Where can Filipino citizens move to?
Ranked by what the move actually takes on a Filipino passport specifically, not in general. Every rating below comes from the same verified data as the full guide it links to.
You keep your Filipino passport if you naturalise in 10 of these 12. Naturalising in Japan and the Netherlands would mean giving it up.
Open to you in Australia and New Zealand. Usually age-capped, so it closes quietly.
Easiest to keep driving on in Costa Rica, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Thailand. Each guide has the exact terms. Elsewhere expect more steps, often a full local test.
An apostille is accepted in 11 of these 12. Thailand still needs the full consular legalisation chain, so start earlier.
Straightforward 2 of 12
- Costa RicaFilipinos relocating today mostly arrive as Rentista or Pensionado residents, or on the Digital Nomad visa for BPO/remote-work income; a modest number come through marriage to a Costa Rican or US/Canadian resident.Straightforward
- SpainFamily reunification and a long-established diaspora network are the classic route, alongside Spain’s 2-year Ibero-American citizenship fast-track and a growing number of Digital Nomad Visa applicants.Straightforward
Moderate 9 of 12
- AustraliaFilipinos come mainly through skilled and employer-sponsored visas in healthcare, aged care, and hospitality, alongside a long-standing partner/family-visa pattern and a strong nursing pipeline.Moderate
- CanadaThe Philippines is Canada's second-largest source country (25,230 PRs in 2025), historically through caregiving and healthcare work.Moderate
- IrelandFilipinos migrate to Ireland overwhelmingly through healthcare — the HSE has actively recruited Filipino nurses for over two decades, entering on a General or Critical Skills Employment Permit sponsored by a hospital or nursing home.Moderate
- ItalyFilipinos come to Italy mostly through the Decreto Flussi domestic-care-worker quota — Italy's ageing population has long relied on Filipino badanti (home carers) — alongside family reunification once a first family member is settled.Moderate
- JapanThe dominant route is the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa in caregiving and food service, alongside long-standing entertainer and Technical Intern Training pathways.Moderate
- New ZealandFilipino migration to NZ is dominated by aged-care and healthcare workers, hospitality staff and dairy-farm workers arriving on the Accredited Employer Work Visa, plus a steady stream via the working holiday scheme.Moderate
- PortugalFilipinos arrive mostly through employer-sponsored work visas in hospitality and healthcare, plus a smaller family-reunification stream; numbers remain modest compared with other EU destinations.Moderate
- ThailandFilipinos relocate mostly through Thai-employer work permits (hospitality, BPO, teaching English) or the DTV for freelancers; a smaller number arrive as spouses of Thai nationals.Moderate
- United StatesFamily-based petitions (the Philippines has one of the largest backlogs of any origin for siblings/adult-children categories) and employment-based green cards for healthcare workers (nurses especially) are the two dominant routes, alongside a smaller H-1B/H-2B presence.Moderate
Complex 1 of 12
Ratings weigh entry class, working-holiday access, licence exchange, dual citizenship and document legalisation. Each is checked against the issuing government. Open any destination for the full guide written for Filipino citizens.