Administrative assistants, executive secretaries, receptionists, document controllers, HR and procurement assistants: the office workforce UAE companies have staffed from the Philippines for thirty years — degree-holding, English-fluent, and recruited through a DMW-licensed agency rather than a Facebook post.
The Philippines graduates hundreds of thousands of business, accounting and IT students a year, in English. That is why UAE offices — trading companies, contractors, clinics, law firms, family groups — have long staffed administration, reception and document control from the Philippines. The candidates read and write business English natively, run Microsoft Office and common ERPs, and have usually already worked in a multinational or a BPO.
What we change is the route: recruited in Manila through a DMW-licensed agency, screened and tested before you interview, and documented — instead of a visit-visa candidate with an unattested degree.
Office roles sit at MoHRE skill levels 2–4 and require attested degrees or diplomas. Philippine documents are apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs; we run this in Manila before the visa so the entry permit is not delayed. On mainland, skilled expatriate hires increase the base against which your Emiratisation percentage is measured — our Dubai company advises on that before you recruit. Everything here is subject to applicable UAE MoHRE or free-zone, licensing, attestation and visa requirements.
On the UAE side, your company is the sponsor: a signed job offer, MoHRE work-permit approval (or the free-zone equivalent), an entry permit valid sixty days, then medical, Emirates ID biometrics, contract registration and the residence visa — typically two to four weeks once documents are complete. Roles are classified by MoHRE skill level; levels 1–2 require an attested degree, levels 3–4 a diploma. Our UAE company, licensed for HR consultancy in Dubai, advises on classification, attestation and Emiratisation standing and coordinates the sequence with your PRO — it does not place or supply workers, and the employment relationship is yours.
Typing and MS Office tasks, a business-English writing test, a role-specific exercise (a document-control scenario, a travel booking, a minutes draft) and a video interview — at Prime Search's facilities in Makati, recorded for you.
For skill levels 1–2 yes; level 3–4 needs an attested diploma. We attest in Manila.
On mainland, skilled roles are the base the quota is calculated on; adding skilled expatriates raises the number of Emiratis required. We advise before you recruit.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.