Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth - 8.8 on labor rights for migrant workers

Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act (Live-in Caregivers and Others), 2009,163 (Bill 210) prohibits a recruiter from charging a foreign national who is employed as a live-in caregiver a fee, directly or indirectly, for any service, good or benefit provided to the foreign national. Bill 210 also prohibits an employer from directly or indirectly recovering or attempting to recover any cost incurred by the employer in the course of arranging to employ the foreign national.

This Directive, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2008, aims to guarantee protection to temporary workers by recognizing temporary work agencies as employers, while encouraging greater diversity in contractual employment arrangements.

The agreements established a clearly defined recruitment process which must be followed by all parties, including by private recruitment agencies (PRAs). They specify that the Canadian employers should first inform their domestic Employment and Immigration Departments about the availability of jobs and seek permission to recruit. If the permission is granted, the Departments then relays the information to the Philippines Department of Labour and Employment which in turn alerts licensed PRAs in the Philippines to the recruitment opportunities.

The agreement aims to meet the temporary seasonal needs of Canadian agricultural producers during peak harvesting and planting periods. Under this Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme the government of Trinidad and Tobago established public authorities in Trinidad and Tobago and in Toronto, Canada to oversee recruitment and placement.

The Republic of Korea introduced the Employment Permit System (EPS) in 2004, which recognized the need for low-skilled workers by Korean enterprises (particularly of small and medium sizes) in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and services, and introduced a government–to-government labour recruitment programme based on mandatory MOUs with 15 countries in Asia. A major achievement is the reduction in the average cost paid by a worker from US$3,509 under the trainee system in 2002 to US$927 under the EPS system in 2011.

UAE law includes the prohibition of accepting or demanding payment from workers whether before or after recruitment (Article 18 of UAE Labour Law No. 8, 1980).
The provision stipulates:
"It is not permissible for any licensed labour agent or supplier to demand or accept from any worker whether before or after his recruitment, any commission or material reward in consideration for arranging such recruitment, nor may he obtain from him any expenses except as may be decided or approved by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Since 2015, foreign workers coming to Russia in a visa-free regime can work on the basis of special license and documents, so-called labor patent.

The government’s "Assist WELL" Program caters to returning Filipino migrant workers displaced from their jobs due to war, epidemic, calamities, and other critical situations at their worksites.

The acronym WELL refers to 'Welfare, Employment, Livelihood, and Legal services' offered by the Labor Department to overseras Filipinos workers, with the participation of its attached agencies. 

There is a bilateral agreement between Indonesia and the Republic of Korea on the placement of Indonesian labor migrants to ensure their fair treatment according to the Korean employment permit system scheme.                          

In Sri Lanka officials admit that going through the formal channel does not guarantee that migrants will receive their agreed-upon salary.