DMW shuts down US visa ‘consulting’ firm
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Friday shut down a US visa consulting firm with offices in various cities nationwide for being involved in illegal recruitment of Filipino migrant workers.
The agency ordered the closure of Visa to America Manila, Inc., which has a main office in Ortigas, Pasig City, and with seven other branches, namely Quezon City, Lucena City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Davao City, Zamboanga City and Santiago City in Isabela province. It also has an office in Washington D.C.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Undersecretary Bernard Olalia led law enforcers in going to the office of Visa to America Manila at the Ortigas Center in Pasig to serve the closure notice, which was posted on the front door. Parallel crackdown operations were held in the company’s other branches.
According to DMW, the processing center operated “without the necessary license” and purportedly recruiting teachers and hospitality workers planning to seek jobs in the United States. More than 50 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been sent by the company to the United States since 2022.
Victim’s complaint
He said that a victim approached the DMW during its Independence Day job fair event and reported the company.
Cacdac said the DMW was informed of the Visa to America Manila’s operation after an unidentified victim reported having been asked to pay a hefty amount for a visa package, which was later revealed to be equivalent to a placement fee.
The company allegedly offered overseas jobs through J1 and H-1B US visas with salaries ranging from $40,000 to $100,000.
Both nonimmigrant visas, J1 is granted to individuals joining educational and cultural exchange programs, while H-1B is given to those seeking employment in “specialty occupations” in the United States.
“If they are involved in job matching, they offer a job here to the worker who has a counterpart in the US who already has a ready employer. So that is clearly a case of recruitment. They are recruiting for overseas employment without a DMW license and that is a case of illegal recruitment,” Cacdac said.
Cacdac said the DMW will file criminal charges against the firm’s owners and employees for the nonbailable offense of large-scale illegal recruitment.
He also warned the public against seemingly legitimate offers, even if the office looks professional, or bears the names of popular destinations, like the United States.
The DMW chief vowed to monitor and look into the records of the OFWs who tapped the services of Visa to America Manila to ensure that they are not violating any labor laws.
The company boasts of having 31 years of experience in “immigration expertise” with a team of “skilled” immigration lawyers, financial advisors and legal experts, information from its website showed.
Among the services it offered are IT (information technology), consultancy, visa processing, mock job interviews and legal support.
