WORKSHOP ON UNSCRUPULOUS IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS Regional Conference on Migration

1. WORKSHOP ON UNSCRUPULOUS IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTSRegional Conferenceon Migration “The International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS)” Guatemala City 17th December , 2014 Ricardo Cordero Senior Regional Specialist Labour Migration – IOM Regional Office

2. Presentation Overview • International labour recruitment: the key issues • What do we mean by fair and ethical recruitment? • Global trends • IOM’s experience in labour recruitment & lessons learned • Public-Private Alliance for Fair and Ethical Recruitment • The International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) • Benefits for all stakeholders • IOM’s role in IRIS • Next steps

3. International labour recruitment: the issues • Recruitment is the most important step in the labour migration process. • Unethical recruitment negatively impacts upon government programmes and regulatory frameworks. • Fraudulent recruitment has broader implications on individuals and businesses.

4. International labour recruitment: the issues • Implications of unethical recruitment for workers, employers and the recruitment industry:

5. International labour recruitment: the issues • Implications of unethical recruitment for countries of origin: • Links to organized crime and trafficking rings • Decreased remittance transfers • Decreased development benefits • Implications of unethical recruitment for countries of destination: • Downward pressure on labour market for nationals • Compromised integrity of immigration and labour market programmes • Increased irregular migration

6. What do we mean by fair or ethical recruitment? • No fees to job seekers; employers pay full costs of recruitment. • No unlawful retention of passports, identity documents or other personal property. • Transparency in the recruitment process; all intermediaries should be identified and registered (when regulations exist). • No contract substitution; contract should be in the worker’s own language. • Redress mechanisms to resolve conflict. • Respect for all labour rights provided by law.

7. Current global trends • Convergence of efforts in promoting fair recruitment • Companies have a growing understanding of the need for ethical and fair labour recruitment to meet their needs. • Companies are increasingly linking recruitment abuses to other employment-related abuses in their supply chains. • Acceptance that unethical recruitment is a global problem requiring a global solution.

8. IOM’s experience in labour recruitment • IOM is a trusted partner in international recruitment facilitation • >10,000 workers from Colombia, El Salvador,Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras and Mauritius destined to Canadian, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish companies. • Increasing interest from both private sector and governments concerned with integrity in the recruitment and migration process.

9. IOM’s experience in labour recruitment Core components of IOM recruitment facilitation: • Partnerships with governments (source and destination), directly with employers and with other recruitment agencies • Creation of databases of available workers in targeted occupations/ sectors • Pre-screening, qualifications and skills testing, selection and up-skilling • Pre-departure orientation, both cultural and pre-employment (tailored to the specific employer and location of work) • Medical and security screening • Assistance with immigration processing • Travel arrangements and transit assistance • Return and reintegration assistance

10. Lessons learned • Engagement with governments is important • Witness to enforcement gaps of regulations governing recruitment intermediaries • Know your clients (employers, other recruiters) – due diligence in terms of ensuring shared values • Empower migrants as much as possible so they can make informed decisions • Competition from unscrupulous intermediaries

11. Public-Private Alliance for Fair and Ethical Recruitment • IOM is creating a PPA open to all stakeholders committed to seeking new ways to address unethical recruitment: • Recruiters and Temporary Employment Agencies • Governments • Intergovernmental Organizations • Civil Society Organizations • Employers/Brands

12. International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) • Through the Public-Private Alliance, IRIS will: • Establish an accreditation and auditing framework for international labour recruitment based on a code of conduct. • Operate on the basis of voluntary membership for recruiters and employers • Bridge the jurisdictional and regulatory gaps between countries of origin and destination. • Institute a complaints and referral mechanism. • Reduce unethical recruitment through capacity building with governments, recruiters and employers.

13. Benefits for all stakeholders • Dissemination of reliable information on fair recruitment practices. • Transparency in recruitment practices. • Level playing field for ethical recruiters and employers. • Brand protection and the promotion of socially responsible business. • Maximized development gains for individual migrant workers, their countries of origin and countries of destination. • Promotion of legal immigration and fair treatment of foreign workers/new immigrants.

14. IOM’s role in IRIS • IOM is facilitating the creation of the Public-Private Alliance for Fair and Ethical Recruitment . • Dissemination of information and creation of broad international membership capitalizing on IOM’s global footprint. • IRIS aims to become self-sustaining and independent, with IOM as its Secretariat.

15. Next steps • Finalize IRIS Guiding Principles and Code of Conduct(in close coordination with partners). • Convene working groups with partners to develop the operational procedures for the Certification Process and Monitoring Protocol. • Implement three pilot projects in selected migration corridors to test the IRIS Certification Process. • Consolidate IRIS governance involving key stakeholders in order to preserve impartiality and transparency. • Enhance IRIS visibility and dissemination, including the website and the Internet portal.

16. Thank youRicardo Corderorcordero@iom.intIOM - Regional Office for Central America, North America and the Caribbean San Jose, Costa RicaPhone #: + 506.2221.5335 IRIS@iom.inthttp://iris.iom.int/