JOBSPUZZLE
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Working in Australia
For Philippines passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
Route with conditions
Australia requires an approved sponsor and a salary floor, so a Filipino worker needs a genuine employer nomination — not an agency promise.
What the employer must have
- Must be an approved business sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs and nominate the specific role before the worker's Skills in Demand (subclass 482) application.
- Must pay at least the Core Skills Income Threshold — AUD 79,499/year for nominations from 1 July 2026 — or the market rate if higher.
- Cannot recover sponsorship or migration costs from the worker.
- To hire a Filipino it must also be accredited with a DMW-licensed Philippine agency and its job order approved by the DMW.
What you must do before you leave
- Go through a DMW-licensed recruitment agency. Direct hiring is banned by Article 18 of the Labor Code — only the narrow categories listed in POEA Memorandum Circular 08-2018 are exempt — and you can check any agency's licence on dmw.gov.ph before you pay or sign anything.
- Your employment contract must be verified by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO, formerly POLO) at the Philippine post covering your destination before you can be deployed.
- Complete the Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) and the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) and keep both certificates — they are part of the documentary requirements.
- Get your Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) before you leave. Every departing OFW needs one, it exempts you from travel tax and the airport terminal fee, and it is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued.
- Ask to see the sponsorship and nomination, not just a job offer letter — the visa cannot be lodged without them.
Things to watch
- If you are hired as a household service worker you must NOT be charged a placement fee at all — Republic Act 10361 sec. 13 puts the recruitment cost on the employer, and collecting a fee from a domestic worker is a ground for cancelling the agency's licence. For every other job the placement fee is capped at one month's basic salary and may only be collected once you have a signed contract.
- A job order on the DMW approved list means the government approved the employer's demand and the agency's licence. It does not mean you have been hired, and an order stops being real once its approved slots are filled.
- Australian law forbids the employer recovering sponsorship costs from you, and Philippine law caps or forbids placement fees. Being asked to fund your own sponsorship is a sign of a scam.
What you may lawfully be charged
THE MOST A LICENSED AGENCY MAY LAWFULLY CHARGE YOU is ONE MONTH of the basic salary written in your DMW-approved contract — and only after you have signed it. Not one month plus extras.
Section 56, Rule V, 2023 DMW Rules and Regulations.
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.