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Why should you hire us?
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As one of Singapore's leading maid and domestic help agencies, we bear a very
special responsibility toward our clients and their families. The quality,
reliability, skills and integrity of our personnel is key to our clients'
lifestyle, convenience and total peace of mind.
We have a strong
presence in all key recruitment markets, including the Phillipines, Indonesia
and Sri Lanka, continually sourcing for personnel best suited to serve the needs
of different family types.
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| Q3. | How long we have been in business?
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Maid Management Service Pte Ltd is one of the pioneer in the maid industrial. We have
more 25 years of experience therefore is your best assurance.
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| Q4.
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What is our expertise and Speciality?
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As one of Singapore's leading maid and domestic help agencies, we bear a very
special responsibility toward our clients and their families. The quality,
reliability, skills and integrity of our personnel is key to our clients'
lifestyle, convenience and total peace of mind.
We have a strong
presence in all key recruitment markets, including the Phillipines, Indonesia
and Sri Lanka, continually sourcing for personnel best suited to serve the needs
of different family types.
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| Q5.
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What’s our commitment?
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In line with our corporate commitment to excellence in service and standards,
Maid Management Services stands as pioneers in this industry and were one of the
earliest maid placement agencies to seek external ratification and approval of
our corporate integrity, business ethics and practices, and consistently high
quality service. Maid Management Services was also one of the first agencies to
meet or surpass the ISO 9001:2000 standard and to be accredited with the
CastTrust award for business excellence and consumer confidence. We are also
accredited and in good standing with the relevant departments of the Philippine
and Indonesian embassies.
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| Q6.
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What are the countries Can I employ maid from?
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You can only employ maid from MOM (Ministry of Manpower) approved source of countries for FDW (Foreign Domestic Workers). The countries are: Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.
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| Q7.
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What is a security bond?
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A. | Employer is responsible for the repatriation of the maid. You are required to post a security deposit (bond) of $5,000 per maid with the Work Permit Department, MOM. If you fail to repatriate the maid after cancellation of her work permit, you risk losing the $5,000 security deposit (bond).
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| Q8. |
Can I avoid making the $5,000 security deposit?
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Yes, you can purchase an insurance policy with various options from ANDA, NTUC Income, and others to avoid making the $5,000/- deposit. However, you may (depending on the insurance package and options you purchase) still be liable for the $5,000 if you fail to repatriate the maid.
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| Q9.
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Personal Accident Insurance, Is it compulsory?
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Employers are required to purchase personal accident insurance coverage
for the maid, the minimum sum insured is $10,000. You can purchase such insurance with various options at the following
Insuring Agencies:
Augaries Insurance
116 Lavender Street
#02-05
Pek Chuan Building
Singapore 338730
Tel: 6293 6232
ANDA Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd
60 Eu Tong Sen Street
#01-13/14 Furama Hotel & Shopping Centre
Singapore 059804
Tel: 6534-2288
NTUC Income Insurance Cooperative Ltd
75 Bras Basah Road
NTUC Income Centre
Singapore 189557
Tel: 6336-3322
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| Q10. |
What medical checks are necessary for my maid and how often?
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Within 14 days of your maid arrival to Singapore, she must undergo a medical examination, and certified fit. Thereafter, the maid is required to undergo six-monthly medical screening, for VDRL, pregnancy, and HIV.
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| Q11.
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Am I responsible for the medical expenses of the maid?
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Yes, as an Employer, you are required to bear
the full cost of the medical care, including hospitalisation. It is advisable to have insurance coverage for hospitalisation
expenses for your maid. Depending on the options you choose when purchasing personal accident insurance coverage,
it may have been included. If not, you can always contact the following insurance companies like ANDA, or NTUC Income.
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| Q12. |
How much is the maid levy?
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The foreign maid's levy is $295/- per month or $10/- per day, payable to CPF Board as the
collection agent, collects the levy on behalf of MOM.
For families having young kids below 12yrs old or elderly parents above 65yrs old,
staying in the same residence, the foreign levy will be $200/- per month or $7/- per day.
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| Q13.
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Can I claim tax relief for maid levy?
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You can claim tax relief if:
* you are a married woman and has elected for separate assessment; or
* you are married and your husband is not resident in Singapore; or
* you are separated or divorced or widowed and living with your unmarried child for whom you can claim child relief.
The relief is two times the amount of maid levy paid for one maid. It can only be set off against the earned income
of the wife. Single Tax payers are not eligible for this relief. You can get the relief even if the levy is paid by the husband.
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| Q14.
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How do Maid remit money to her home country?
