Chefs and Hospitality Professionals: Migration Routes from the UAE

Cosmos Immigration
Chefs and Hospitality Professionals: Migration Routes from the UAE

Does UAE kitchen and hotel experience count abroad? It does, but the doors are narrower and more specific than social-media posts suggest. Here is what the official pages in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK say, as at September 2026.

At a glance

  • Canada: chefs (NOC 62200, TEER 2) and cooks (NOC 63200, TEER 3) use the Federal Skilled Worker Program, not the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
  • Canadian provinces: Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream closed on 30 May 2026; Manitoba lists Cooks with a minimum CLB 5; Alberta’s Rural Renewal Stream does not name chefs or cooks as ineligible.
  • Australia: Chef, Cook and Hotel or Motel Manager sit on the Core Skills Occupation List; the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.
  • New Zealand: Chef and Cook are not on the Green List; the immigration median wage is NZD 35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026; the Skilled Migrant Category has three pathways from 24 August 2026.
  • UK: Chefs (SOC 5434) have a going rate of £33,400 but are not on the Immigration Salary List, so the £41,700 general threshold usually applies.

Why the title on your UAE contract matters

Each country sorts your work into an occupation code first; the code decides the programme, the salary test and whether a skills assessment is needed.

In Canada, chefs are unit group 62200, a TEER 2 occupation covering chefs, sous-chefs and specialist chefs who plan and direct food preparation. Cooks are a separate unit group, 63200, at TEER 3, and that group includes apprentices. The TEER level changes which federal and provincial programmes you can use.

Australia uses ANZSCO: Chef is 351311, Cook is 351411 and Hotel or Motel Manager is 141311. New Zealand breaks chef roles into Head Chef or Executive Chef, Sous Chef, Chef de Partie, Demi Chef de Partie and Other Chef, each with its own skill level. The UK groups chefs under Standard Occupational Classification code 5434.

Canada: Skilled Worker, not Skilled Trades

A common assumption is that a chef can use the Federal Skilled Trades Program. The official eligibility page does not support that: the programme only accepts experience from specific NOC major groups (technical trades, general trades, natural-resources supervisors and production, and processing, manufacturing and utilities roles). Major groups 62 and 63, which cover chefs and cooks, are not on that list.

The federal Express Entry route that does fit is the Federal Skilled Worker Program. It accepts work experience in any occupation at TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, which includes Chef at TEER 2 and Cook at TEER 3.

The 2026 Express Entry categories, announced on 18 February 2026, add priority rounds for medical doctors, researchers, senior managers and transport occupations with Canadian work experience, alongside continuing rounds for French-language proficiency and the Canadian Experience Class. Chefs and cooks are not named. In practice that means general draws or the Provincial Nominee Program rather than a targeted occupation draw.

Provincial routes in 2026

Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream, which some hospitality candidates had planned around, was closed as of 30 May 2026 as part of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program redesign. If that stream was in your plan, it needs a new plan, and our Canada page sets out what remains.

Manitoba’s In-Demand Occupations List includes Cooks (NOC 63200, TEER 3) with a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark of 5. Chef (62200) does not appear on that list, although Food service supervisors (62020, TEER 2) does.

Alberta’s Rural Renewal Stream works from a narrow list of ineligible occupations, and chef and cook are not on it. For someone living outside Canada, only TEER 0 to 3 occupations qualify, which still covers both Chef and Cook.

Australia: employer sponsorship with a salary floor

Australia’s Core Skills Occupation List, the list used for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) Core Skills stream and the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), includes Chef (351311), Cook (351411) and Hotel or Motel Manager (141311). Cafe or Restaurant Manager (141111) was not found on that list, so restaurant managers should check their own title before assuming they are covered.

Two things sit between a UAE chef and a sponsored visa. The first is a skills assessment. Trades Recognition Australia is the Australian Government’s assessing authority for Chef, working through approved Registered Training Organisations listed in its RTO Finder. The second is salary. For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD 79,423, and the nominated salary must also meet the annual market rate for the role.

The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) needs no employer, but it runs on a separate list and we could not confirm Chef or Cook on it from an official page, so we do not claim it here. Our Australia working visa page covers the sponsored route.

