Work in the United Arab Emirates
Easy to get a job visa, hard to stay for good.
More about United Arab Emirates
Most work visas are sponsored by and tied to one employer, and there is no general route to permanent residence or citizenship: when the job ends, the right to live there ends too. Long-term options are the self-sponsored Green Visa (5 years) and the Golden Visa (10 years).
See the 6 visa routesCompare countries
Degrees that travel best
13 of 23 fields rated 4 or 5
- 5 Computer Science & ITOpen door · shortage or priority list
- 5 Data Science & StatisticsOpen door · shortage or priority list
- 4 Quantity SurveyingOpen door
- 4 Finance & EconomicsOpen door
- 4 Agricultural ScienceOpen door
- 4 EngineeringExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
- 4 MedicineExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
- 4 DentistryExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
Show all 23 fields
- 4 NursingExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
- 4 PharmacyExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
- 4 PhysiotherapyExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
- 4 Occupational TherapyExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
- 4 PsychologyExams or bridging · shortage or priority list
- 3 Business ManagementOpen door
- 3 Natural SciencesOpen door
- 3 Humanities (BA)Open door
- 3 Chartered AccountancyRecognised, paperwork only
- 3 Actuarial ScienceRecognised, paperwork only
- 3 TeachingRecognised, paperwork only
- 3 ArchitectureExams or bridging
- 3 Veterinary ScienceExams or bridging
- 3 LawExams or bridging
- 3 Social WorkExams or bridging
Good to know
- Working language
- Arabic is the official language; English is widely used in private-sector business, healthcare and higher education.
More
Arabic is an advantage, and often needed, for government and onshore legal work.
- For South African passport holders
- SA passports do not get a standard visa on arrival.
More
Since 25 June 2026, SA passport holders with a residence permit from the US, UK, an EU country, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Singapore or South Korea can get one (14 or 60 days). Everyone else needs a visa arranged in advance. SA degrees must be attested in SA (DIRCO), then by the UAE embassy, then by the UAE MOFA.
- Shortage list
- No official national shortage list
The UAE does not publish a shortage or in-demand occupation list for visas.More
What exists instead is MOHRE's 9 professional (skill) levels, which decide Green, Golden and jobseeker eligibility, and Emiratisation targets that require firms with 50 or more staff to grow Emirati staff in skilled jobs by 2% a year.
- Studying there instead
- Fees are set by each institution and there is no official national range.
More
Only degrees from Ministry-licensed institutions are recognised. A university or resident parent sponsors the student visa. There is no post-study work visa; top graduates can apply for a Golden Visa.
General information about published rules, not immigration advice; for an individual application use a licensed adviser in United Arab Emirates. Researched 2026-10-07.