DMW padlocks firm offering Canada entry to Filipinos

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday closed down the office of Dream Pathway Education and Immigration Services (Dream Pathway), an immigration consultancy firm said to be illegally offering jobs as an entry point to permanent residency in Canada.

DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac ordered the closure of Dream Pathway’s main office in Mandaluyong and its three branches for illegally recruiting Filipino nurses, caregivers, nursing aides, and welders to work in Canada.

Also padlocked were Dream Pathway’s three branches in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; Apalit, Pampanga; and Lipa City, Batangas.

“Dream Pathway is among the unauthorized entities taking advantage of Canada’s immigration programs, which are being used as a doorway to Canada for temporary work before reaching permanent residency. Aside from not securing a proper license from the DMW, they are charging exorbitant processing fees to hopeful applicants,” Cacdac said.

According to Cacdac, the Dream Pathway offered various jobs in Canada but charged applicants with P110,000 as professional fee under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) program.

However, Cacdac said that Filipinos bound for Canada under AIP must undergo contract verification and documentary processing by the DMW as legal documentation as OFWs, whether through direct hire processing or a licensed Philippine recruitment agency and no fees are collected.

The DMW also reminded everyone that all Filipinos bound for employment in Canada must undergo proper document verification and processing with the DMW for legal documentation as migrant workers.