The exit clearance come in the form of an E-Receipt (electronic receipt) or an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) certifying to the regularity of a workers recruitment and documentation and ensures exemption from travel tax and airport terminal fee.  It is presented at the POEA Labor Assistance Center (LAC) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) counter at the airports, prior to departure.The E-Receipt or OEC serves as the worker’s guarantee that he/she is covered by government protection and benefits.

When the Aupair Visa is approved you need to go to POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) at POEA Bldg., Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City that’s the building located in front of Robinsons Ortigas.

Step 1. First of all you need to prepare the document be sure to have the originals and photocopies with you when you go to the POEA office. The following documents are needed:

1. Au pair contract- signed by the au pair and the head of the host family duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, Norway or the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Copenhagen Denmark. (Contract with red ribbon )
2. Copy of passport- the information page with your pictures/info and the most important  the page where the stamped valid au pair visa.
3. 2×2 ID picture

Upon submission of the 2 documents above they will check if you have the right documents then you will be referred or endorsed to accredited DOH (Department of Health) medical clinics and OWWA PDOS seminar.

Pre-departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS)

- PDOS Room at the 2nd Floor POEA Bldg.
This is a seminar conducted for departing Filipino Overseas Workers which includes aupairs to address their concerns in their host countries

• Travel regulations;
• Immigration procedures;
• Cultural differences;
• Settlement concerns;
• Employment and social security concerns; and
• Rights and obligations of Filipino migrants
  Here are the steps when attending the PDOS seminar:
  • Present the PDOS endorsement form and register at the designated desk outside the PDOS Room at the 2nd Floor
  • Attend the seminar on the designated schedule.
  • Get the Certificate of Attendance from the PDOS Officer

  2: Medical Examination

  You need to find the cheapest medical clinics prices ranges from 1,500 php and above. When you have any dental problems you need to have it done outside not in the medical clinic because they charge higher than dental clinics. Ask around or like the Filipina Aupair Facebook Page and ask the experiences of aupairs who underwent the medical examinations maybe they can refer cheap clinics.I think the examination will take around 1 day if you don’t have any health problems and the clinic will issue “FIT FOR WORK” certificate.

Note: Since the PDOS is scheduled once or twice a week I supposed that medical exam can be done while waiting for your PDOS schedule.

STEP 4:

Payment at the POEA
Now you have to go back to the POEA to make payments just be sure to come as early as possible. Please be sure to have all your requirements with you.

1. PDOS Certificate
2. Medical Certificate of “Fit for Work”
3. Payments:
• POEA processing fee: 100 US $ or PHL Peso equivalent
• OWWA membership contribution : 25 US$ PHL Peso equivalent
• PHILHEALTH : 900 PHP
Total Amount : more or less 6,350.00 depending on the current foreign exchange rate.

Now after reviewing your documents they will issue the OEC certificate.



Overseas Employment Certificate Photo Credit: POEA website

What is Overseas Employment Certificate?
During your departure you need to show the OEC so that you will be exempted in paying the At the Airport:

The process will take around 10 days including the Medical Exam considering that you don’t have any health problems. To avoid delay prepare your documents before going to the POEA and come early.

Note:You will present your Passport and OEC at Airport upon your departure at the airport which grant your exemption from travel tax and airport terminal fee

Info Source:
• www.poea.gov.ph/default.htm
• www.philembassy.no

Au pairs who were granted less than 24 months can apply for extension before the end of their residence permit. Remember its not automatic you have to submit a new application form which you download Application form for Extension of Aupair Permit Fill it up, state that you are applying for extension, submit to the Immigration Service or in the police station if you live outside the Metro Copenhagen area and do’nt forget that starting January 1 , 2011 there is a processing fee for the application for residence permit .You can stay with the same Host Family while the application is on process.

Submit your application of extension not later than 2 months before your permit to stay expires or you risk to that it will be rejected and be sent back to your country if you are staying illegally and be given an entry ban to Denmark for a certain period of time.

For further detail visit the Immigration Service website Extension of Residence Permit
Processing Fee
Extension for au pairs and interns
(Applications for extension of a residence permit under the Danish Aliens Act, section 9c(1))
DKK 1,650 (€ 223). I assume that the host family will shoulder the processesing fee.

