Finding legitimate jobs abroad: where to look and what to check

Working abroad can transform your career, but international job searches attract a lot of fraud. The safest approach is to combine official sources with careful verification.

Where to look

• Government job and migration portals. Several countries run official portals for international talent or public job banks, for example Canada’s Job Bank, Germany’s Make it in Germany, the EU’s EURES network and Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, which publishes the rules for every work pass. Our country guides link to the official authority for destinations on every continent.
• Company career pages. If you see a role on a job board, find it again on the employer’s own website.
• Established job platforms such as LinkedIn and large national job boards. These are useful, but still verify each employer.
• University and professional networks. Alumni groups and professional bodies often share genuine openings.

Check the employer

1. Does the company have a real website, address and phone number that you can verify independently?
2. Is the email address from the company’s own domain rather than a free webmail account?
3. Some countries publish registers of employers allowed to sponsor visas. Is the employer on it?
4. Did you have a real interview with relevant questions about your skills?

Warning signs

• You are offered a job without any interview.
• You are asked to pay for the job, the visa, training, a medical or “processing”.
• The salary is far above what the role normally pays.
• You are asked to travel on a visitor visa and “change it later”.

Understand the visa side

A job offer is usually only one part of the process. Many work visas require the employer to complete their own steps first. Our country guides link to each government’s official work visa pages.

This article is general guidance. Visa & Beyond does not recruit or place candidates.