Explore techhub
You're viewing Relocation Guide
Career toolkit
Community
Global relocation guide
Visa, tax, culture, and cost-of-living guides for tech professionals relocating abroad — plus a salary calculator.
Foreign software engineers typically get authorized via the EU Blue Card, sponsored by a German employer with a binding job offer; in 2025 this requires a gross annual salary of about EUR48,300 (general threshold) or a reduced threshold of about EUR43,760 for shortage occupations like IT specialists and STEM fields, or for recent graduates. A university degree (or, for IT specialists, sometimes relevant professional experience without a degree) is required, and non-EU applicants also need a national (D) visa to enter before residence permit issuance. Processing at German consulates abroad typically takes several weeks to a few months.
Most foreign tech workers come via the Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant) visa, sponsored by an IND-recognized employer, requiring a minimum gross monthly salary of about EUR5,688 (age 30+) or EUR4,171 (under 30) in 2025, excluding 8% holiday allowance. The employer handles the IND application; EU/EEA/Swiss citizens do not need a work permit.
Non-EEA tech workers most commonly relocate via the Critical Skills Employment Permit, requiring a job offer of at least 2 years and a salary threshold (around EUR40,904/year for occupations on the Critical Skills list, which includes most software engineering roles, or EUR36,848 for recent graduates); no labour market needs test is required. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens do not need a permit.
Non-EU tech workers most commonly enter via a Spain-sponsored ’Highly Qualified Professional’ work permit (a fast-track authorization for skilled roles, typically approved in a few weeks), or the EU Blue Card. Remote workers employed by non-Spanish companies can instead use Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa, introduced in 2023, offering a route to residency without a local employer.
Non-EU tech workers typically obtain authorization through the D3 (Highly Qualified Activity) visa, requiring a Portuguese employment contract of at least 12 months paying roughly 1.5x the national average wage, exempt from labor market testing and processed in 30-60 days; D3 holders can convert to an EU Blue Card after about 18 months. Portugal also runs a Tech Visa program, fast-tracking certified tech companies to directly recruit foreign specialists.
Foreign tech workers most commonly obtain the Passeport Talent (Talent Passport); the ’salarie qualifie’ employee category requires a job offer, a Master’s-level qualification (or equivalent experience), and a minimum salary (around 2x French minimum wage, roughly EUR39,600 as of 2025). A related ’French Tech Visa’ fast-track exists specifically for tech company employees, founders, and investors.
Foreign tech workers typically need a Swedish work permit sponsored by an employer, requiring a signed job offer meeting salary and terms-of-employment thresholds (currently around SEK29,680/month as of mid-2025). The employer must have advertised the position and the relevant union must be given a chance to comment; EU/EEA citizens do not need a permit.
Non-EU tech workers typically need a residence and work authorization tied to an employment contract. Many qualify for the EU Blue Card, a fast-track route for skilled workers (with a reduced salary threshold of about PLN7,870/month for IT specialists) that grants a 3-year residence/work permit in roughly 1-3 months. Alternatively, employers can sponsor a standard work permit plus a temporary residence permit.
Non-EU tech hires typically need an employer to secure a work authorization (nulla osta) through the annual Decreto Flussi quota system or, for highly skilled roles meeting a salary threshold, the EU Blue Card, then apply for a national (D) work visa at an Italian consulate before entering to complete residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) formalities. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can work without a visa or permit.
Non-EU/EFTA tech hires need an employer-sponsored work permit (typically a B permit), subject to annual cantonal quotas for third-country nationals; employers must generally demonstrate the role could not be filled by a Swiss/EU/EFTA candidate first. EU/EFTA citizens benefit from the freedom of movement agreement and face a much simpler registration-based process instead of quota competition.
Non-EU tech hires typically come via the Red-White-Red Card, a points-based system scoring qualifications, work experience, language skills, and age, with a dedicated fast-track category for skilled workers in shortage occupations (which regularly includes IT roles) and one for very highly qualified specialists; an employer job offer is required for most categories. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens do not need a permit.
Non-EU tech hires generally need an employer-sponsored Single Permit (combined work-and-residence authorization), with a simplified, faster process for "highly qualified" roles meeting a salary threshold; the EU Blue Card is also available as an alternative route with EU-wide portability benefits. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can work without a permit.
Non-EU tech workers typically use the Finland Residence Permit for a Specialist, a fast-track category (targeting a roughly 2-week processing goal, the "D-visa fast track") for employer-sponsored roles requiring specialist expertise or a relevant degree, and there is no separate labour-market test for this category. The EU Blue Card is also available as an alternative. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens only need to register their right of residence.
Non-EU/EEA tech hires typically need a Skilled Worker residence permit, requiring an employer job offer matching the applicant's qualifications (a relevant degree or specialized skills) and standard Norwegian pay/working conditions; applications can often be submitted online with only a short in-person appointment required. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens have free movement rights and only need to register.
