If you have been searching for a “work permit” for Canada, Australia or Europe, here is the honest starting point. A work permit is something an employer applies for on your behalf, after they have decided to hire you. Permanent residence through a points system is something you apply for yourself, with no employer involved at all. Most people who contact us from the UAE ask for the first while actually being eligible, or not eligible, for the second. This article helps you tell the two apart before you pay anyone for anything.
Two separate doors into the same country
Door one is the employer-sponsored work permit. A company abroad wants you. Before you can get a visa, the company usually has to satisfy its own government that it could not fill the role locally. In Canada that step is the Labour Market Impact Assessment, which the employer (not you) requests. In Australia it is employer sponsorship under the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) or Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visas. In Europe it is the employer filing for a Blue Card, a highly skilled migrant permit or a quota place. The order never changes: job offer first, permit second. No consultancy in Dubai or anywhere else can reverse it.
Door two is points-based permanent residence. Canada’s Express Entry system, Australia’s subclass 189, 190 and 491 visas and Germany’s Opportunity Card score you on what you already hold: education, skilled work experience, a language test result, your age and, in some cases, savings. Nobody has to hire you first. You submit a profile, you are ranked, and if you are invited you can move with permanent status (or, with the Opportunity Card, with twelve months to find skilled work inside Germany).
This is the door Cosmos Immigration works on. We do not find jobs. We assess whether you meet the points thresholds and, if you do, we prepare the application.
What the points route actually asks of you
The exact scoring differs by country, but the building blocks are the same everywhere:
- A recognised qualification. A degree, or a diploma or trade certificate of at least two years. Canada requires an Educational Credential Assessment of foreign education; Australia requires a skills assessment from the authority for your occupation.
- Skilled work experience. Usually at least one year, and realistically three or more, in a role that the destination country classifies as skilled (managers, professionals, technicians, qualified tradespeople). Warehouse, driving, cleaning, security and general labour roles are not classified as skilled for these programmes.
- A language test. IELTS, PTE or CELPIP for Canada; IELTS, PTE or an equivalent for Australia; German A1 or English B2 for the Opportunity Card. You sit the test yourself. Nobody can waive it for you.
- Age. Points fall away steadily after your early thirties. Australia will not invite anyone aged 45 or over for the 189, 190 or 491 visas.
- Funds. Canada asks for proof of settlement funds unless you already have a valid offer; Germany asks you to show you can support yourself during the search year.
If you can tick all five, you are probably a points candidate and it is worth running the numbers. If you cannot tick the first two, the points route is closed and you should stop paying for assessments that pretend otherwise.
Decision table: where you stand, and the realistic route
| Your situation | Realistic route | What comes first |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree, three or more years in a professional role (engineering, accounting, IT, nursing, teaching), IELTS 7 or above in each band, under 35 | Canada Express Entry; Australia 189 or 190 after a skills assessment | Run the points calculator, then book an ECA or skills assessment |
| Trade certificate (electrician, welder, mechanic, chef) with three or more years of documented work | Australia skilled visas via a trade skills assessment; Canada Provincial Nominee Programme streams; Germany Opportunity Card | Get your certificates and reference letters in order |
| Two-year diploma plus skilled experience, English around IELTS 6 | Germany Opportunity Card (points); Australia 491 with state nomination if your occupation is listed; Canada PNP streams | Check the occupation lists before anything else |
| Fresh graduate, degree but little or no work experience | Study route (student visa, then post-study work rights); Opportunity Card if you reach six points | Compare tuition and post-study work rules by country |
| Strong profile but aged 45 or over | Australia skilled visas are closed; Canada Express Entry becomes very hard on points; consider employer sponsorship, business or investment routes | Be honest about the age points before spending on tests |
| Warehouse, driver, cleaner, kitchen helper, security, store assistant, no diploma | No points-based route exists. Only an employer-sponsored permit after a genuine written offer | Apply on the official job boards (links below); ignore anyone selling “job plus visa” |
| Degree plus savings, want to run a business abroad | Provincial entrepreneur streams, Australian business visas, investor residence routes | A registered consultant should check the capital and business-plan rules |
| Already holding a signed offer from a company abroad | That employer’s sponsored route | The employer starts the process; a consultant can prepare your side of the file |
Where job-seekers get hurt
Almost every week we hear from someone who paid a “visa and job” agent, received a photocopied offer letter from a company that does not exist, and is now out of pocket. The pattern is always the same: the fee is paid before any government has approved anything, the “job” is unskilled, and the destination is a country where that role has no visa category at all. If you remember one thing from this page, remember that a real employer pays its own immigration costs and never asks you for a placement fee. We have written a fuller guide on this in Can an Immigration Consultant Get Me a Job Abroad?
If you want a job, not a points profile
You do not need a consultant for this, and you should not pay one. Use the official channels: Canada’s Job Bank, Australia’s Workforce Australia, and the EU’s EURES portal. Filter by employers that state they will sponsor. Expect rejections; sponsorship is rare for roles a local can fill.
The one legal “search first, job later” option is Germany’s Opportunity Card. It gives you up to twelve months in Germany to look for skilled work, with part-time work allowed while you search. It still requires a recognised qualification of at least two years, basic German or good English, proof of funds and at least six points. Our page on the German Opportunity Card explains the scoring.
How to self-check in twenty minutes
Before you speak to anyone, score yourself. The Canada PR points calculator and the Australia points calculator on our site follow the official grids. If your Australian score is under 65, or your Canadian score is far below the recent invitation rounds, a consultant should tell you that plainly rather than take a fee. If the numbers look workable, the next step is a document review by a registered consultant who can confirm which occupation code you fit and what proof will be needed.
What to do next
- Run your own numbers first with the free eligibility tools.
- If you are a points candidate, read the programme pages for Canada and Australia.
- Before paying any consultant, check their name on the regulator register using our verification guide.
Not sure which route fits you? Speak to a licensed consultant — CICC (Canada) and MARA (Australia) regulated. No obligation.
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