Every market studied requires a foreign hire to have permission to work before starting, and most tie that permission to salary floors, advertising duties or national employment targets. Singapore and the UK set minimum salaries for their main skilled routes, Germany and France link Blue Card thresholds to national pay benchmarks, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia combine work permits with policies to increase employment of nationals.
Salary floors and advertising duties
Singapore's Employment Pass requires a salary of at least S$5,600 a month and a pass under the COMPASS points framework; before applying, employers must advertise the job on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days. The UK Skilled Worker route generally needs a salary of at least GBP 41,700 and the going rate for the occupation, a sponsor licence, and payment of the Immigration Skills Charge of GBP 1,320 for the first year (GBP 480 for small or charitable sponsors).
Germany's EU Blue Card threshold is half of the annual pension contribution ceiling, or 45.3% for shortage occupations and recent graduates with agency approval, so it moves each year. France's carte talent sets gross annual thresholds, including EUR 39,582 for a qualified employee and EUR 59,373 for the EU Blue Card.123456
Gulf work permits and nationalisation
In the UAE, an employer may not recruit or employ a worker without a work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and the Labour Law expressly allows rules that increase the participation of UAE citizens in the labour market. In Saudi Arabia a non-Saudi may work only with a permit, which requires legal entry, skills the country needs and a contract with an employer, and employers must meet the job nationalisation (Saudisation) standards set by the Ministry. The specific quota bands are set outside the primary legislation and should be checked for the sector and headcount concerned.78910
Right-to-work checks
In the US every new employee, whatever their nationality, must be verified as eligible to work, including through Form I-9. The equivalent checks elsewhere are part of the permit process, but the principle is the same: the check comes before the first day of work.11
| Market | Route | Threshold or condition | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Employment Pass | At least S$5,600 a month plus COMPASS; 14-day job advertisement first | Ministry of Manpower |
| United Kingdom | Skilled Worker | Generally GBP 41,700 and the going rate; sponsor licence; Immigration Skills Charge | GOV.UK |
| Germany | EU Blue Card | 50% of the pension contribution ceiling (45.3% in listed cases) | Residence Act s18g |
| France | Carte talent | EUR 39,582 (qualified employee); EUR 59,373 (EU Blue Card) | Service-Public |
| UAE (mainland) | Work permit | Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation permit before employment | Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 |
| Saudi Arabia | Work permit | Legal entry, needed skills, employer contract; Saudisation standards | Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development |
Decisions to make
- Does the offered salary meet the route threshold in each country, after any age or sector uplift?1356Singapore, the UK, Germany and France all set salary floors, some of which change annually.
- Do we need to advertise locally or hold a sponsor licence before applying?23Singapore requires 14 days on MyCareersFuture and the UK usually requires a sponsor licence.
- How will a new Gulf hire affect our nationalisation position?810Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia support policies favouring employment of nationals, and Saudi employers must meet Ministry standards.
- Who pays the immigration costs?4The UK Immigration Skills Charge falls on the sponsor and adds to the cost of each sponsored hire.
Documents usually needed
- Signed offer or employment contract stating salary and role
- Evidence of qualifications and, where required, recognition of foreign degrees
- Job advertisement records (Singapore MyCareersFuture)
- Sponsor licence and certificate of sponsorship (UK)
- Passport, entry documents and right-to-work evidence (Form I-9 in the US)
Common mistakes
- Letting a foreign hire start work before the permit is issued
- Using last year's Blue Card or carte talent threshold
- Making a Singapore job offer during the 14-day advertising period
- Ignoring the effect of a foreign hire on Saudisation or Emiratisation status
Questions businesses ask
Is there a single Blue Card salary across the EU?
No. Each Member State sets its own figure. Germany links it to 50% of the pension contribution ceiling (45.3% in some cases); France sets EUR 59,373 for its EU Blue Card category.56
What does a UK sponsor pay on top of the visa fee?
The Immigration Skills Charge: GBP 1,320 for the first 12 months of each sponsored worker (GBP 480 for small or charitable sponsors) plus GBP 660 or GBP 240 for each further six months.4
What this guide does not yet confirm
These points need checking with a qualified local professional before you rely on them.