New Zealand: work visa first, residence second

Chef and Cook are not on New Zealand’s Green List, so the Straight to Residence and Work to Residence fast tracks do not apply. Chefs generally enter on the standard Accredited Employer Work Visa instead.

Immigration New Zealand’s occupation-matching instructions place Head Chef or Executive Chef at skill level 1, Chef de Partie and Sous Chef at skill level 2, and Other Chef and Demi Chef de Partie at skill level 3, which sets the wage threshold and visa conditions. The immigration median wage is NZD 35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026, up from NZD 33.56 between 18 August 2025 and 8 March 2026.

From 24 August 2026 the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa has three pathways: Points-based, Skilled Work Experience, and a new Trades and Technician pathway. The Skilled Work Experience pathway, for people who built their skills through work rather than a formal qualification, requires at least 5 years of directly relevant experience, including at least 2 years of skilled work in New Zealand. The Trades and Technician pathway needs a relevant qualification plus 4 years of post-qualification experience, including 18 months in New Zealand.

Amber List jobs carry extra requirements on the Skilled Work Experience pathway; Red List jobs, or ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, close it. We could not verify the official Amber List contents, so we do not state where chef roles sit. Our New Zealand page tracks these changes.

United Kingdom: the salary arithmetic

The UK Skilled Worker visa runs on two numbers. The going rate for Chefs (SOC 5434) is £33,400 a year, or £17.13 an hour, with a lower rate of £25,000, or £12.82 an hour. The general salary threshold has been £41,700 a year since 22 July 2025, and it applies wherever it is higher than the going rate.

Chefs are not on the Immigration Salary List, which is the list of roles that qualify for a reduced general threshold of £33,400. So a chef newly sponsored from the UAE generally needs a salary of at least £41,700, unless a new-entrant or transitional concession applies.

Settlement is a long road. A Skilled Worker must have lived in the UK for 5 years, with no more than 180 days outside the country in any 12-month period, before applying for indefinite leave to remain.

The four countries side by side

Country Role List status as stated Route as stated
Canada Chef (NOC 62200, TEER 2) Not named in the 2026 Express Entry categories Federal Skilled Worker Program; Alberta Rural Renewal Stream
Canada Cook (NOC 63200, TEER 3) On Manitoba’s In-Demand Occupations List (minimum CLB 5) Federal Skilled Worker Program; Manitoba PNP; Alberta Rural Renewal Stream
Australia Chef (351311), Cook (351411), Hotel or Motel Manager (141311) On the Core Skills Occupation List Skills in Demand (subclass 482) Core Skills stream; Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
New Zealand Chef roles, skill levels 1 to 3 Not on the Green List; on the New Zealand Occupation List Accredited Employer Work Visa, then a Skilled Migrant Category pathway
UK Chefs (SOC 5434) Going rate £33,400; not on the Immigration Salary List Skilled Worker visa with a sponsoring employer

From the UAE: what this means for you

Ask every former employer for a reference letter that states your title, your dates and your actual duties, written in the language of the occupation description.

Expect a work visa first and residence later: New Zealand counts years worked there, and the UK counts 5 years of residence before settlement. Our skilled talent visas page compares the options.

Frequently asked questions

Can a chef or cook use Canada’s Federal Skilled Trades Program?

No. That programme only accepts experience from specific NOC major groups, and groups 62 and 63, which cover chefs and cooks, are not among them. Use the Federal Skilled Worker Program, which accepts TEER 0 to 3 occupations.

Do I need a skills assessment to be sponsored as a chef in Australia?

Yes. Trades Recognition Australia is the assessing authority for Chef (351311), working through approved Registered Training Organisations listed in its RTO Finder.

Can a UK employer sponsor me at the chef going rate of £33,400?

Generally not on a new sponsorship. Chefs are not on the Immigration Salary List, so the £41,700 general threshold, in force since 22 July 2025, applies unless a new-entrant or transitional concession fits your case.

What to do next

Start with a free eligibility assessment so we can map your title, your years and your language results against the codes above. Call us on 04 357 7796, or book a 20-minute review through our contact page. We never promise an outcome, because the decision always rests with the immigration authority.

Sources

Not sure which route fits you? Book a free eligibility assessment with our Dubai or Abu Dhabi team. No obligation.

Call +971 4 357 7796WhatsApp us

Browse all immigration guides by topic →

Related posts