The
Philippine Embassy in Oslo wishes to warn Filipino nurses and
healthcare workers about misleading information currently circulating
online and peddled by a growing number of “consultancy” firms about the
supposed abundance and ease of finding nursing and other healthcare jobs
in Norway.
Said consultancy firms make these unsuspecting Filipinos believe that
getting a nursing or healthcare job in Norway is easy, advertising
misleading information such as “NO IELTS and/or PRC License needed”
among other gimmicks, when in truth, it is not easy to find work as a
foreign nurse or healthcare worker in Norway.
While it is true that IELTS is not required by most health care
employers in Norway, this is only because English is not the primary
language used by the country and its healthcare sector. Instead, foreign
nurses and healthcare practitioners wishing to work in Norway have to
pass a different and much harder Norwegian language exam and take other
exams in order to be deemed employable as a nurse or healthcare worker
in Norway and to do so requires that the Filipino be ready to spend a
large amount for his or her tuition for further studies, board and
lodging, etc. while in Norway.
And while a PRC license may not be needed for the processing of one’s
visa application, said license is still required by relevant
authorities in Norway in order for a foreign healthcare worker to be
properly recognized as such in Norway.
Moreover, these Filipino nurses and healthcare practitioners should
be advised that authorization from SAK (Statens Autorisasjons-Kontor) or
the relevant Norwegian government authority does not equal work or
employment nor is it equal to a nursing license. It merely recognizes
that the Filipino has the qualifications of a healthcare worker, nothing
more. Authorization/Autorisasjon does not equal work.
Authorization/Autorisasjon is not equal to a nursing license in Norway.
Another alarming aspect about the proliferation of these consultancy
firms is that they charge these unsuspecting Filipinos with, often,
large sums of money for information and services that the Filipino can
actually obtain for free and do by himself or herself if the latter only
consulted the appropriate websites (i.e. Norwegian Embassy, SAK, etc.).
The Embassy has reported this alarming situation to the DFA and DOLE
and it has handled several cases involving victimized Filipino nurses
and healthcare workers who have been duped by these unscrupulous
consultancy firms. Said Filipinos usually arrive in Norway without an
employer and sometimes without even a place to stay. Most are deeply in
debt and have no means to fund their stay in Norway, which is one of the
most expensive countries in the world. Their situation makes them
vulnerable to further abuse and victimization.
It is not easy to find work as a foreign nurse or healthcare worker in Norway.
While the Philippine government is working hard to address this
matter, the Philippine Embassy is enjoining the Filipino Community in
Norway to help spread this advisory and warn Filipinos about these
unscrupulous consultancy firms and the false information currently being
spread by the latter.
Moreover, related to this matter, the Embassy also wishes to
reiterate its previous warning about various unlicensed, unaccredited
and informal Norwegian Language Schools/Courses proliferating in the
Philippines, enticing many Filipino professionals, especially nurses, to
pay unreasonable fees for language classes that are staffed by
unlicensed and/or untrained teachers for the chance to land well-paying
jobs that are supposedly awaiting the student in Norway upon completion
of the language course.
The Embassy wishes to warn the public of the pitfalls of falling prey
to these unaccredited schools and agents. The Norwegian Government has
not accredited, licensed or recognized any Norwegian Language
School/Course operating in the Philippines for profit nor does it deal
or cooperate with any agent or agency. The Norwegian Embassy has
released several warnings about said schools and agents such as the link
below and encourages visa applicants to go to the Norwegian Embassy
directly.
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/news/agents/
Filipinos who have fallen victim to these Philippine Norwegian
Language schools arrive in Norway expecting to immediately find work
only to discover that further Norwegian language courses are needed at
additional expense and that the visa issued to them by the Norwegian
Embassy is not enough time for them to finish the needed language
courses and find a job. This makes them vulnerable to abuse and human
trafficking.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/permits/language/
Filipino professionals wishing to practice their profession in Norway
should equip themselves with the proper information by visiting trusted
information sources such as Norwegian government websites (Norwegian
Embassy in Manila, Norwegian Labor & Welfare Organization or NAV,
Norwegian Registration Authority for Health Personnel or SAK, etc.) to
avoid falling victims to human trafficking and so as to be in full
control of their professional future.
For more information about Norwegian visas and permits, please visit:
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/visas/
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/visas/schengen/
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/permits/
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/permits/language/
http://www.norway.ph/embassy/visainfo/permits/jobseeker/
For more information about accreditation as a healthcare worker, please visit:
http://www.sak.no
