Insight · dmw licenses
DMW License Status Changes: What Changed in October 2026
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Quick answer
We counted the DMW license status changes in October 2026 on the public list of licensed recruitment agencies. Across our copies of 2, 14 and 25 October 2026, 33 agency records changed status: 8 went from Expired to Valid License and 11 went from a valid status to Expired. Another 20 kept a valid status but showed a later expiry date.
According to the DMW list as of 25 October 2026, 1,165 agencies carry a valid license. A status change in our copy is not a judgement about any agency. The list does not say why a status changed, and the DMW website is always the final word.
What did we compare on the DMW list?
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) publishes one list of recruitment agencies. Each record shows a license status, a status date and a license expiry date. We copy this list for our agency search, and we now copy it once a week.
For this post we compared four copies: 25 September (our starting point), 2 October, 14 October and 25 October 2026. Our last copy finished on 25 October 2026 at 21:03 Manila time. For each agency record we checked whether the status or the expiry date was different from the copy before.
We show status labels exactly as DMW publishes them. The list writes the Provisional and Full labels after "Valid License" with a hyphen; we put them in brackets. We name no agency in this post.
Which DMW license statuses changed in October 2026?
Here are all 33 status changes, by the copy in which we first saw them. A change seen on 2 October happened between our copies of 25 September and 2 October.
| From | To | 2 Oct | 14 Oct | 25 Oct | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expired | Valid License | 0 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Valid License | Expired | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Valid License (Provisional) | Expired | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Valid License (Full) | Expired | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Valid License | Suspended (Document Processing) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Suspended (Document Processing) | Valid License | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Valid License | Suspended | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Valid License | Cancelled | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Valid License (Provisional) | Valid License (Full) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Valid License (Full) | Valid License | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 20 | 8 | 33 |
Three things stand out. First, statuses move both ways. Eight records went from Expired back to Valid License, while 11 went from a valid status to Expired. Second, the suspension label "Suspended (Document Processing)" came and went: 4 records moved into it and 4 moved out. Third, there was 1 cancellation, seen in our copy of 25 October.
The copy of 14 October had the most changes, with 20. That copy came 12 days after the one before it, so it covered a longer gap.
What other changes did we see besides the status?
Not every change is a change of status. Three other kinds showed up.
| Change | 2 Oct | 14 Oct | 25 Oct | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Same valid status, later expiry date | 0 | 14 | 6 | 20 |
| Records not in our earlier copies | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
Later expiry dates. In 20 records the status stayed valid, but the expiry date moved later. The DMW list has no field that says "renewed", so this is how a renewal usually shows up. In our copy of 25 October, one more record kept its status but showed an earlier expiry date than before.
Records not in our earlier copies. Eight records appeared for the first time in October. All 8 carry a valid status: 5 Valid License and 3 Valid License (Provisional).
Records no longer on the list. Five records that were in an earlier copy did not appear in a later one. Two were last seen on 14 October, 2 on 2 October and 1 on 25 September. The list does not say why a record leaves it.
What do these statuses mean for you?
Our guide to checking an agency gives the simple test. Only an agency with a valid license and an expiry date that has not passed may recruit you. An agency with any status other than a valid license cannot recruit you now.
Expired means only what the DMW list says: the license shown has passed its expiry date. The agency may renew it. The 8 records that went from Expired back to Valid License this month show that this happens. Until the DMW list itself shows a valid status and a new expiry date, the agency cannot recruit you.
Suspended, Suspended (Document Processing) and Cancelled are not valid licenses. If your agency shows one of them, do not pay or sign anything more. Keep your receipts, contract and messages, and ask DMW what it means for your application.
Valid License (Provisional) and Valid License (Full) are both valid labels. A move from one to the other is not a loss of license.
Our earlier posts explain the rest. Read which licenses expire in the coming months and how many agencies lost their license in 2026. For what the law says about recruiting for jobs abroad without a license, see our page on recruitment penalties.
How do I check an agency's current status?
- Open the DMW list yourself. Go to the DMW list of licensed recruitment agencies. Do not use a link sent in chat.
- Search the name again. Do this on the day you pay, sign or hand over documents. You can also look in our agency search or browse our copy from A to Z.
- Read the status and the expiry date. Look for a valid status and a date that has not passed.
- Ask DMW if anything is unclear. Call the DMW-OWWA hotline 1348, or +632 1348 from abroad, or email mwpb@dmw.gov.ph.
Our agency pages show the DMW status in a fixed sentence. We do not rate, rank or review agencies.
How we counted. We used our copies of the public DMW list read on 2, 14 and 25 October 2026, with 25 September 2026 as the starting point. The list of 25 October holds 3,793 agency records in all statuses. We counted one change per record per copy and took each status exactly as published.
Frequently asked questions
How many DMW license statuses changed in October 2026?
We compared our copies of the DMW list of licensed recruitment agencies from 25 September, 2 October, 14 October and 25 October 2026. In October, 33 agency records changed status. Eight went from Expired to Valid License, 11 went from a valid status to Expired, and 1 went from Valid License to Cancelled. The other 13 moved into or out of suspension, or from one valid label to another (Provisional to Full 2, Full to Valid License 1).
Does a status change on the DMW list mean the agency did something wrong?
No. A status change in our copy is not a judgement about the agency. The DMW list shows the new status, the status date and the expiry date. It does not say why the status changed. Read the status exactly as DMW publishes it, and ask DMW through the hotline 1348 if you need to know what it means for you.
How do I know if an agency renewed its DMW license?
The DMW list does not have a field that says renewed. What you can see is the expiry date. In October 2026, 20 records kept a valid status and showed a later expiry date in our newer copy, which is how a renewal usually appears. Search the agency on the DMW list and read the status and expiry date shown that day.
How many agencies have a valid DMW license as of 25 October 2026?
According to the DMW list as of 25 October 2026, 1,165 agencies carry a valid license status. That count adds four labels: Valid License (1,105), Valid License (Provisional) (40), Valid License (Full) (19) and VALID LICENSE (EXTENDED) (1). The list holds 3,793 agency records in all, because the list also keeps agencies that closed or lost their license.
How often should I check an agency on the DMW list?
Check it on the day you pay, sign or hand over documents. In October 2026 alone, 33 statuses changed across three of our copies, and some changed in both directions. A status you saw last week may not be the status today. The DMW website is always the final word. Call the DMW-OWWA hotline 1348 if anything is unclear.
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