Many countries let employers hire people from abroad, but only through a process in which the employer has as many steps as the worker. If you have a job offer from overseas, or you work in HR and are hiring someone who lives in the UAE, it helps to know which part belongs to whom.
Names and details differ by country. The general structure is similar: the employer is approved, the employer confirms the specific job, and the employee applies for the visa. The government decides each stage separately.
Step one: the employer is approved
Before it can sponsor anyone, the employer usually needs some form of approval from the government.
- United Kingdom: the employer applies to the Home Office for a sponsor licence. Most employers need one to hire workers from abroad.
- Australia: the business applies to become an approved standard business sponsor.
- New Zealand: the employer must be accredited by Immigration New Zealand before hiring through the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
- Canada: there is no general licence. Instead, the employer obtains a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for the role or, for roles exempt from an LMIA, submits an offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal.
- United States: the employer files a petition with US Citizenship and Immigration Services. For H-1B roles, this follows a certified Labor Condition Application and, for most employers, selection in an annual registration process because the category is capped. Since September 2025, an additional payment set by presidential proclamation has applied to certain new H-1B petitions for workers outside the United States, so check the current position before an offer is made.
Approval depends on the business being genuine, trading and able to meet its duties. Those duties continue after the worker arrives. Sponsors are usually expected to keep records, check right to work, report changes such as a worker not starting or leaving, and cooperate with compliance checks. A sponsor that does not meet its duties can lose its licence or accreditation, which can affect every worker it sponsors.
Step two: the employer confirms the job
Each role is then approved or recorded on its own.
Certificates, nominations and job checks
- In the UK, the sponsor assigns a certificate of sponsorship, an electronic record whose reference number the worker uses in the visa application.
- In Australia, the sponsor lodges a nomination for the position, for example for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) or, for permanent roles, the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
- In New Zealand, the accredited employer applies for a job check for the role.
- In Canada, the LMIA or the employer portal submission produces a reference the worker includes in the work permit application.
Labour market tests
Some routes ask the employer to show that no suitable local worker was available, usually by advertising the job in a set way before hiring from abroad. Canada’s LMIA, labour market testing for many Australian nominations and Ireland’s labour market needs test for most General Employment Permits are examples. Intra-company transfers, occupations on shortage lists and higher-paid roles are often exempt. The exemptions change, so check them for each hire.
Salary and skill level
Most routes set a minimum skill level for the job and a minimum salary, or require pay at the going rate for the occupation. Governments set these levels and review them often. The UK, for example, raised the skill and salary requirements for the Skilled Worker route in 2025. Some countries also compare the offer with what local staff are paid for the same work.
UAE salary packages are often split into basic pay and allowances for housing, transport and schooling. Overseas routes assess salary by their own rules, and whether allowances count depends on the route. Look at the base salary written in the overseas contract, not the UAE package you are used to.
Employers may also pay charges linked to sponsorship, such as the UK Immigration Skills Charge, Australia’s Skilling Australians Fund levy or Canada’s employer compliance fee for LMIA-exempt offers. Some countries prohibit employers from passing certain costs, such as recruitment fees or sponsorship charges, on to the worker.
Step three: the employee applies
Once the job is confirmed, the worker applies for the visa. The employer’s approval does not decide the visa. The government assesses the worker separately, including their identity, qualifications, experience, English, health and character.
From the UAE, the employee usually prepares:
- A valid passport, UAE residence visa and Emirates ID.
- Degree certificates and transcripts. Some countries ask for their own recognition or comparison of qualifications, and attestation completed for UAE employment does not usually replace it.
- Registration with a professional body, where the job is in a regulated profession such as medicine, nursing, engineering or teaching.
- Reference letters on company letterhead with dates, duties and hours, plus salary certificates.
- English test results where required, from a test the destination accepts.
- Police certificates from the UAE, such as a good conduct certificate from Dubai Police or Abu Dhabi Police, and from other countries where you have lived.
- A medical examination with a doctor approved by that government, where required.
- UAE bank statements, if the route asks you to show funds for your first weeks.
Fingerprints and photographs are usually given at a visa application centre in Dubai or Abu Dhabi run by a provider appointed by each government.
Bringing your family
Many sponsored routes allow a partner and children to come as dependants, but the rules differ. In the UK, dependant rights depend partly on the skill level of the job. In New Zealand, whether an Accredited Employer Work Visa holder can support a partner or child depends on earnings and job skill level. In Ireland, the partner of a General Employment Permit holder needs their own employment permit to work. Check family rights before accepting an offer, not after.
Changing jobs later
A sponsored visa is usually tied to one employer and one role. Moving on has consequences, and the steps differ by country.
- UK: to move to a new employer, you usually need a new certificate of sponsorship and a new application, and some changes of role within the same employer need one too.
- Australia: a new approved sponsor must nominate you. If you stop working for your sponsor, you have a limited period to find a new sponsor, apply for another visa or leave.
- New Zealand: you apply for a job change or a variation of conditions, or for a new visa.
- Canada: most employer-sponsored permits are tied to one employer, so a new employer usually means a new permit.
- Ireland: General Employment Permit holders normally stay with their first employer for a minimum period before changing, and then need a new permit.
- United States: a new employer generally files a new H-1B petition.
If you are made redundant, act quickly. Find out how long you may lawfully stay, and keep records of your employment and the end date. Your employer may also have to report the change to the immigration authority.
Who can advise on sponsorship
Several countries restrict who may give immigration advice or represent applicants. In Canada, this means CICC-licensed consultants or lawyers. In the UK, it means advisers regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority or solicitors. In Australia, immigration assistance given in Australia must come from a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner. New Zealand requires licensed immigration advisers, and its rules apply to advice given from outside New Zealand. In the United States, representation is by attorneys. Where representation must be by a licensed practitioner, Ashford will explain this and the options available to you.
If you are an employee with an overseas offer, or an employer or HR team planning a hire, you can request an assessment or book a consultation with Ashford. We will map the steps for each party, the documents to prepare in the UAE and the points where timing depends on the government.
