by Charles Ray

Created on: December 12, 2011   Last Updated: April 29, 2012

The world is now a global economy, with opportunities for skilled individuals far beyond their customary borders.  The economies of the developed world are creating jobs far faster than their educational systems can pump out qualified workers to fill them, creating openings for highly skilled technicians in a variety of career fields.

Highly skilled foreign workers who are already resident in a country where jobs are available have a number of avenues they can pursue to extend their stay, and in some cases even to semi-permanent status.  The visa requirements for skilled worker vary from country; some countries only offer this category of visa to people already in the country, while others make it available to applicants who are outside the country.

Following is a summary of visa rules for skilled workers for a sampling of countries.

The United States

In addition to workers in essential categories, the U.S. has a continuing need for access to skilled workers in many other areas such as science, technology, health, education, and engineering.

The categories of visas for highly skilled workers are the H1-B and L-1 visas.  Companies in need of highly skilled workers that can show that there aren’t sufficient U.S. workers in their area can apply for H-1B status for individuals who are either in the U.S. or abroad.  Companies in need of skills that are not available locally can apply for transfer of foreign workers via the L-1, intra-company transfer visa.  Both categories require a labor certification from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Canada

Skilled individuals who wish to work in Canada can apply for a Federal Skilled Worker Visa.  Applicants can begin a free assessment process for this category of visa at the Global Visa Web site.  The Canadian skilled worker system is similar to the Tier 1 worker visa system in use in the United Kingdom.  Applicants are assessed based on education and skill, work experience, and language ability.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Tier 1 (general) visa is available to highly skilled foreign workers who are currently in the UK and want to extend their stay in order to live and work there.  This category of visa is not available to applicants outside the UK.  In order to qualify for the Tier 1 visa, the applicant must be in the UK legitimately and score a minimum of 95 points for attributes such as age, English language ability, previous earnings, experience in the UK, and maintenance funds (financial support).  This visa is available also for writers, composers, and artists.  Visas are issued for a period of two to three years, with the possibility of applying for permanent residence at the end of the visa’s validity.

Other Countries

Countries such as Spain and Portugal offer visas to highly skilled workers in fields such as medicine and for investors who have valid offers from local firms.  Qatar is currently considering offering permanent resident visas for highly skilled foreign workers who work for local firms in preparation for the 2022 World Cup finals that will be held there.

Individuals who are already in a country, and who wish to work there, should contact the immigration authorities for information on visa requirements.  Individuals who are outside the country that they wish to work in should contact the company they wish to work for to determine the eligibility requirements and application procedures.

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