During Your Employment

Once you are working abroad, ILSI membership shifts from preparation to active protection. This is the stage where our helpline, casework team and legal network matter most.

What membership provides while you work

• A helpline you can call if a problem arises — see emergency helplines for numbers by country.
• Casework support if you are not paid on time, your passport is withheld, you are injured, or your contract terms are changed without your agreement.
• Referral to vetted legal representation where a case needs formal legal action — see find a lawyer.
• Periodic welfare check-ins, especially for members in higher-risk sectors or locations.
• A verified membership card you can show to confirm your status — see verify a card.

If something goes wrong

Our Get Help section has step-by-step guides for the most common problems: unpaid wages, a confiscated passport, workplace injury, and detention or arrest. Keep your ILSI membership number and helpline number saved somewhere you can access even if your phone is taken or lost.

What ILSI cannot do

ILSI is not a court and cannot force an employer to act. What we can do is document your case, connect you with legal representation, engage your embassy where appropriate, and, where a recruiter or employer has broken the law, support formal complaints and referrals.

Working with your embassy

Your own country's embassy or consulate has responsibilities toward you that ILSI does not — issuing emergency travel documents, providing consular notification if you are detained, and representing your government's interests in serious cases. ILSI works alongside embassies rather than in place of them, and can help you make first contact if you are unsure how to reach yours.

Staying reachable

Membership works best when ILSI can reach you and you can reach ILSI. Keep your contact details updated with your local office, save the helpline number somewhere other than just your phone, such as written down or with a trusted colleague, and tell a family member or friend how to contact ILSI on your behalf if you are ever unable to do so yourself. See our family resources for guidance written specifically for that family member.

A continuous case file

Every interaction during this stage — a wage complaint, a welfare check-in, a document replaced — becomes part of your ILSI case file, so that if your situation changes or you eventually need to return home, the next ILSI team you speak to already has the full picture.