This is a list of current and past bans on the deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) or Filipino migrant workers to other countries.
Background The Philippine government assesses which countries where Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) can be deployed to by evaluating the general peace and order situation in the country as well as working conditions for migrant workers in a certain country.
Peace and order The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines issues four levels of crisis alert levels, a travel warning which also serves as a basis for labor deployment bans for Filipino migrant workers to certain countries. +Crisis Alert LevelsAlert LevelAction1 "Precautionary phase", No deployment ban2 "Restriction phase" and ban on deployment of newly hired Overseas Filipino Workers only3 Voluntary repatriation and total ban on deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers4 Mandatory repatriation and total ban on deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers
Worker conditions Aside from countries experiencing problems with peace and order, the Philippine government can also restrict deployment of Filipino workers to countries determined by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs to be non-compliant to the Republic Act 10022 also known as Amended Migrant Workers Act.
A country can be assessed as compliant with the said law if it:
Has existing labor and social laws protecting the rights of workers, including migrant workers; Is a signatory to and/or a ratifier of multilateral conventions, declarations or resolutions relating to the protection of workers, including migrant workers; and Has concluded a bilateral agreement or arrangement with the government on the protection of the rights of overseas Filipino workers;
International companies and contractors with operations in non-compliant companies can still deploy Filipinos to countries with no existing ban.
Current bans Nationwide CountryTypeSinceNotesAfghanistanTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.ChadTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.CubaTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.BurundiTotalUnstable peace and order situationHaitiTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.LibyaPartialMauritaniaTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.MaliTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.Federated States of MicronesiaTotalAn initial total ban ordered on OFW deployment to Micronesia in September 2018 due to reports of abuses and maltreatment of Filipino workers was partially lifted later that month, exempting returning workers from the ban.North KoreaTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.NigerTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.PalauPartialBan applies only for domestic workersPalestineTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.RwandaTotalUnstable peace and order situationSomaliaTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act; Unstable peace and order situationSouth SudanPartialSyriaTotalUnstable peace and order situationYemenTotalUnstable peace and order situationUkraineTotalUnstable peace and order situation (Russian invasion of Ukraine)ZimbabweTotalNon-compliance to Amended Migrant Workers Act.
Ban on select areas Region / AreaCountryTypeSinceNotesChechnyaRussiaTotalUnstable peace and order situationIraqi KurdistanIraqPartialRest of IraqTotalUnstable peace and order situationNationwide except Khartoum and Kenana Sugar Plantation in the White NileSudanTotalUnstable peace and order situation
Previous bans CountryTypeFromNotesNigeriaTotal–A total ban was imposed in January 2007 following incidents of kidnappings in Nigeria. Partially lifted in March 2007 to allow returning Filipino migrant workers employed in Nigeria. Total ban was reimposed in 2008 and includes Filipino seafarers boarded on ships docking on Nigerian ports.Partial–Total–Partial–KuwaitTotal–Due to the 2018 Kuwait–Philippine diplomatic crisis the Philippines banned the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait in February 2018. Deployment of "skilled" and "semi-skilled" were allowed on May 12 and the ban was completely lifted on May 16.Partial–LibyaTotal–POEA suspended the deployment of Filipino workers to Libya due to political unrest. In December 2011, workers in the medical and petroleum industry began to be gradually deployed to Libya. The situation in Libya was assessed to have been improved when the Alert Level on Libya was reduced to level 1 from level 2 on February 23, 2012, and the ban was fully lifted in March 2012.Partial–
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