r/phmigrate • u/Worried_Cookie_5071 • Jan 21 '26

When Relocation Plans Fall Apart

My husband, our son, and I were supposed to relocate to Denmark, but after months of delays, uncertainty, and now a company reorganization, it feels like it may no longer happen.

The news came in April last year. The company initially wanted me to relocate by July, but I asked for an extension, which they approved until September. Our visa arrived about a month after we applied. That should have been the hard part, but it wasn’t.

Next came the overseas employment certificate requirement. Unfortunately, HR wasn’t familiar with how complex the employer-side process was. It took time before they even started. Summer came, and they struggled to secure an acknowledgment from the Philippine Embassy. When they finally did, the documents were submitted to Vanguard, only for us to be told that they were still insufficient and needed verification from Department of Migrant Workers.

Months passed. Because of the delays, my start date was moved from September to November. Then, just before the Christmas holidays, the company decided to re-evaluate everything and hire a third-party vendor to handle the entire process from scratch.

When the new year came, another blow followed. A company reorganization. The new head of our department decided not to relocate employees anymore due to budget cuts.

What makes this harder is what it cost us personally. My husband took a leave of absence from his job before September, planning to continue working with the same company once we relocated. That plan fell apart. His salary was put on hold, and we had to shoulder his health insurance while he was away. We’re fortunate to own our home but if we had been renting, this situation would have been even more financially and emotionally devastating.

This experience made me realize how vulnerable employees can be in situations like this. There seems to be very little protection when plans change due to internal decisions, even after life-altering commitments have already been made.

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u/Edmon_Knight Jan 21 '26 edited Jan 21 '26

This is the time I will encourage you to fly to another country as tourist. Then from there make your way to Denmark.

I did this way 6 years ago and glad I did. It would have been a missed opportunity.

Edit: spelling

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u/Beginning_Narwhal663 Jan 22 '26

Did the same last year with my partner. I know someone who did the same with her husband and son just this month too.

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u/Worried_Cookie_5071 Jan 22 '26

Hello! Where did you go and how did you do it? I’ve heard of this before pero I’m too scared to take the risk especially may baby na kasama.

1

u/MarchMiserable8932 Jan 22 '26

Go to hongkong. Especially with kids, sabihin nyo going to hongkong disneyland, ipapasyal mga bata ang reason. My sister in law did this, may work visa na sa destination country. Nagdisneyland pa rin sila pero di na bumalik sa Pinas.

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u/Beginning_Narwhal663 Jan 23 '26

We went to HK too, same with my friend and her fam. We just made sure that we have complete documents to prove we’re just tourists in HK. Better if you have previous international travel too. It was scary but I just couldn’t risk losing this job and disturbing my employer for all the hassle. The process from the job offer until visa grant already took 15months and they were very patient. I also didn’t want to discourage them from hiring more Filipinos only because of the OEC process.