Key takeaway: Check recruiters with the DMW, UK Health and Care Worker sponsorship, Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker cooperation with the Philippines and Canada’s Express Entry rules; unsupported rankings and cost tables were removed.

Check recruiters and exit documents

The Department of Migrant Workers publishes lists of licensed Philippine recruitment agencies; one DMW list of agencies approved as sending organisations is dated 21 March 2025. Japan’s Immigration Services Agency also notes that Filipino Specified Skilled Workers must obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) from the DMW and present it when leaving the Philippines. Confirm the agency and job directly with the DMW before paying any fee.

DMW: list of licensed recruitment agencies approved as sending organisations Immigration Services Agency of Japan: SSW bilateral memoranda of cooperation

United Kingdom: Health and Care Worker visa

The Health and Care Worker visa is for qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals working in an eligible job for a UK employer approved by the Home Office, with a certificate of sponsorship. Applicants on this route and their partner or children do not pay the immigration healthcare surcharge.

GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker visa

Japan: Specified Skilled Worker cooperation

Japan’s Immigration Services Agency lists a bilateral Memorandum of Cooperation on Specified Skilled Workers with the Philippines and describes the sending procedure. Eligible fields, tests and language requirements change, so check the agency’s current pages for your field instead of relying on a summary.

Immigration Services Agency of Japan: SSW bilateral memoranda of cooperation

Canada and the United States

A Canadian Federal Skilled Worker needs at least 67 points on the IRCC eligibility grid; a job offer can add points but is not required, and IRCC invites candidates from the Express Entry pool by Comprehensive Ranking System points. For the US Diversity Visa programme, natives of the Philippines were not eligible for DV-2026.

IRCC: Federal Skilled Worker Program eligibility IRCC: Express Entry rounds of invitations U.S. Embassy: DV-2026 instructions

Questions before acting

Which country is best for Filipinos?

This review does not rank destinations. Choose by the route you qualify for, and verify the recruiter and employer.

Can Filipinos enter the US Diversity Visa lottery?

Natives of the Philippines were not eligible for DV-2026. Check the official instructions for each programme year.

Corrections in this revision

The previous version included statements without sufficient direct support. This revision removes or corrects:

  • Destination ranking, diaspora population figures and cost-and-timeline table without sources
  • Japan SSW statements (JLPT N4 for all, SSW-2 limited to construction and shipbuilding) not supported by current official pages
  • UK NMC registration budget and processing ranges presented as typical

Review scope: legal and financial statements in this revised article. Recheck on a provider, professional, immigration or tax-rule change; reuse of dated figures requires a new check.

See recorded sources

These primary references have the jurisdiction, product and scope stated above. A source link is not proof of personalised eligibility.

Build your destination shortlist

Use the checks in this article to frame your next comparison. Explore the recorded country information, then use the questionnaire to describe the pathway you want to investigate.

United Kingdom · Japan · Canada

How we record our sources. The questionnaire presents recorded programme information; it does not decide eligibility.

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About the author

António Mira is the founder of whereTOemigrate. For over a decade he has worked at the intersection of Portuguese real estate and overseas business, helping international clients navigate the cross-border decisions that come with relocating. He sits on the board of CCIAP (Portuguese-Arab Chamber of Commerce), the Portuguese-Saudi Business Council, and the Portugal-Hong Kong Business Association — always with one focus: enabling overseas business and human mobility into and out of Portugal.

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