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Your maid would like to send her monthly salary back to her family regularly. You can engage remittance service from the following
List of Remittance Service Provider:
ActionPlus Remittance Services
133 New Bridge Road
#03-05CHINATOWN POINT
Singapore 059413
Chinatown
Phone: 6533-3083
E-mail: westernunion@actionplus.com.sg
Ameertech Remittance Services
291 Serangoon Road
#03-00 SERANGOON BUILDING
Singapore 218107
Serangoon
Phone: 6297-7707
J-Dee Remittance Services
2 Beach Road
#01-4791
Singapore 190002
North Bridge Road
Phone: 6294-8720
E-mail: jdeeremit@hotmail.com
Ace Orient Exchange Pte. Ltd.
400 Orchard Road
#022-28 ORCHARD TOWERS
Postal Code : 238875
Phone No: 67355525
Fax No: 67325575
Brunphil Express (S) Pte Ltd
304 Orchard Road
#02-83 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 67356204,67356205
Fax No: 67356690
CYS Express Exchange Pte Ltd
3 Shenton Way
#02-05 SHENTON HOUSE more addresses...
Postal Code : 068805
Phone No: 62262088
Fax No: 62260288
GPL Remittance Pte Ltd
5001 Beach Road
#01-77A GOLDEN MILE COMPLEX
Postal Code : 199588
Phone No: 62912991
King's Professional Cargo Service
304 Orchard Road
#04-19 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 67342387
Fax No: 67343991
Lekshmi Overseas Remittance Agency
304 Orchard Road
#04-25 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 67364033
Fax No: 67321910
Metro Remittance Centre
304 Orchard Road
#04-93 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 67348035
Fax No: 67349326
Ming Express Pte Ltd
5001 Beach Road
#01-14 GOLDEN MILE COMPLEX
Postal Code : 199588
Phone No: 62977602
Fax No: 62977585
One-Stop Remittance Centre
304 Orchard Road
#03-30 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 68340071
Fax No: 68340069
Pinoy Express Pte Ltd
304 Orchard Road
#02-30/31 & #03-76 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 67379002,68360046
Fax No: 67379467
Robin Remittance Trading Centre
304 Orchard Road.
#03-14 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 62350803
Fax No: 62359115
Tsoimpex Enterprises
304 Orchard Road
#04-69 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 68873932
Fax No: 68873142
Valutapos-TKI Pte Ltd
304 Orchard Road
#02-08 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 67330055
Fax No: 67372987
WG Express Remittance
304 Orchard Road
#B1-119 LUCKY PLAZA
Postal Code : 238863
Phone No: 67360892
Fax No: 68360968
Zhongguo Remittance Centre
710 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8,
#01-2611
Postal Code : 560710
Phone No: 64584456
Fax No: 64585567
Sonali Exchange Pte Ltd
587 Bukit Timah Road
#03-26, Coronation Plaza
Singapore 269707
Tel: 294-9862
Express Remittance
304 Orchard Road
#04-38 Lucky Plaza
Singapore 238863
Tel: 235-9849
Moneyhome Remittance Express
545 Orchard Road
#13-01 Far East Shopping Centre
Singapore 238882
Tel: 732-8777
AMA Remittance Pte Ltd
7500A Beach Road
#01-326 The Plaza
Singapore 199591
Tel: 293-1992
MoneyNet Remittance Service Pte Ltd
101 Upper Cross Street
#03-50
People's Parke Centre
Singapore 058357
Tel: 532-1142
Email: moneynet@magix.com.sg
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| Q15.
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Maid went missing?
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You should cancel her work permit immediately to stop the levy payment. You are then given 1 month to locate and repatriate her. Otherwise, you risk losing the $5,000 security deposit.
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| Q17.
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Where can I find more details?
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Please visit our Useful Links in menu bar and you will find links to Ministry of Manpower various departments. They have a lot of details there for employers as well as for new maids.
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| Q18.
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Can I ask my MAID to clean my windows?
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I live on the 13th floor. Can cleaning windows be justly considered a domestic chore?
Perhaps yes, perhaps no.
But is it worth arguing if one outcome of this obsession with clean windows may be the death of a young woman in the prime of her life? On August 3, 1999, The Straits Times reported "Maid falls 13 floors and dies".
On June 26, 2001 The Straits Times published a photo submitted by a Singaporean woman showing a maid precariously perched on the window sill six storeys above the ground. A fall from the 3rd storey will certainly kill. A fall from the 2nd storey may not always lead to death, but it may incapacitate the victim for the rest of her life.
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| Q19.
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Can I employ a MAID part-time if her employer does not object?
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No. Both the employer and the MAID are committing an offence. An MAID may not work for anyone other than the employer named in the work permit. It does not matter if she paid or not.
Before a work permit is issued to her, she has to acknowledge certain conditions, among them:
"2. I shall only work for the employer ... named in the work permit..."
