Has anyone hired a helper w/o going through an agency? I may hire my helper's sister from Phillippines and would like to know if anyone has any experience with processing the paperwork by oneself? Is it too much of a headache to even consider doing it oneself?
my helper did all teh work and running around...since yr helper to be is not here her sister should do all the work....it is very simple and will save u all the money...though for direct hores i was told that going thru an agency can save a lot of time...do re-check with the philippie consulate once again....all the best
I did it all myself with some help from my domestic helper. It really wasn't a problem nor was it difficult so long as I had all of the documentation that was requested. Good Luck!
I've done it both ways. It can be straightforward, but you can also run into difficulties. When you do, it can be extremely frustrating.
An agency does not charge much. I forget exactly - not more than 2k excluding flights.
I did it myself as well. It is a little bit more work, but overall not too bad, and the lines aren't too long. 2 benefits are 1) it saves you the agency fees, and 2) your helper isn't required to pay the respective agency in the Philippines its fees, which can be quite a lot. Here's the website link: http://www.philcongen-hk.com/media/2008/news011608.htm
Previously we've had helpers do it themselves but last time we used an agency. I'd try to avoid an agency in the future as they really stuffed us about and getting the visa through them actually took longer than previously when the helpers did it themselves. Another friend used the same agency and they had similar problems. Most helpers know their way around so it shouldn't be an issue for them to do it themselves.