- UAE Emiratisation targets, deadlines and financial contributions could not be confirmed: the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation site blocked automated access.
- Saudi Nitaqat bands and percentages were not confirmed on an official page.
- US employment-based visas (for example H-1B and L-1) and recent fee changes were not researched.
- India's employment visa conditions were not researched.
- The 2026 German Blue Card thresholds in euro were not confirmed on a German official page; they follow from the pension ceiling.
Sources and review status
Each statement is numbered to the source it was checked against. We use official sources where we can, and each statement says whether it was checked against an official or a secondary source. Sources last checked on 19 October 2026. None of it has been professionally reviewed yet: it is research checked against official and secondary sources by WONE Global, not legal or tax advice.
Employment Pass candidates must earn at least S$5,600 a month and pass the COMPASS points framework. Higher qualifying salaries apply to older candidates and the financial services sector; those figures were not confirmed on the page opened.
Page last updated 27 August 2026. Reused from market guide claim sg-people-009.
Before applying for an Employment Pass or S Pass, employers must advertise the job on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days and must not make a job offer during that period. Advertising exemptions exist (for example for some intra-corporate transferees and higher salaries) but were not confirmed on the page opened.
Reused from market guide claim sg-people-011.
A Skilled Worker visa generally requires a salary of at least £41,700 a year and at least the going rate for the occupation code, and the employer usually needs a sponsor licence. Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker, option A (SW 4.4). Other options in the Appendix may allow different thresholds. Going rates are based on a 37.5-hour week.
Sponsor licence requirement. The Appendix page does not state the date from which £41,700 applies; it was last updated 8 October 2026. Reused from market guide claim gb-people-012.
Sponsors pay an Immigration Skills Charge of £1,320 for the first 12 months of each sponsored worker (£480 for small or charitable sponsors), plus £660 (or £240) for each further 6 months. Skilled Worker and similar sponsored routes; some exemptions apply.
The page does not state the date from which these amounts apply. Reused from market guide claim gb-people-013.
An EU Blue Card requires a salary of at least 50 percent of the annual contribution assessment ceiling of the general pension insurance, or at least 45.3 percent with Federal Employment Agency approval for listed occupation groups and for graduates who obtained their degree no more than three years before applying. Non-EU skilled workers with a qualifying degree; the euro threshold changes each year with the contribution ceiling.
Reused from market guide claim de-people-009.
The carte talent salary thresholds include gross annual pay of at least EUR 39,582 for a qualified employee, EUR 59,373 for the EU Blue Card and EUR 67,212.60 (three times the SMIC) for a company officer. The project founder route requires a EUR 30,000 investment in the project; the direct-investment route requires EUR 300,000. Thresholds are revised periodically.
Reused from market guide claim fr-people-g23.
An employer may not recruit or employ a worker without first obtaining a work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Mainland employers under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Free zone permit procedures were not reviewed here.
Reused from market guide claim ae-people-008.
The UAE Labour Law provides that rules and procedures that enhance the participation of UAE citizens in the labour market are not treated as discrimination. Mainland private sector. Article 70(5) also lets the Cabinet adopt policies to increase citizen employment; the Emiratisation targets themselves are set by ministerial and Cabinet decisions not reviewed here.
A non-Saudi may not work in Saudi Arabia without a work permit, which requires legal entry and authorisation to work, skills the country needs, and a contract with an employer. All non-Saudi workers under the Labor Law.
Reused from market guide claim sa-people-010.
Saudi employers must comply with the standards for nationalising jobs (Saudisation) set by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Private-sector employers under the Labor Law. Article 32 also requires Ministry approval before recruiting for employment. The Nitaqat bands and percentages are set outside the Law and were not confirmed.
Employers must verify that each new employee is legally eligible to work in the US, including by completing USCIS Form I-9. Federal; applies to every new hire, whatever their nationality.
Reused from market guide claim us-people-006.
Questions on this topic
11 statements on work permits, visas and localisation quotas
