The desire to work abroad has become a huge aspiration among many citizens of developing countries. While Europe was once a challenging destination for foreign workers, recent labor shortages in many countries have prompted some European governments to facilitate visa issuance for non-EU citizens even without a job offer.
Below, we share seven of the European countries where it’s easy to get a visa without having a work permit. We also dive into the requirements and documents you will need to make the process seamless.
Austria
Austria offers a Job Seeker Visa, also known as the Red-White-Red Card – Jobseeker, for highly qualified workers to look for suitable employment (experienced top-level personnel, such as scientists and senior-level top-managers).
Eligibility Requirements:
- You need to have a minimum score of 70 on Austria’s 100-point list of criteria for very highly qualified workers. The list includes skills and qualifications like awards, research and innovation, academic degrees, gross salary and language proficiency, among others
Documents:
- Your valid passport, photo, proof of local accommodation, health insurance, and proof of adequate means of subsistence, along with documents that support the individual criteria you tick off in the points list.
Germany
German Job Seeker visa is a German national long-stay visa that allows individuals to stay in Germany and explore job opportunities. The Visa was introduced back in 2012, and since then it has become one of the most common types of visa
Eligibility Requirement:
- You should be above 18 years of age, with at least a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years of work experience.
- You will need to show proof of financial stability to prove that you can cover your expenses while you look for a job in Germany—this could be in the form of a blocked account for a sum of €5,604 (Rs4,94,105) or an obligation letter by a sponsor.
Documents:
- A passport issued in the past 10 years and with at least 12 months’ validity, three passport photos, a cover letter, proof of academic qualifications, proof of accommodation and financial means, proof of degree, your CV, health insurance and your birth certificate or Aadhaar card.
- Duration: Six months
Portugal
Portugal introduced the Job Seeker visa to help solve labor shortages and give young people more job opportunities. After the individual gets a job, they need to apply for a residence permit so that they can work permanently in Portugal.
Eligibility Requirement:
- There are no detailed qualifications yet, as the visa has recently been launched. However, you can write to the Diplomatic Portal of the Portuguese Government for more details.
Documents:
- A completed visa application, a passport with three months’ validity, two photos, criminal record certificate, travel insurance and proof of financial resources equivalent to at least three months’ salary.
Duration: 120 days (renewable for another 60 days)
Remember, your qualifications, skills, and career history might be the perfect fit for the role, but how you communicate give an accurate picture of the employee you could be to the recruiter.
Sweden
If you have completed studies corresponding to an advanced level degree, you can obtain a residence permit to go to Sweden and look for work or explore the possibilities for starting your own business.
Eligibility Requirement:
- You need to have completed your studies corresponding to an advanced level degree. This means your degree must correspond to a 60-credit Master’s degree, a 120-credit Master’s degree, a professional degree worth 60-330 credits, or a postgraduate/PhD-level degree. You must be able to support yourself financially during this period.
Documents:
- A valid passport, academic transcripts, proof of sufficient funds, health insurance and a digital copy of a signed letter of consent that gives the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) the right to contact higher education institutions in your home country to verify your educational documents.
Duration: Three to Nine months
United Arab Emirates
The job market in the UAE is continuously growing and attracting highly skilled and talented people. These countries offer job seeker visa to people who are going to the UAE to look for employment opportunities.
Eligibility Requirement:
- You must be a legislator, manager, business executive, or a professional or technician in scientific, technical or humanitarian fields i.e. in the first, second or third skill level as per the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) professional levels of jobs..
- Alternatively, you must be a graduate from one of the best 500 universities in the world according to the classification approved by the Ministry of Education and must have graduated within the last 2 years.
- You must have a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and should be able to fulfil the prescribed financial guarantee.
- A valid passport, colour photographs and attested qualification certificates.
Duration: 60, 90 or 120 days
Spain
If you have completed your university-level education in Spain, the country lets you obtain a job-seeker visa to seek employment or execute a business project.
Eligibility Criteria:
- You need to have completed your higher education in Spain.
- You must have a private or public medical insurance and sufficient funds to sustain your residency
- You must have obtained Level 6 or above in your university education as per the European Qualifications Framework.
Documents:
- A valid passport, a filled EX01 form (for details such as passport specifics, purpose of your application, et cetera), health insurance certificate and academic certificate with your qualifications or diploma.
Duration: 12 to 24 months
Denmark
You can be granted a residence permit for up to 3 years for job seeking in Denmark if you hold a residence permit as a student in a Danish professional bachelor, bachelor, master, or PhD educational programme and you have completed your educational programme.
Also, employees with a residence permit under certain schemes in Denmark can apply for a job-seeking permit if they lose their job due to cutbacks or other reasons. They are required to apply for the job-seeking visa within two days after their employment ends.
Documents:
- A valid passport, proof of paid fee, a letter of dismissal or a document stating reason for unemployment and biometrics.
Duration: Up to six months
