Work Permit
A Work Permit is basically the permission to work in a foreign country. Depending on the country and your situation, there may be different types of Work Permits. For instance, if your company is transferring you to one of its overseas branches, you will need a Work Permit. However, if you have received a job offer from abroad, you will again need a Work Permit. In both cases, you will need a Work Permit, but a different kind.
The common things in both situations are that you need a job, and your employer must sponsor your Work Visa.
What are the different kinds of Work Visas available?
Depending on the country, Work Visas may be of different types.
Canada
Canada is an extremely popular destination to work abroad, second only to the US.
Canadian Work Permits can be broadly categorized into two categories:
- Employer-specific Work Permit
To obtain an Employer-specific Work Permit, you need to first secure a full-time job offer from an employer in Canada. The employer needs to provide you with a job offer letter and an LMIA before you can apply for the Work Permit.
A positive LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) shows that the employer could find no suitable Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the job being offered to you.
- Open Work Permit
An Open Work Permit allows a person to work for any employer in Canada for a specific period. Open Work Permits may be restricted, restricting the location or occupation, or unrestricted, allowing the foreign worker to work for any employer in any occupation or location.
An Open Work Permit may only be granted to a foreign worker provided they qualify for an LMIA exemption. Also, the spouse of an Employer-specific Work Permit holder may also be granted an Open Work Permit.
Australia
The Visas included under this category are Subclass 462 (Work and Holiday Visa), Subclass 417 (Working Holiday Visa), Subclass 403 (Pacific and Seasonal Work Visa), Subclass 408(Temporary Activity Visa) and Subclass 400 (Temporary Work Visa).
You can only qualify for the Work and Holiday Visa or the Working Holiday Visa provided your home country has a Working Holiday Agreement with Australia.
For the rest of the short-stay Visas, you may need to be endorsed by an employer in Australia.
- Employer-specific Work Permit
To obtain an Employer-specific Work Permit, you need to first secure a full-time job offer from an employer in Canada. The employer needs to provide you with a job offer letter and an LMIA before you can apply for the Work Permit.
A positive LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) shows that the employer could find no suitable Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the job being offered to you.
- Open Work Permit
An Open Work Permit allows a person to work for any employer in Canada for a specific period. Open Work Permits may be restricted, restricting the location or occupation, or unrestricted, allowing the foreign worker to work for any employer in any occupation or location.
An Open Work Permit may only be granted to a foreign worker provided they qualify for an LMIA exemption. Also, the spouse of an Employer-specific Work Permit holder may also be granted an Open Work Permit.
Schengen
The Schengen Zone comprises of 25 member states of the European Union. If you have a job offer from any of the member states of the EU, you may be able to obtain a Work Permit for that country.
Contrary to what many people believe, there is no Schengen Work Permit. Although a Schengen Visa gives you free access to all countries in the Schengen Zone, you can’t work on a Schengen Visa issued for other purposes like tourism, study, or business.
Several countries in the EU like Poland, Finland, Romania, and Germany are very popular destinations for skilled professionals.
Poland Work Visa
There are five types of Work Visas available in Poland:
- Type A: If you obtain a job offer based on an employment contract with an employer in Poland.
- Type B: It is for board members who have been residing in Poland for six months or more in the last 12 months.
- Type C: If you have been sent to Poland by an overseas employer for more than 30 days.
- Type D: If your overseas employer has sent you to Poland to work in export services temporarily.
- Type E: If you are going to Poland to take up work-related tasks not falling in any of the categories above.
Romania Work Visa
Romania offers several kinds of Work Permits for foreign citizens, including:
Foreign citizens are not allowed to apply for a Work Permit on their own. Their employer in Romania has to file a Work Visa on their behalf.
Czech Republic Work Visa
The Czech Republic offers two main visa categories- Short-term and long-term Schengen Visas. For employment purposes, you will need to apply for one of them. However, you will still need to obtain a Work Permit to remain compliant.
A short-term visa allows you to stay in the Czech Republic for 90 to 180 days, while a long-term visa lets you stay for more than 90 days.
Are you interested in working abroad? Contact Niyama Immigrations today to understand your options.