"3. I shall not work for any other person, in any capacity, with or without monetary payments."
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| Q20.
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Can an employer ask her maid to clean up her mother's flat once a week?
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It is very clear that a foreign domestic worker may not
work for another person. The employer may not claim to be ignorant of this prohibition because he will have made a declaration
prior to the issuance of the work permit: "I shall not send the foreign worker to work for any other person..." (See Employer's Declaration, item 8)
and
"I shall ... employ the foreign domestic worker to perform only household/domestic duties at the residential address as shown on the work permit." (See Employer's Declaration, item 10)
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| Q21.
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How long will take to get a work permit application approved?
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It may take a couple of days - if all goes well.
It will usually take the first-time employer of MAID longer than the current employer of the Maid.
Occasionally one meets an unforeseen obstacle. Expatriate employer please take note. If an employer is
living on rented premises which used to be occupied by an employer of an MAID who has moved but fails
to notify the Work Permit Department, then the application by the new tenant will automatically be
rejected on the ground that there is already one foreign maid on the premises as the record (yet to be updated) shows.
Be sure to check with the landlord if the previous tenant had an MAID and if so if he has notified WPD that he has moved out.
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| Q22.
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If my maid is not paid for washing my mother's flat, is it still illegal?
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Yes, it is still illegal. An MAID before being issued a work permit makes the following promises, among others:
- "I shall work only for the employer and in the occupation specified in the work permit or visit pass."
- "I shall not work for any other person in any capacity, with or without monetary payments."
See conditions of Work Permit/Visit Pass for Foreign Worker, Conditions 2 and 3
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| Q23.
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In a transfer case, when may a maid report for work with her new employer?
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An application for a work permit for a maid may be submitted via LabourNet,
normally accessible only to licensed employment agencies.
After it is approved, the employer or his agent must furnish the MAID with an insurance policy to
cover personal accidents and hospitalisation at least 24 hours before the next step is taken to finalise the transfer.
This next step is sometimes referred to as "collection of work permit", or more accurately
"submission of documents required for the collection of work permit." When the application is approved,
it is then accessed from LabourNet and printed out by the agent, together with the approval,
usually referred to as the in-principle approval. On the so-called "date of collection"
the following documents are submitted to Work Permit Department:
- 1. the application,
- 2. the in-principle approval
- 3. the insurance policy
- 4. and miscellaneous other documents referred to elsewhere
At this time, the maid's current work permit is returned to the WPD and a new one issued,
but not physically. From that moment onward, the new employer is legally her employer with all
the responsibilities and privileges. The new employer is liable for Foreign Workers Levy henceforth
and the previous employer liability ceases. The physical work permit card may be collected a week later.
But the worker need not wait to collect the physical work permit card, she can start work on the so-called "date of collection".
Collection of the Work Permit is really a 2-step procedure
- Submit "In-principle approval" and supporting documents and get in return a "receipt" which might be viewed as a temporary work permit allowing the maid to start working for the new employer.
- Collect the actual Work Permit card (valid for about 2 years) one week later.
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| Q24.
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Must all MAIDs go home when their work permit expires?
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Yes, unless she finds alternative employment
(and is issued a new Work Permit that goes with the new job). The new employer would put up a security bond and
the old employer's bond then becomes null and void.
The old employer would be advice in due course, by Immigration, the his/her liability under the Security Bond is discharged.
But of course, it takes some effort, on the part of the MAID to find alternative employment.
The lead time is about 7-15 days, depending on the competence, aptitude, reason for the maid wanting a new job,
etc. Some Maids take forever to get another job and others are hired the moment they meet a prospective employer.
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| Q25.
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What are the obligations of the employer to the MAID?
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The employer owes it to the MAID:
- to pay her salary on a timely basis
- to provide adequate food and suitable
- to provide medical care (includes hospitalisation)
- to provide a safe working environment *
- to give her the respect due to another human being not matter how humble.**
- to treat her as a human being.***
Though the above duties are self-evident, there will be people who still fail to recognise their obligations as
employer and human beings.
* Some maids have fallen to their death while trying to clean the windows or putting out the laundry to dry.
** Others have been physically abused and one was beaten and went through hell for 9 months before she
finally died of injuries inflicted by her employer.
*** One maid was starved and beaten to death in Singapore. The maid weighed 50 kg when she came a
year and a half earlier. After 9 month of brutal abuse she weighed on 36 kg; had 200 bruises on her body.
But the people of Singapore do not condone this inhuman treatment. The judge sent the man to prison for 18« years. Read about it.
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| Q26.
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What are the obligations of the employer to the Immigration Department?
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The obligations of the employer to the Immigration Department are
stated clearly in the Security Bond.
