Key Points

• The Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) serves as an exit pass or clearance for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) departing the Philippines to return to their country of employment.
• In Australia, the Migrant Workers Office—formerly the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Canberra—handles the processing of OECs.
• With various Australian visa types, including student and temporary graduate visas, Labor Attaché Melissa Mendizabal clarified who is required to secure an OEC.