POEA suspends deployment of nurses abroad as annual limit reached

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has temporarily suspended the deployment of newly hired nurses, nursing assistants, and nursing aides.  The agency explained that this is because the annual limit has already been reached.

Here's the full statement:

"Pursuant to POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 17, series of 2020 on the lifting of the moratorium or temporary suspension on the deployment of nurses, nursing aides, and nursing assistants until it reaches the annual deployment ceiling of 5,000 of new hires for healthcare workers, this Administration hereby announces that the said ceiling has been reached as of date."

"In the view of the above, the processing and issuance of overseas employment certificates and the deployment of new hires for healthcare workers are hereby suspended effective immenediately. Healthcare workers who were already issued with their corresponding overseas employment certificates however are allowed to depart for their overseas employment.

"The Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE's) Mission Critical Skills Technical Working Group (MCS-TWG) continually studies and deliberates upon the issues to come up with policy recommendations for submission to the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force for Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for consideration or approval."

"For the information and guidance of all concerned."

BERNARD P. OLALIA
Administrator

In April 2020, POEA temporarily suspended the deployment of all health care workers “until the national state of emergency is lifted and until Covid 19-related travel restrictions are lifted at the destination countries.”

Then in September 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered that the deployment ban lifted but there will be limit of 5,000 each year.