I can answer this first hand because I met the Philippine Labour Office head for Western Canada When He went to Victoria,If you are hiring 5 employees or less you can hire them directly after passing through his office in Vancouver for Authentication,If you hire 6 or more you have to go through an agency otherwise even if they have tickets,visas etc They may be held at the Airport in Manila and not allowed to leave.Little background,My day job is working for one of the BC MLA s involved in Immigration policy in BC .To the Pinoys outside the Philippines,This does not apply to you,only those from the Philippines.Furthermore It is illegal for any Employment agency to charge you a placement fee.If you are charged,simply bring the receipt to employment standards when you get to BC and they will help you get it back.Secondly after working for 9 months,you are entitled to apply for permanent resident status under BC PNP,so you can bring your family into Canada.Finally If you are ever terminated,your employer cannot force you to leave Canada,You can find a new employer as long as your visa is still valid.You will love BC