Thousands of illegal Filipino migrants in Europe will be affected by the European Union's new immigration policy that prohibits employers from hiring undocumented workers. Figures released by the EU showed that there are about 954,000 OFWs in Europe of whom 285,000 are permanent residents, 556,000 are temporary residents and 113,000 are illegal workers.

Under the new legislation, which wil be enforced in 2011, employers hiring illegal workers would face sanctions, including fines and paying back wages to their workers amounting to "at least the wage provided for by the applicable laws on minimum wages, collective agreements or practices in the relevant occupational branches."

OSLO, Norway -– A Norwegian television featured a Filipina in connection with the expose of local paper Dagavisen on exploitations of au pair (foreign-national domestic) for everything from maid and babysitter to pure slave during its show here Monday night.

“Many consider the au pair as the same as housemaids, only cheaper. If your families need babysitter or maid, (you) must hire people with the same wages and working conditions that (of the) nordmenn (the Norwegian) rather than to exploit people from other countries who come here as an au pair,” Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions (LO) Secretary Trine Lise Sundnes was quoted in the report as saying.