Employer guide
Hire from the Philippines to the UK
How recruiting skilled workers from the Philippines into the UK actually works, at both ends: the Certificate of Sponsorship here, the paperwork there, the trade test in between, and how long it takes. Fixed fee, no retainer, nothing charged to the worker.
Why the Philippines
What you get from this corridor
The Philippines has the most organised overseas employment system in the world, a large pool of trade-qualified workers with Middle East and shipyard experience, and English as a working language. It is also the most regulated corridor, which is a good thing once you know the steps.
How we test
Tested at our own trade testing site in Manila
Every trade candidate is assessed on the tools by a qualified assessor before you interview them, on the process and positions your job needs, and you see the result. Drivers are assessed on a practical drive and their licence route into the UK is confirmed before anyone books a flight.
The process
From the Philippines to the UK, both ends
Two sets of rules run at once: the UK's, which decide whether the worker may come, and the Philippines's, which decide whether they may go. Most delays come from running them one after the other. We run them together.
The UK side
- 1
A sponsor licence
To hire from outside the UK you need a Home Office sponsor licence, or to have one already. If you do not, we walk you through the application; it is a one-off and most employers who hire this way once hire again.
- 2
The job and the rate
The role has to sit in an eligible occupation code and pay at least the going rate for it. We check the code and the rate against the published rules before anything is advertised.
- 3
Certificate of Sponsorship
You assign a Certificate of Sponsorship to the candidate you have chosen. The candidate then applies for the Skilled Worker visa from the Philippines.
- 4
Arrival and onboarding
The right-to-work check on day one and the reporting duties every sponsor carries, which we brief you on so nothing is missed.
The Philippines side
- 1
A licensed Philippine agency
Filipino workers can only be recruited for overseas jobs through an agency licensed by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). We work through our licensed Philippine partner; you never deal with the Manila side directly.
- 2
Your documents are verified
The employer (the "principal") is verified by the Migrant Workers Office, whose London office covers Ireland and the UK. It checks your company registration, the signed employment contract against the DMW's minimum standards, proof of the permit or sponsorship route, and a manpower request listing the positions, headcount and salary. We prepare the pack with you.
- 3
Job order approval
Once verified, the job order for your positions is registered with the DMW. Recruitment, testing and selection run against that approved order.
- 4
Worker processing and exit clearance
Selected candidates complete their medical, contract processing and pre-departure orientation, and receive the overseas employment certificate they need to leave the country. No placement fee is charged to the worker; that is both Philippine law and our own rule.
The UK requirements on this site are checked against the official source; the current list is on the requirements block. The Philippines side is set out in outline; the current detail is confirmed with Department of Migrant Workers and the Migrant Workers Office London for each hire.
How long
The honest answer is that the Certificate of Sponsorship sets the pace and the Philippines paperwork runs alongside it. Testing and selection are the quick part, and the brief decides how quick. When you tell us the roles, you get the current visa processing time as it stands that week, not a figure from a brochure.
Sponsor register
The UK register: who can sponsor
BS`Brunswick Stores LimitedLeamington Spa · Warwickshire · RetailSince 2018 · Retail sale in non-specialised stores with foo…Skilled Worker- GE???£ ESS LTDManchesterSkilled Worker
- LNSkilled Worker
- ESGlobal Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist WorkerInternational Agreement
- OVSkilled Worker
- KL"K" Line Energy Shipping (UK) LimitedLondon · Transport and logisticsSince 2005 · Sea and coastal freight water transportGlobal Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist WorkerSkilled Worker
- AU(A1F1 Limited T/A ) Ultrasound Direct LondonCroydon · London · Health careSince 2005 · Other human health activitiesSkilled Worker
- IC(IECC Care) Independent Excel Care Consortium LimitedColchester · Social care and care homesSince 2013 · Other social work activities without accommoda…Skilled Worker
- AI[ai] Infiniti LimitedCroydon · England · IT, software and mediaSince 2018 · Business and domestic software developmentSkilled Worker
AR@ Architect UK LtdWest Horndon · Essex · Professional and technical servicesSince 2012 · Architectural activitiesSkilled Worker
Questions
What employers ask about hiring from the Philippines
Can an employer in the UK hire directly from the Philippines?
Not in the way most people mean. Philippine law requires overseas recruitment of Filipino workers to go through an agency licensed by the Department of Migrant Workers, and the employer to be verified by the Migrant Workers Office. That is what we and our licensed Philippine partner do for you. You interview and choose; the licensed side of it is ours.
Who pays for what?
You pay us a fixed fee per placement, with no retainer; the fee and exactly what it covers are in the proposal, alongside the government fees for the Certificate of Sponsorship and visa and the travel, so there are no surprises. The worker pays nothing to us, at any stage, for anything. That is a licence condition in Ireland and our rule everywhere.
How do I know they can actually do the job?
Because they have done it in front of our assessor before you see them. Trades are tested on the tools at our own trade testing site in Manila, drivers on a practical drive, and you get the result and the assessor's notes with the CV. If you want to set the test piece yourself, you can.
What about English?
Every candidate is interviewed in English by us before they reach you, and you interview them yourself on video before any offer. Where a role or a permit type needs a formal language level, we tell you which one and arrange the test.
What happens if it does not work out?
Most placements that fail do so in the first weeks, and it is usually about settling in rather than skill. We stay involved after arrival, with the worker and with you, and what happens if a placement does not hold is written into the proposal in plain words.
Can I hire people already in the UK instead?
Often, yes, and we will always show you those first: workers already in the country with the right to work, or already on a permit and eligible to move. Switching sponsor is quicker than a first visa. The overseas route is for the numbers you cannot find here.
For employers in the UK from the Philippines
Tell us how many skilled workers you need and when
You get candidates we already have trade tested, the sponsorship timeline as it stands, and a fixed fee. No retainer, nothing charged to the candidate, and nothing to sign until you have seen people.
Martin, Lance or another member of our team will get back to you. Who we areLooking for work? This form is for employers. Register here instead, it is free.
We work directly with employers. We do not take on other recruitment agencies, labour suppliers or sub-agents.
Prefer to lay it out yourself? The hiring planner takes the roles, numbers and start date and gives you a plan on the spot.
Same country, other side
Other countries
Worth following
Who we placed, and where the market is going
Monthly figures on who is hiring overseas, what the Department published, and the trades that are getting hard to fill. No sales posts.
Source: UK Visas and Immigration, Register of licensed sponsors: workers. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Being on the register means an organisation holds a sponsor licence. It does not mean it has a vacancy or that it will sponsor you.
Is this your organisation? To update what is shown here, or for more information, email us. The figures come from the published register; we cannot change the register itself, only how it is presented here.