Hiring a Japanese Chef in Manila: AEP, 9(g) and NCR Wages

Metro Manila holds about half of the Japanese nationals in the Philippines, and its Japanese community grew by almost 10% in a year. It is also where minimum wage rules changed twice in 2026, with one wage order still in court. This guide covers what a Japanese restaurant in Metro Manila needs to know when hiring a Japanese chef, as of September 2026. The national process (the Alien Employment Permit, the labour market test under DOLE Department Order 248 and the 9(g) visa) is set out in our Philippines guide.

1. Metro Manila in numbers

• 6,513 Japanese nationals lived in Metro Manila on 1 October 2025, up 9.6% on the year (MOFA). That is roughly half of the 13,342 in the whole country.
• Nationally, 4,592 of those 13,342 were permanent residents, about a third.
• MAFF counted 940 Japanese restaurants in the Philippines in 2025, up 180 on 2023. MAFF does not publish a figure for Manila, and we found no official city count.

2. Check the local pool first

The share of permanent residents is the Manila specific opportunity. In Thailand and Vietnam almost every Japanese resident is a long term resident rather than a permanent resident. In the Philippines about one in three has permanent residence, and the capital's community is growing.

A Japanese cook who is already a permanent resident may not need the AEP and 9(g) process at all. Before you start a sponsorship, ask candidates in Manila about their immigration status and have your lawyer confirm what it allows. If someone already has the right to work, you save months.

If you do sponsor, remember that the 9(g) visa is meant for roles a Filipino cannot fill. The application needs to present the chef as a specialist, and for technical staff who are not managers, the AEP has required a programme to pass the chef's skills on to two Filipinos. See training local staff in Japanese cuisine.

3. Metro Manila's minimum wage in 2026

Minimum wages in the Philippines are set by regional wage boards. For the National Capital Region (the 16 cities of Metro Manila plus the municipality of Pateros), the National Wages and Productivity Commission currently lists:

These rates come from Wage Order NCR-28, issued on 7 September 2026 and published on 11 September 2026. It follows Wage Order NCR-27 (effective 25 July 2026), which granted the same first increase plus a second tranche of PHP 25 from 20 January 2027, and which NWPC notes is subject to continuing litigation in two Regional Trial Courts. Watch for how the two orders are reconciled before you fix 2027 pay.

Two points for restaurants:

• Small restaurants may fall in the lower band. A service or retail establishment employing 15 workers or less has a lower minimum than a larger one. Count your headcount correctly and check the wage order's definitions.
• These are floors for your Filipino team, including the two Filipinos named in the AEP skills transfer programme. A trained Japanese cuisine cook is worth more than the minimum.

4. Where the paperwork goes

• AEP. The employer applies to the DOLE regional office for the area where the company is located (JETRO). For a Metro Manila company, that is DOLE's National Capital Region office.
• 9(g) visa. The Bureau of Immigration handles it at its Main Office, and at other immigration offices authorised for the transaction. The employer can apply before the chef enters; the visa order is then sent through the Department of Foreign Affairs to the embassy or consulate where the chef is, and the chef must travel within 90 days of issue. BI also lists a conversion route for a foreigner already in the Philippines.
• Short assignments. For a chef coming only to help with an opening, BI's Special Work Permit covers work of up to 6 months (valid for 3 months, extendable once). If the chef will stay on, the AEP must be filed at least 21 working days before the SWP expires.

Japanese nationals can enter the Philippines without a visa for business or tourism for up to 30 days, which is useful for an interview or a cooking trial. It does not allow work.

5. Government fees for one chef

BI says its fees may change without notice, and the BI table is dated 2014. Confirm both the DOLE and BI fees before paying. Top 1,000 corporations pay slightly higher BI fees.

6. Checklist

1. Ask Manila candidates about their immigration status; a permanent resident may already be able to work.
2. Otherwise, publish the vacancy with the chef's name in a newspaper of general circulation and time the AEP filing (after 15 days from publication, within 15 days of the contract).
3. File the AEP with DOLE NCR, with the skills transfer programme for two Filipino staff.
4. File the 9(g) with the BI and plan the chef's travel within 90 days of the visa's issue.
5. Set Filipino staff pay against the current NCR wage order and your headcount band.

Also in the Philippines: hiring for Cebu. Contracts: chef employment contract checklist.

General information checked in September 2026 against NWPC wage orders, Bureau of Immigration and JETRO information and Japanese government statistics, not legal or immigration advice. Wage orders in Metro Manila are subject to litigation and change. Confirm current rates and requirements with DOLE, the Bureau of Immigration or a Philippine lawyer before hiring.