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| Q27.
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What documents are needed for a first-time employer?
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For the purpose of applying for a work permit for an MAID,
a first-time employer is one who is not currently employing an MAID, even if he has employed an MAID earlier.
A first-time employer has to furnish more documents in support of his application. However,
if he is already employing one and wants to replace her, he has to furnish only his Identity
Card (citizens and permanent residents) or Passport and those of members of his family. There
is no need to establish his place of residence or ability to maintain a foreign domestic worker.
Supporting Documents to be submitted by First-Time Employers.
A local employer has to furnish
1. his Identity Card (as well as those of members of his household)
2. Proof of income in the form of
- Notice of Assessment (and that of the spouse if applicable)
- or his authority to the Ministry of Manpower to verify his income (and his spouse's if applicable) with the Internal Revenue Authority;
- or if he has recently returned after an extended absence, a letter by an officer of the company he is attached to showing
i. His position in the company
ii. His monthly income
iii. The date employment commences
- If Notice of Assessment is not available and the Employer has not paid income tax in the current or previous year,
i. his income tax assessment if he was working abroad
ii. and a statement from CPF showing his contribution for the last 3 months, if applicable.
An expatriate employer has to furnish
5. passport - of self and members of the family
6. employment pass and dependent pass of family members living with him/her
7. and one of the following:
- Notice of Assessment (if employer is liable for Singapore income tax) of himself and that of the spouse if applicable
- or employer's Authority to Ministry of Manpower to verify his (and his spouse's) income with Internal Revenue Authority.
- or, if he is new and therefore is not liable for income tax, a letter from an officer of the company he is attached to showing
i. His position in the company
ii. His monthly income in Singapore dollars
iii. The date employment commences
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| Q28.
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What is the Security Bond Protector?
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When the employment of a foreign maid ends she either
transfers to a new employer or goes home. Sometimes the maid is unable to find alternative employment and her employer
is required to cancel her work permit and repatriate her under the terms of the security bond.
However, sometimes the maid wants so very much to stay in Singapore and starts to play hide and seek with
her employer in the hope of avoiding the inevitable repatriation.
If she is not repatriated 30 days of the cancellation of her work permit, Immigration Department has the right
to seize the five-thousand dollar bond. If the employer succeeds in tracing the MAID and manages to persuade her to go home,
Immigration will consider his request for the refund of his bond.
To avoid losing one's bond, the employer is now able to buy an additional policy.
This policy protects the employer up to 90% of the bond and if the maids disappears
and cannot be found, the insurance company will pay Immigration $5,000, the employer
reimbursing the insurance company only $500, or only 10% of the amount.
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| Q29.
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What should I do when my Maid stops working?
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According to the terms of the Security Bond,
the employer has to repatriate the MAID when her work permit expires, unless it is extended for another period.
The maid may choose to transfer to another family.
Repatriation.
If the Employer does not extend the MAID's work permit and she is unable to find alternative employment within the period specified,
the Employer can either extend the notice period or cancel her work permit and repatriate her.
Transfer.
Often a maid would prefer to work for someone else rather than go home. She will then need:
- her employer's written consent (a form available from MOM is used for this).
- her passport (original)
- her work permit (original)
These three documents are required at the time the MAID or her agent
"collects" her new work permit. The old work permit card is retained by MOM.
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| Q30.
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How does one go about cancelling the work permit of an MAID?
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The ProcedureTo cancel the MAID's work permit, the employer is required to submit to MOM 4 documents:
1. A letter to MOM advising that she is terminating her maid's services and repatriating her. (A form letter for this purpose is available.)
2. A ticket to the MAID's country of domicile
3. Her passport
4. Her work permit card.
MOM will retain the letter and the work permit card and return to the employer the MAID's
passport and the ticket plus, in addition, a Special Pass. which permit the maid to stay until
she is repatriated. The two-year visit pass issued to her when she was first issued a work permit
is withdrawn and the maid thereafter relies on the Special Pass to stay on.
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| Q31.
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What is the salary of a first-time Maid?
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The salary of a first-time MAID, like that of her more
experienced colleague, is determined by the market. Two MAIDs working under very similar conditions may not necessarily get
the same pay. Filipino MAIDs are paid about SID 100 more than Sri Lankans or Indonesians.
- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration's stipulated minimum salary of SID 350 with one day off each week is not too much different from the market rate.
- Sri Lankans generally expect SID 200 if they speak no English and SID 225 if they speak some English.
- The minimum salary acceptable to an Indonesian MAID is SID 240. Some agencies set the salary at SID 250 if the MAID includes pork in their diet.
- Myanmar and ethnic Nepalese domiciled in India generally ask for and receive almost the same salary as Filipinos.
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