should never misrepresent a Canadian job opportunity, LMIA, work permit or immigration pathway.
A job offer should never be presented as a guaranteed pathway to permanent residence. Likewise, an LMIA does not automatically guarantee that a work permit will be approved. The worker must still qualify under Canada’s immigration laws and satisfy the requirements of the work permit application.
Recruiters operating across borders should also understand that recruitment may engage the laws and regulatory requirements of both countries, as well as applicable provincial requirements in Canada.
Verify Before You Pay
For Filipino applicants, one of the best protections is asking questions before paying money or signing documents.
Know the identity of the Canadian employer. Read your employment agreement carefully. Keep copies of contracts, receipts, correspondence and proof of payments. Do not sign documents containing information you know is incorrect.
Be especially cautious when someone promises a “guaranteed LMIA,” “guaranteed visa,” or “guaranteed permanent residence.”
Canadian immigration decisions are made by Canadian government authorities—not employers, recruiters or immigration representatives.
The July 2026 Canada-Philippines Declaration should therefore be viewed as an important reminder that labour migration should benefit both employers and workers without exploitation.
For Filipino workers, the message is simple: know your rights, understand the process, ask questions and make informed decisions.
For employers and recruiters, the message is equally important: ethical recruitment is not merely good practice—it is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s foreign worker system.
The Canada-Philippines partnership recognizes the enormous contribution migrant workers make to both countries. Protecting those workers begins long before they board a plane. It begins with how they are recruited.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Contact Marjorie at info@mcncanadaimmigration.com
A word of caution: You should not act or rely on the information provided in this column. It is not a legal advice. To ensure your interests are protected, retain, or formally seek advice from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing of CICC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.
