Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac said that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are required to pay only the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) membership fee, with no additional fees allowed.

Cacdac warned recruitment agencies against charging “processing fees” as a substitute for “placement fees.”

During the 15th Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas, Cacdac said that recruitment agencies in both the Philippines and Qatar are prohibited from charging any fees to OFWs.

“The employer bears the costs, not the OFWs,” he added.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Secretary Arnell Ignacio also cautioned against believing claims that paying such fees will “speed up” the processing of their travel requirements.

“The only fee we collect is the $25 OWWA membership fee,” Ignacio stated.

The DMW announced on Saturday that the State of Qatar is considered a non-placement fee labor-receiving country.

A placement fee is a charge that recruitment agencies or employers may require from job seekers in exchange for finding them employment.

According to Rommel David, a warehouse operator in Qatar who left the Philippines last May, the placement fee prior to the policy was approximately P58,000.

Qatar’s Labor Law, specifically Article 33, prohibits migrant workers from paying a placement fee and from undergoing any form of wage deduction organized by employers or placement agencies.

However, a 2016 research brief on migrant workers’ recruitment costs in Qatar noted that the enforcement of this policy is questionable, citing weak law enforcement and insufficient cooperation between Qatar and the workers’ countries of origin.