Foreign tech hires typically come via the Skilled Worker visa, sponsored by a Home Office-licensed employer against a specific job and salary meeting the going rate for the role, with faster processing and lower fees for shortage-occupation roles. The Global Talent visa offers an employer-independent alternative for those endorsed as leaders or emerging leaders in digital technology by an approved endorsing body (e.g. Tech Nation's successor bodies).
Foreign tech workers are authorized through an employer-sponsored work visa system: the hiring company secures a government-approved block visa quota, obtains work visa/MOFA authorization, and the employee converts this into an Iqama (residency permit) after arrival. Employers must maintain a sufficient Saudi-national headcount under the Nitaqat/Saudization quota system to remain eligible to sponsor and renew foreign hires.
Foreign tech workers are most commonly authorized through an employer-sponsored mainland work visa/residence permit, or via a free-zone employment visa (e.g., DIFC, DMCC, Dubai Internet City). High earners and qualified specialists (generally AED30,000+/month or equivalent qualifications) may instead self-petition for the 5- or 10-year renewable Golden Visa, not tied to a single employer.
Foreign tech workers relocate on an employer-sponsored Residence Permit (RP): the employer applies for a work visa/entry permit, and after arrival the employee completes a medical test and biometrics to receive the RP, which also carries the legal right to sponsor immediate family. Since the 2020 labour reforms, changing employers no longer requires a No-Objection Certificate from the previous employer in most cases. Free-zone tech employers (Qatar Free Zones Authority, QFZA, and the Qatar Financial Centre, QFC) run their own faster-track sponsorship process for staff of registered free-zone companies.
Foreign tech hires need an employer-sponsored work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour, applied for either from abroad (at a Turkish consulate, then activated on arrival) or, for those already legally resident, from within Turkey; a residence permit application typically runs in parallel. Turkey also offers a Turquoise Card for exceptionally qualified researchers, scientists, and investors, which grants longer-term status independent of a single employer.
Foreign tech workers most commonly enter on an employer-sponsored work permit (LMIA-backed or LMIA-exempt via CUSMA/intra-company transfer). Separately, and unlike the US system, Canada offers Express Entry as a standalone permanent residence pathway: skilled workers can apply for PR directly based on a points system without needing a job offer or employer sponsorship at all.
Most foreign tech workers are sponsored by an employer for an H-1B visa, but H-1B is numerically capped and allocated through an annual electronic LOTTERY each March — even with a firm job offer from a large tech company, selection is not guaranteed (the FY2026 selection rate was about 35%, up from roughly 29% in FY2025). Narrower alternatives exist: the O-1 visa for individuals with ’extraordinary ability’ (a high evidentiary bar, not lottery-based), and the L-1 intracompany transfer visa for employees who have already worked at least one year for the same multinational company abroad. There is no simple guaranteed employment-based visa pathway for most applicants.
Foreign tech hires typically need an employer-sponsored Temporary Resident Visa with work permission: the employer files an invitation letter with Mexico's National Immigration Institute (INM), the applicant then applies at a Mexican consulate abroad, and completes the residency card process after entering. Mexico also offers a widely used Temporary Resident visa for remote workers employed by a foreign company (a de facto "digital nomad" route based on income/savings proof), though this does not authorize local employment with a Mexican employer.
Foreign tech hires typically need an employer-sponsored temporary work visa (VITEM V / RNM residence authorization for work), for which the employer files a work authorization request with Brazil's Ministry of Labour before the applicant applies at a Brazilian consulate; the process generally requires proof of relevant qualifications/experience. Brazil also runs an investor visa route for those investing in a local business, and a digital-nomad residence permit for remote workers employed by a foreign (non-Brazilian) company, though the latter does not authorize local employment.
Most foreign tech workers are sponsored by an employer under the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), a temporary work visa that can lead to permanent residency. Alternatively, workers with in-demand skills can apply independently via the points-tested Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) or state-nominated subclass 190, which assess age, English proficiency, work experience, and qualifications rather than requiring a job offer.
Foreign tech hires typically come via the Employment Pass (EP), sponsored by the employer and requiring a qualifying minimum monthly salary (assessed against a points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework, COMPASS, alongside qualifications and the employer's local workforce diversity) that scales up with candidate age and experience. The self-sponsored Tech.Pass targets a small pool of accomplished, senior tech professionals and entrepreneurs and does not require a specific employer.
Foreign tech hires typically use the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, sponsored by an employer for a role matching the applicant's degree or relevant work experience, or the Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa, a points-based category (scoring education, career history, salary, age, and other factors) that grants faster permanent-residence eligibility and other privileges for those who qualify. A Certificate of Eligibility, obtained by the employer in Japan before the applicant applies for the visa itself abroad, is required for both routes.