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MANILA, Philippines—Canada has issued as of November this year 8,000 visas to Filipinos, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque told INQUIRER.net Monday.
"They're from all over. But majority are guest-worker visas" that were part of various memoranda of understanding signed between the Philippines and the four Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Alberta.
At the 75th anniversary celebration of the Department of Labor and Employment, Roque said the MOUs already bear fruit.
"Almost every week, we have employers coming over to interview applicants," he said.
Under the agreements, Filipinos who want to work in these Canadian provinces will be hired without having to pay for recruitment fees, among others.
Workers who will be hired by Canadian employers will get the same benefits as regular Canadian workers. They also have the option of becoming immigrants.
As the world financial crisis threatens to affect OFW employment in the United States, Europe, and Taiwan, the Philippines has turned to Canada, Australia, and the Middle East as possible OFW destinations.
