Direct Hire pero sinisingil ng Placement Fee

bugsie · September 2018

Hi guys!

I want to share about my situation right now, I was direct hired from SG by my employer here in AU and now holding a 457 visa. During my hiring process, may agreement kami ng employer ko na sila magbabayad lahat ng visa fees & airfare. So we agreed na i-proceed na pag apply ng visa. The employer introduced me to their usual agent na nag-aayos ng ibang visa din for the company’s workers (coz they also sponsored future hires from Pinas) After ko dumating dito sa Australia a few weeks ago, yung agent na nag arrange ng visa process ko is sinisingil ako ng Placement Fee of 6k!omg. I was so shocked considered na malaking amount yan. My question is why?! I didnt even hire them to find me a job and na introduced lang yung agent sakin ng employer ko na sila daw tutulong sa pag ayos ng visa ko. Everything na correspondence ko is between my employer, myself & the agent. I tried to ask kung para saan ang placement fee na na bill sakin, ayon daw sa Law sa pinas, usually may 1 month basic salary placement fee na sinisingil. And I still dont understand eh this is same case ng pagpunta ko ng SG which I am also a direct hire, I didnt pay for any placement fee. At hindi din ako nanggaling Pinas na dumaan pa sa PDOS, etc because I am already a documented OFW sa SG pa lang. I did fly directly from SG to AU. I am so confused kung may laban ba ako dito o I’ll pay for it na lang. My concern is kapag nag insist ako na ipaglaban na hindi ko kelangan magbayad, baka naman matanggal ako at ma bad record ako sa employer ko. I wasnt even informed na kelangan ko magbayad ng ganyan, eh di sana di ko na lang tinanggap yung offer, pinag ipunan ko na lng sana yung PR visa ko.

Hope you can advise me guys. Thanks a lot in advance.

sensei · September 2018

talk to your employer, tell them all your concerns, you are in AU, you don't need to hide anything from them, they may even help you with it. They may even have paid the agency without you knowing.
Agency told you, "according to Pinas laws", you said you were in SG, you are not covered by that law. You need to inform your employer (HR) the soonest

mhej · September 2018

I think they're trying to take you for a fool. Don't give them a single penny! $6K??? e mas malaki pa yan sa binayaran ko nung mag apply kami ng PR Visa. Besides, any fees should have been discussed upfront. Hindi yung ganyan. So immediately, there's something fishy.

bugsie · September 2018

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@sensei I already talked to my employer but they are confused also. Apparently, yung agent yun din paliwanag sa kanya na that is based on Philippine immigration laws.

bugsie · September 2018

@mhej I think so too! Hindi talaga ako magbabayad. I don’t know but i’m standing on my ground.

engineer20 · September 2018

@bugsie don't pay the agent, scam lang nila yan para magkapera. una, direct hired ka from SG at wala kang kobtrata sa agent about the placement fee. saka di rin naman yata sila registered as a recruitment agency sa pinas so technically di sila pwedeng maningil ng placement fee.

mcthegodfather · September 2018

I was hired from overseas din, direct hire, didn’t pay a single penny for processing. If walang agreement beforehand, don’t pay for it. Nasa AU ka naman na. If alam mong tama ka, ipaglaban mo or consult sa lawyer if you need additonal confidence.

patotoy · September 2018

@bugsie

bugsie said:
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@sensei I already talked to my employer but they are confused also. Apparently, yung agent yun din paliwanag sa kanya na that is based on Philippine immigration laws.

since, confused din si employer, challenge your the agent to show a proof about Philippine Immigration Laws regarding hiring, siguradong wala.

bugsie · September 2018

Yup!..thanks a lot @patotoy @engineer20

@mcthegodfather I already consult a lawyer in the philippines at pina pa standby ko in case na umabot kami sa court hehe