Magandang balita sa mga aupairs na nasa Denmark

Simula ng ika-20 ng Mayo 2011 pwede na kayong mag apply ng extension ng inyong kontrata bilang aupair sa inyong kasalukuyang Host Family. Ito ay para sa mga au pair na may residensya na naaprubahan ng 18 buwan o 1 1/2 taon. Kailangang magsumite ng panibagong aplikasyon na kailangang pirmahan ng Host family at ng au pair. Pareho pa rin ang mga kailangang sundin ng aupair at ng Host family para maaprubahan ang aplikasyon. Kailangan lang na  ang mga insurance na kinuha ng pamilya sa inyo ay hindi pa paso dahil kalimitan naman ay  isang taon ang bisa  pero kung hindi naman ay hingin ninyo na ikuha kayo ng panibago para na rin sa kasiguraduhan ninyo at ng pamilya kung anuman ang mangyari sa inyo. Ang pagkakaiba nga lang ay kailangang magbayad ng ng 1,650 dkk pag nagsumite ng aplikasyon.

Tiyakin lang na ang pasaporte ng aplikante ay hindi pa exprired dahil duon nila ibabase ang haba ng permiso na ibibigay nila. Importante din na isumite ang aplikasyon 2 buwan bago ang orihinal na permiso ay mawalan ng bisa dahil pwede nilang hindi tanggapin kung ang visa mo ay paso na at pwede ka pang ipapulis at pauwiin sa bansa kung ikaw ang nasa Denmark ng illegal.

Announcement-requiem-mass-for-geraldine-a-Filipina-aupair-in-Denmark

Geraldine Rivera died last Saturday April 9,2011 while crossing the Coastal Road between Hellerup and Charlottenlund in North Zealand in Denmark. She was hit by a couple riding their motorbikes. She came to Denmark with the hope of helping her family out of poverty but her sudden death makes it painful and brought sorrow to her family. She came from the province of Alaminos, Pangasinan leaving behind her 85 year old sickly grandfather and a minor age brother.

The Philippine Embassy in Oslo with the kindness of the Philippine Consul Poul Krough are arranging the repatriation procedures and pursuing the insurance of those who ran her over to cover all the expenses and indemnities with the support of the Filipino community in Denmark.

You are all welcome especially au pairs who wants to pay their last respect to the remains of Geraldine youa re welcome at the St. Anne’s Church Dronning Elizabeth 3, 2300 Kbh. S at 2.00 pm. As expressed by au pairs in the Fagebook page they were really affected by Geraldine’s faith and they are willing to contribute to help her family in this time of sorrow.

Donations and any amount contribution is greatly appreciated as it will be used to pay for defray expenses and the rest will given to the Rivera family. You can give your donations during the mass or you can give it my organization’s account and we will forward to Filcom Denmark

Bank Details:
EIK BANK
BABAYLAN-DENMARK
Registration Nr – 6610
Account Nr – 2494890 Write in your note: Geraldine.

You can download the Guidelines for the Selection and Deployment of Filipino Aupairs to Denmark here

Source of Information: The Philippine Embassy in Oslo

Standard Contract for Aupairs in Norway

Complete set of Aupair residence permit application to Denmark

Miniature Nyhavn in Legoland, Denmark

The Philippines has officially lifted the ban on the deployment of Filipino au pairs bound for Denmark. The news was relayed by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs to the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, Norway which has jurisdiction over Denmark. The information was also conveyed to the Danish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Bureau of Immigration in Manila. The lifting of the ban came after long months of negotiations between the government of Denmark and various agencies of the Philippines including DOLE/POEA, the DFA and the Bureau of Immigration.

The Danish Ministry of Immigration had agreed to include in the contract, stipulations requested by the Philippine Government, intended to provide additional protection for the au pairs. These are the inclusion of a repatriation clause in the contract clearly stating that the cost of the repatriation of an au pair in case of serious injury or death will be borne by the host family or an insurance agency, and the requirement of additional insurance (medical/health/accident) in case the au pair gets sick or meets with an accident.

On its part, the Philippine government has instituted certain internal procedures meant to prevent human trafficking and provide a pre-departure orientatino seminar for au pairs in order to orient them about the new culture and environment awaiting them in Denmark.

In the past, conflicts between au pairs & host families had been attributed to a lack of understanding by the au pairs of the true meaning of the program and his/her role, rights and responsibilities. The Seminar is intended to address this gap.

The guidelines and procedures in the implementation of this new policy could be found in the headline section of the Embassy website.

