Philippines: Amendments to Simplify and Streamline Labor Market Test, Other Alien Employment Permit Processes

The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued an order that will introduce amendments aimed at further simplifying and streamlining the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) process, effective November 11, 2026. Among the notable changes:

• reduced standard government processing time from 15 to 10 business days, subject to an extension of up to an additional 10 business days;
• discontinuation of newspaper publication for the Labor Market Test; and
• a revised payment process. 

Certain aspects of the new framework remain subject to clarification as DOLE transitions to the new process. Fragomen is closely monitoring developments and will provide a more detailed update in the coming days as further information and implementation guidance become available. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.