Immigration update: Philippines | New Regulations – Personal Appearance of Foreign Nationals in Filing and Releasing of Alien Employment Permit

New Regulations – Personal Appearance of Foreign Nationals in Filing and Releasing of Alien Employment Permit (“AEP”)

The Department of Labour and Employment (“DOLE”) National Capital Region, with the directive from the Secretary of Labour and Employment, has issued an Advisory No. 19-08 on 25 September 2019 that will require all foreign nationals employed in the Philippines, specifically in the National Capital Region, to personally submit their application for Alien Employment Permit (“AEP”) to DOLE and claim their printed AEP Card.

Who will be affected?

• All Foreign nationals who will engage in gainful employment in the National Capital Region and will require an AEP
• Foreign nationals who will apply for the renewal of their current AEP at DOLE NCR

Background

Currently, the DOLE NCR allows authorized representatives such as agents, consultants and law firms to submit applications for the issuance of AEP and claim the AEP Card on behalf of the foreign national and the sponsoring entity. With the new regulations, all applications for issuance of AEP will no longer be accepted by authorized representatives.
All AEP applications filed by the authorized representatives can still be claimed by them prior to the implementation of this advisory.
DOLE authorities are currently in internal discussions regarding the Implementing Rules and Regulations in relation to this recent advisory.

Impact

Foreign nationals shall be required to personally appear before DOLE NCR authorities to submit their application for AEP. Moreover, the foreign nationals will need to go back to DOLE NCR to claim the printed AEP Card once it is approved.

This will likely cause inconvenience to the Foreign National who will need to allocate time for travel, queuing for review of documents required for the AEP application and payment of fees.

Implementation

This will be implemented on 01 October 2019.

Santa Fe Analysis

The change of rules and process in obtaining an AEP may cause a delay in the issuance of the work permit due to the volume of applicants that will be entertained at DOLE NCR and may also affect the timely issuance of working visa which requires an AEP Card.

Santa Fe can accompany and assist foreign national during the submission of the AEP application and release of the AEP Card.
We will closely monitor the new regulations and report of any developments relevant in this process.

Should you have any questions, please contact the following:

Ma. Emmariza Ola
Immigration Manager – Philippines
Santa Fe Relocation
Philippines
D: (632) 795 2438
Email: Emmariza.Ola@santaferelo.com

Hallie Toh
Regional Immigration Lead – Asia
Santa Fe Relocation
Singapore
D: +65 6398 3015 (5615)
E: hallie.toh@santaferelo.com

To read more immigration updates, click here

About our Immigration Services

Our immigration services manage thousands of visa applications every year for a multitude of international companies. Our experienced immigration experts and migration agents handle the immigration process for you and provide simple reporting and guidance on immigration matters.