How easy is it to emigrate? (Where can I get a visa for?)
If you have ever read this blog before, you will know our business specialises in helping people make international career moves.
Whether you are looking for a culture change, better weather, a better work-life balance or just to be nearer to friends and family, we can help! (If you work in Mergers & Acquisitions/Deals consulting at least).
I thought it might be useful to work through a few hot spots that we recruit into and advise who can get in and how easy/time consuming it is to get the visa.
There might be some surprises for some – for example, many people ask me if they can get into the US, but unless you meet some very limited, specific criteria, it is nigh on impossible to get through American immigration.
If part of your decision making is timings or ease of applying, this might be handy for you.
Once you have made it through your interview process, negotiated your offer and signed on the dotted line, your employer will support you with the visa application. We can advise on how it is likely to go by location!
So here are our Top Seven locations and how easy their immigration is to navigate.
1. Australia
Turnaround time – about 3 months. Australia, like many countries, have a list of skills that are able to be sponsored, and thankfully the roles we recruit for are covered on this list. The firms we recruit into are very used to sponsoring international talent and can manage the process with you. All are welcome if you bring the skills that the Australian workforce is in need of! You need to have either 2 years’ relevant experience and a degree, or no degree and 5 years of working in the specified field. An easy and straightforward one. And a lovely place to live! And you could be a citizen within 4 or 5 years.
2. Canada
Turnaround time – 6 – 12 months. Canadians are a very accepting bunch, and welcome diversity with open arms. They also have fairly straightforward processes to get you in, much like Australia. The only difference is that they take a long time to get you there. So if you are looking for a quick move, it may be more useful if you have already obtained your own right to work through Canadian immigration. This is operated on a points system and can be quicker than being sponsored. However, if you are in no hurry, great things await you on your arrival in Canada! Also once there, it is a pretty straightforward journey to getting permanent residency and then a passport.
3. Singapore
Turnaround time – usually less than a month. Singapore have started tightening up immigration a little, to give more opportunities to Singaporean nationals. This in general terms just means that the salary threshold has been increased. Generally once you are experienced in your career, this should not be a problem. The process is quick and easy and once again you are moving to a diverse and welcoming country/city.
4. The Netherlands
Processing time – 3 – 6 weeks. No visa is necessary for anyone with an EU passport or the right to work in the continent. If you don’t have this, the Dutch are friendly and efficient and will get your visa through and processed with minimal fuss. If you want to live in a beautiful, historic and friendly city, where you can often get by without local languages, this could be the location for you. You can also explore the continent with ease once in situ!
5. The United Arab Emirates
Processing time – all in, a few weeks. There are several stages to getting a work visa in the UAE, each of them is fairly quick and efficient. One needs to get an entry visa, an employment pass, and a work entry visa etc, but some of it can be done in-country. As above, your employer will take the workload from you. These work passes do not lead to permanent residency or a passport though so you may need to view this as a stopover in your career. However, that can be for several decades! A tax-free salary and year-round sunshine are your rewards here.
6. The United Kingdom
Turnaround time – 4 – 6 weeks. We love diversity here in the UK and welcome all talented individuals who can help fill skills gaps. With a list of exciting cities to be based in or near, you can choose from several different lifestyles in the UK. A straightforward process, you do need to be aware that you will have to pay a small surcharge annually to utilise our National Health Service. However, once you get PR and a passport you can access these like the rest of us can. A culturally and topographically diverse country and exciting place to call home!
7. The United States
As mentioned above, the US is a tricky one! They make it very difficult for international talent to get through the borders, with the following exceptions. If you are a Canadian or Mexican passport holder, you may be eligible for a Trade North visa which allows these three neighbouring countries’ nationals to move more freely between their borders. If you are an Australian passport holder, there is a special visa called an E3 – I believe it is a legacy of World War 2 – whereby Aussies can easily work in America. There is a visa that allows you to transfer internally within your own company, which has an added bonus of working even if you have left their employment within the last year. Or the rest of us have to go the work sponsored route. The H1B visa is released each year on 1st April and they have almost always all gone by 2nd April. Those lucky enough to get one (usually about one in four applications are successful) will have to wait until the following October to start, so the earliest one would be able to start now would be October 2023.
With so many options around our vast and diverse planet, why not have a think about what might work for you?
We are all happy to talk through these options with you to help you make an educated choice!
