Tauseef FayyazChapter 02
Visas and work permits
How work routes are built, and the rules that apply whichever country you choose. Thresholds and fees change, often every January: check the official page the week you act.
Visa sponsorship
Also called work visa sponsorship, sponsor
- What
- When an employer formally backs your work permit, applying for it or issuing the documents it needs.
- Why
- Most work routes abroad need it, and it costs employers money and time, so only some offer it.
Watch out
Applying to every job, when most local employers will not wait for a visa.
Job-seeker route
- What
- A permit to enter a country and look for work before you have an offer, then switch to a work permit, such as Germany's Opportunity Card.
- Why
- It lets you interview in person and meet employers who will not hire from abroad, at the cost of funding yourself while you search.
Watch out
Arriving with too little money to last the whole search.
The official source rule
- What
- Take every visa rule, threshold and fee from the immigration authority or government portal, and write down the link and the date you read it.
- Why
- Rules change every year, and most of what circulates in group chats and old videos is out of date.
Watch out
Acting on a forward or a video from two years ago.
Salary threshold
Also called minimum salary, qualifying salary, going rate
- What
- The minimum pay a job must offer for a work permit, such as the UK Skilled Worker threshold, the EU Blue Card threshold, Ireland's permit minimums or Singapore's Employment Pass qualifying salary.
- Why
- An offer below it cannot be sponsored, however much the employer wants you.
Watch out
Using last year's figure; most thresholds are revised yearly.
Grace period after a job ends
- What
- The time you may legally stay in a country after your sponsored job ends, to find a new sponsor or leave.
- Why
- It decides how much savings you need and how fast you must act after a layoff.
Watch out
Learning the rule only after the job has ended.