How Can A Foreigner Work Philippines Legally?

One of the most common questions from foreigners living or visiting the Philippines is whether a foreigner can work in the Philippines? A foreigner can indeed legally work in the Philippines; however, doing so usually is very difficult. This is because there has to be a specif reason for foreign employment. This typically comes in the form of a unique skill the foreigner posses.

From the company’s point of view, why hire a foreign worker when the task can be completed by a local citizen, which involved much less paperwork and is often paid at a lower rate. When I set up my outsourcing call center in Davao City, a few friends back home saw this on social media and instantly wanted to apply. As a company owner, I thought to myself, why would my company hire and go through all the legal requirements necessary when I can hire locally?

Foreign nationals planning to work in the Philippines are required to secure a work visa, which can be obtained from the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration (BI), as well as an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – Aseanbriefing

So, in other words, when we look at Can a foreigner work in the Philippines? It’s essential to know how companies look to view this situation, especially the salary concern. However, if you specialize in a certain task or certain industry and that skill or worker type is in short supply in the Philippines, you stand more of a chance of succeeding in being accepted for a job and obtaining the correct working visa.

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What Can You Do If You Are A Foreigner And Are Looking To Work In The Philippines?

Apply With A Foreign Company – Again, this is only applicable to foreigners who possess a specific skill, talent, or experience. Many foreigners will hire Filipino for stand roles such as customer service agents, etc. However, knowing foreign business owners may be afoot in the door.

Apply At The Embassy – Embassies often have jobs across the Philippines for citizens. From looking at a few different counties such as the US, Australia, UK, and several European counties; it’s clear that embassies have openings all across Asia.

Apply Using Your Unique Skills – If you are a talented work or have something rare, this skill can be used to leverage a job as a foreigner in the Philippines

Start An Online Business – Here at Filipinowealth, we talk about business and investment for locals and foreigners. Hands down, one of the best ways to generate income is from an online business. You must be registered, and tax is paid. However, you have complete freedom and flexibility over your business

Start Your Own Business In The Philippines – If you are determined to work in the Philippines and cannot find a job, the final solution would be to start your own company. To be completely honest here, as someone who has experienced this in recent times, opening a business in the Philippines is not always the easiest. For instance, in the UK (where I am originally from), within 20 minutes on the laptop, you can quite literally register a company. However, in the Philippines, as you are a foreigner, you will need to have Filipinos that are part of your business. Each Filipino will need to take a share of the company. We recently spoke about opening businesses in the Philippines, and we dipped into this question of Can a foreigner work in the Philippines? There. In that article, we discussed the percentage of a business a foreign owner can hold. To this date if your business will be receiving its income from external counties. (For example, an outsourcing call center business) Then a foreigner can indeed hold the majority of the shares. However, most times, they will need to give a minimum of 1% of the business to the other four Filipinos that will be needed to register on the board to open up a Corporation (Current legal requirement). This may differ from businesses and what lawyer you speak to. I have to visit the lawyer four times before he accepted a foreigner can own the majority of a company. So, don’t give up!

Can I Become A Foreigner English Teacher In The Philippines?

The most popular and easiest job for foreigners across Asia is to become an English teacher. Filipinos are the best English-speaking Asian country, and thus there is little to no demand for foreign English teachers. However, some ex-pats turn to online teaching and work for Chinese and Japanese English schools. Like an online business, a foreigner would need to be registered to work legally in the Philippines.

Can A Foreigner Work In The Philippines: Extra Information

Can a foreigner work in the Philippines? A foreigner can work in the Philippines; however, specific laws within the Philippines are strict concerning hiring foreign workers. This is to protect citizens and also to stop the abuse of foreign employment.

It is challenging for a company to hire a foreign worker as opposed to a local worker. If a company would support you, it will most likely be because you have a skill that the job requires in concise demand in the Philippines. A company will likely hire locally and train a local citizen rather than seek a foreign worker in most cases.

Opening a company is not always difficult, but it’s a lot harder than in other countries In Asia for a foreigner(unless you are from the US). As a foreigner, it will be much easier for you to be the president of a corporation.

Can A Foreigner Work In The Philippines: Personal Experience

I have done a lot of research on this subject for this article and over the last few years for my employment. I ran out of savings while I was in the Philippines way back in 2017, And I did not want to come home. My only choice was to get a job or go home. Sadly, I had to go home; however, if I had the opportunity again and some spare cash, I would most definitely open a company in the Philippines. Why? Because this is the easier path for a foreigner to take if they are looking to work in the Philippines.

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