How do I find the right visa pathway for my qualifications?
Short answer
Start from why you're moving, then check the conditions that rule routes in or out: a job offer, qualifications and experience, language, money and your passport. Of the 176 skilled and work routes where the official rules say, 166 need a job offer, so whether you have one narrows the list fastest.
1. Pick the purpose
Countries sort their routes by purpose. These are the kinds we track, with how many routes and countries each covers:
- Visit & tourism226 routes in 222 countries
- Study88 routes in 88 countries
- Work permits207 routes in 183 countries
- Skilled migration14 routes in 13 countries
- Permanent residence64 routes in 61 countries
- Family86 routes in 81 countries
- Status in-country46 routes in 41 countries
- Investors & entrepreneurs51 routes in 46 countries
- Citizenship63 routes in 62 countries
2. Check the conditions that decide it
Each route's official page lists its conditions. The ones that most often rule a route in or out:
- A job offer or sponsor. Most work routes need one; job-seeker routes and some points-based routes don't.
- Qualifications. A degree or recognised trade qualification, sometimes with an official assessment of foreign credentials.
- Work experience. Years in a skilled job, usually shown with reference letters.
- Language. A test result at a set level, common on skilled and permanent routes.
- Money. Proof of funds, or a minimum salary for work routes.
- Age. Points systems and youth mobility schemes give points or set limits by age.
3. Check your passport
Some routes are open only to some passports, or closed to some: 18 of the routes we track have a rule like this. Whether you need a visa to travel also depends on your passport.
4. Compare what's left
Put the routes that remain side by side: how long you can stay, whether the route can lead to permanent residence, and when its rules were last checked.
5. Get advice before you apply
A licensed immigration advisor can confirm the route and spot problems, such as a past refusal, before you pay any fees.
Well-known skilled routes
- Express EntryCanada · Can lead to permanent residence
- Skilled Worker visaUnited Kingdom · Can lead to permanent residence
- Opportunity CardGermany · May lead to permanent residence
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) – Points-tested streamAustralia · Can lead to permanent residence
- Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident VisaNew Zealand · Can lead to permanent residence
- Critical Skills Employment PermitIreland · Can lead to residence later
Official sources
The figures here come from official government pages like these, checked on the date above. Each route's page lists its own sources.
See which of these fit you
Build one profile and e-Passage checks it against every route, showing what you meet and what's missing.
More guides
General information from official government sources, not legal advice. Rules change: check the official page, or ask a licensed advisor, before you apply.