The World of Work Permits Work permits are one of the major obstacles to finding employment abroad. While you may be interested in working in Australia, Great Britain, or Norway, restrictive work permit, visa, and immigration policies may quickly dash your hopes of working in these countries. At the very least, they make living and working abroad a big hassle. Work permits and resident visas go hand in hand.
Most countries require foreign employees to acquire a resident visa that includes a work permit.
The normal procedure is to require the foreigner to apply for the work permit and resident visa before entering the country, although some countries do allow you to apply after being in country and securing an employment contract. In other words, in most instances, you cannot just arrive in country, look for employment, and then apply for a resident visa. Instead, you must have an employment contract in hand before arriving in country. The easiest way to get a work permit is to have an employment contract with a company that routinely takes care of work permit requirements. They, rather than you, must deal with the complexities of the government bureaucracy.