Please note that host families who choose to transact business with au pair agencies should do so on their own responsibility. The Embassy and the Philippine government has not authorized any agency to recruit au pairs in its behalf.

In 2009, the Philippine Embassy in Oslo initiated the process of having the ban lifted by approaching the Ministry of Immigration of Denmark, which had indicated readiness to bridge the differing policies of the two governments on the au pair issue. Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs spearheaded the move to lift the ban, in consultation and coordination with the DOLE and POEA and the Bureau of Immigration.

After extensive discussions and negotiations with the government of Norway and various agencies in the Philippines, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment have announced the lifting of the ban on the deployment of au pairs bound for Norway. The order will take effect immediately. Norway is the only other country in Europe (the other is Switzerland) where the ban has been lifted.

Both agencies expressed satisfaction that the conditions prevailing in Norway warrant sufficient safety nets to promote and protect the rights and welfare of the au pairs in this country. The Norwegian government has also exercised flexibility and accommodation of the Philippine government’s requirements to provide safety nets to provide health insurance for au pairs as well as cover their repatriation in case of death or when they are no longer able to fulfil their contracts due to terminal illness and other similar reasons. According to the Norwegian authorities, the au pair contract has already been amended to reflect such provisions and will be effective in June 2010.

The POEA will be announcing the appropriate guidelines in implementing the order. Au pair contracts will now have to be submitted to the Philippine Embassy in Oslo for authentication. The contract will then have to be submitted to the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority (POEA) to obtain the necessary permit and for the applicants to undergo pre-departure orientation seminars to prepare them for their new life in Norway. The au pair will, of course, have to obtain the requisite visa from the Norwegian Embassy in Manila, The contract, the passport with the requisite visa and the POEA permit will be presented to the Bureau of Immigration upon departure.

The Embassy and the POEA have also developed a DVD to be used in the pre-departure orientation of future au pairs to acquaint them with their new life in Norway.

The Philippine Embassy reiterates its warning to au pairs not to give any amount to any party or middlemen to facilitate their departure. Any attempt to obtain money from au pairs, outside the official fees duly acknowledged with official receipts, should be reported immediately to the Philippine Embassy or the Department of Labor and Employment for appropriate action.

The Embassy is also in the final stages of negotiations with Denmark so that the ban could also be lifted on au pairs bound for this country. The Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Birthe Røhn Hornbech has indicated her positive response to the proposals of the Philippine Embassy on the matter.

With the lifting of the ban , the two countries have now aligned their otherwise divergent policies on the matter, and should, hopefully reduce or eliminate the factors leading to the exploitation of the system. Au pairs will now be given an opportunity to learn about Norway and in turn be able to help their host families.

This lifting ban doesn’t mean that the aupair problems will stop but will surely will increase but reading the Guidelines or a memorandum of Agreement between the two countries at least the aupairs will have the security in case they become sick or die during their au pair stay then they host family will shoulder their repatriation. (Will discuss it further next post)

The aspiring Filipino aupairs should always be reminded that the AUPAIR is not a DOMESTIC HELPER, know their aupair rights and of course speak up if you think you are being abused and don’t pay anything to middle men/illegal agents/agencies.

Entrance and raffle ticket take note you can stay until 10pm

Philippine 112th Independence Day Program

10:00 am Assemble time (Cph Culture Center Nørrebro)
10:30 Kalayaan Parade (come in Pilipino attire)
11:00 Formal Opening / Ribbon cutting by Am
11:30 Children program
13:00 First raffle draw
Live Band
Folk Dances
Song Number (solo)
Declamation

14:00 2nd raffle draw
“Harana Songs”
Balagtasan
Folk Dances

15:00 3rd Raffle draw
OPM live Band
Modern Dance
Martial Arts
Folk Dances
Song Number

16:00 4th Raffle draw
Choir NUmber
Fashion Show
Folk Dances
OPM Live Music
FINAL RAFFLE
Community Song

- – - -BREAK- – - -

19:00 CONCERT
*** RAY ANN FUENTES ***
Great artist, great voice and great spirit!!
Highly recommended!!

