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| DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac leads closure of the Ortigas branch of Visa to America |
The Department of Migrant Workers says it has closed down eight offices of Visa to America Manila Inc after they were found to have engaged in illegal recruitment by offering employment in the United States to Filipino teachers without a license.
Simultaneously shut down were Visa to America
offices in Pasig City, Cebu City, Lucena City, Iloilo City, Santiago City,
Quezon City, Davao City and Zamboanga City.
DMW said a report from a victim indicated the
company offered “visa services” for a fee of US$5,400 (or about Php300,000) for
a J-1 visa package and US$8,500 (or Php500,000) for an H-1B visa package.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
But what the company was actually collecting were
placement fees for placing teachers for jobs in the US which was not allowed
for a visa consultancy firm, said DMW.
Further investigation by the DMW reportedly revealed
that Visa to America officers would order their employees to call applicants
and pretend to be representatives from American schools conducting interviews, so
as to mislead the victims into thinking they were in direct contact with
employers.
DMW also said applicants were promised employment through a US-based company with the same name, Visa to America. However, the promises did not specify timelines for deployment abroad, and were often vague and unfulfilled.
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| Among the 8 Visa to American offices shut down was this one in Zamboanga |
At a press conference that followed the closure, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac emphasized that there was illegal recruitment because the company offered jobs despite not having the required licence from the Department.
On top of this, the visa consultancy company also charged applicants exorbitant fees.
"Wala ka nang lisensya, nananaga ka pa?," said Secretary Cacdac. (You had the temerity to collect excessive fees when you didn't even have a license).
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
He said the company had been operating since 2022, and had apparently deployed about 50 applicants who were promised a monthly salary equivalent to Php120,000 - but none of this mattered because it was operating without a license.
The closure came with the order that all Visa to America branches should completely cease operations due to their involvement in illegal recruitment activities.
The company’s officers will be charged with illegal recruitment
and added to the DMW’s List of Persons with Derogatory Record, which bars them
from engaging in any overseas placement activity.
The DMW is calling on all victims of Visa to America to reach out through their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip to receive free legal assistance and help in filing appropriate complaints against the visa consultancy.
This is the 27th
closure operation conducted by the DMW this year as part of its intensified
crackdown on illegal recruiters of aspiring overseas Filipino workers.
