Fair recruitment

How to check a recruiter before you pay or sign

Licensing authorities in several countries give similar advice: confirm the licence on the official register, know the legal fee limit, keep receipts and report problems early. The details below are examples from official sources.

• Check the licence on the authority's own register. Hong Kong's Labour Department runs a search of licensed agencies on its Employment Agencies Portal, and India's Ministry of External Affairs tells jobseekers to confirm a recruiting agent through the List of active RA on the eMigrate portal.^1,2
• Look for the licence number. India's Ministry of External Affairs says registered recruiting agents must display their licence number at their office and in their advertisements.²
• Know the legal fee limit where one exists. In Hong Kong an agency may take no more than 10 percent of the first month's wages after placement. In Singapore the cap is one month of fixed salary per year of service, up to two months. In the United Kingdom agencies cannot charge work seekers a fee for work finding services, with different rules for entertainment and modelling.^1,3,4
• Ask for receipts and check official documents. Hong Kong's Labour Department says job seekers should get a receipt for commission paid. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower says foreign workers can check the agency fee in their in principle approval letter before arrival.^1,3
• Be careful with offers found on social media. The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers has warned against illegal recruiters online, and the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation runs a call centre to verify social media accounts that promote domestic workers.^5,6
• Report quickly. Hong Kong's Labour Department notes that prosecution for overcharging and unlicensed operation must begin within 12 months of the offence.¹

Sources

1. Labour Department, Hong Kong, Things you should know when using the service of an employment agency (22 October 2026)
2. Ministry of External Affairs, India, Advisory on overcharging by agents for overseas recruitment, offering fake overseas jobs and illegal recruitment (27 March 2024)
3. Ministry of Manpower, Singapore, How will foreign workers know the amount that they are expected to pay the Singapore EA? (3 July 2024)
4. GOV.UK, Employment agencies and businesses (16 October 2026)
5. The Philippine Star, DMW issues warning anew vs illegal recruiters (9 September 2024)
6. Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, UAE, MoHRE: 12 unlicensed domestic worker recruitment offices closed and referred to Public Prosecution (25 February 2026)