Program includes:

:: Bario Fiesta (where you can buy all Pilipino foods)
:: Book Launching
:: Documentary video (about heoes and independece and tourism)
:: atbp

Raffles Prizes
***********
First Prize : One Round trip ticket to Manila (Thai Airways)
Second Prize : Two Round trip tickets to any city in Europe (Premacel)
Third Prize : Laptop (Acer)
Fourth Prize : A week accomodation in Coco Beach Resort (C&C Travel)
Fifth Prize : Balikbayan boxes
***** AND DOZENS OF CONSOLATION PRIZES *****

The independence Day event is the first time diffrent organization joined together for one purpose to make the Independence Day in Denmark open for all and to present our culture to the other nationalities what make us unique and this is the time where the bayanihan spirit drives the FILCOM Denmark.

You can purchase tickets or inquire for the events by joining FILCOM-DK in Facebook or inquire direct to the following websites:

Networks:
:: PHIL.EMBASSY in Norway – www.philembassy.no
:: BABAYLAN – www.babaylan.dk
:: CCC – www.ccchurch.dk
:: FAD – www.fad4u.dk
:: FCC – www.fcccommunities.com
:: FILIPINO HOUSE
:: JIL-DK – www.jesusislordchurch.dk
:: MIGRANTE – http://migrante-europe.net
:: PDC – www.pilipinodanishcenter.dk
:: PUGAD – http://www.pugad.org/
:: Filipinsk-Dansk Gruppe
:: Mabuhay – DK

Wow that’s a good news but that doesn’t mean that the exploitation form the host families and illegal agents will stop. When you search in the net even the reporters like one I read in the Philippine stars keeps on mentioning Domestic helpers . Hello aupairs is not domestic helpers. There’s abig difference work wise and compensation wise. Basically au pair allowance  is around 400 euros for maximum of 30 hours/week and domestic helper or house help salary is usually from 750 euros working more than 8 hours/day  that’s what I heard from friends in Spain.

Would be au pairs applicants should know what they are entering into search and search in the net and now the POEA has standard contract and verification process they should also orient the applicants of their rights and be assertive and I  know their reproductive rights because that are the common problems we/ I encounter everyday. We can not complain that the host are exploiting the au pairs when they themselves allow them on the first place they or the agents are telling the applicants that will do everything because of they are former household helpers in Singapore and in Hongkong.

Our ambassador Her Excellency Elizabeth Buensuceso made an appeal to the Danish government and the Norwegian government for memorandum agreement meaning that they sit down and mutually agree to the terms of of the Philippine Government to protect the rights and welfare of the aupairs. She announced that Philippine government and the Norwegian counterpart were already finalizing the draft during Babaylan Denmark’s Au Pair Congress last November 2009 in Oslo but still no official lifting of the ban. What I know is that the Philippine government wanted an insurance besides the health insurance as you are automatically member if you have a permit to stay and repatriation in case something happens to the aupair like we experienced her in Denmark a couple of times

Hurrah no more escort fee at the airpor said some of the comments in this site’s facebook page. Well, that’s true whenever there’s an issue about au pair exploitation the press always focus more on the corruptions of officials in the airport and that makes you feel angry. Now that the Day care institution is deteriorating due to cost saving and long waiting time for the child to be accepted in the institution, the au pair system is a better options so I think that’s the reason why the au pair is becoming popular nowadays. Majority of Filipinos who worked as an au pair made their life better and experienced another cultur and able to go to places you will never imagine you will visit when you are in the Philippines so this is good news.

But there are also those who were not lucky and their life become a messed up instead of good memories so applicants check what is an au pair before applying http://www.filipinaaupair.net/index.php/what-is-an-au-pair/.

The Au pair network which consists of Babaylan DK and other Filipino organizations, FOA (labor union who is the only union who give time to look into aupairs problems),KIT, Members of the Parliament Thomas Jensen, a Social Democrat and Karen Krag, Socialistic People’s Party and a lot concern Danish from Hellerup Language Skole, to other people   from different walks of life who are concern about the aupair. The Au Pair Network did not won the contract which is my personal opinion was frustrating considering the that the majority of aupairs in Denmark are Filipinos that’s why we created this network.  This Aupair network also worked hard to press this issue to reach the session hall of the Parliament which approves this budget for aupair Support. Check my article about this Parliament hearing in my personal blog, The Filipinamom in Denmark.But even though we did not won or have any budget our network still is working for the betterment of the aupair in this country and we still have a lot cases with all sort of abuse from overwork to sexual harassment and in the worst case scenario rape by their host father.

But please call the AU PAIR SUPPORT use them because they have the facility and they have lawyers and that’s their job they get paid by helping you. I usually get their assistance if there are some aupair problems I can’t answer and they are very helpful.