Job pathway · UK, Australia and Germany

Software and IT jobs in UK, Australia and Germany

Tech is the largest sponsorship-seeking category by search volume, and it is the one most favoured by the shift toward graduate-level skill thresholds. The constraint is not eligibility — it is finding employers who already sponsor.

Your resume stays on your device.

Which routes are open

Status reflects the official position at the time of writing. Rules change often — follow each link and confirm before you act on it.

  • UK Skilled Worker visa

    Open

    Programming and software development occupations sit above the graduate-level (RQF 6) skill threshold. You need a job offer from a licensed sponsor and a salary at or above the going rate for the occupation code.

    Check the official source

  • Australia Skills in Demand (subclass 482)

    Open

    ICT occupations appear on the Core Skills Occupation List. Requires employer nomination and a salary at or above the Core Skills income threshold.

    Check the official source

  • Germany EU Blue Card

    Open

    Lower salary threshold for IT shortage occupations, and since 2023 it can be obtained with demonstrated professional experience rather than a degree in some cases.

    Check the official source

What you need before applying

  • A degree helps but is increasingly not mandatory — demonstrable professional experience can substitute on several routes.
  • English for UK/Australia; German is often not required for Blue Card IT roles but widens your options considerably.
  • For Australia, a skills assessment (usually ACS for ICT) is typically required.

Where to find the jobs

Go to these directly. Applying at the source beats applying through a reposting aggregator, and the official registers let you verify an employer before you commit anything.

What your software and it CV must show

  • Put the stack in the first two lines. Recruiters and filters both search on technology names.
  • State scale: requests per second, data volume, team size, users served. "Large scale" means nothing.
  • Name your visa position plainly — "requires sponsorship" is better than silence, because silence wastes everyone's time.
  • Keep it to two pages maximum and skip the photo for UK and Australia; German CVs may still include one.

Write it now. Open the software engineer example in the builder and replace the details with your own. It saves in your browser — no account, nothing uploaded.

Software and IT in UK, Australia and Germany — FAQ

Should I say on my CV that I need sponsorship?

Yes. Employers who sponsor are not deterred by it, and employers who do not will screen you out at some point anyway. Saying it early saves you weeks.

Which of the three markets is easiest?

There is no single answer, but Germany's Blue Card has the lowest salary threshold for IT shortage occupations, while the UK has the largest number of licensed sponsors. Australia requires a skills assessment, which adds time and cost up front.

Do I need a degree?

Not always. The UK route cares about the occupation's skill level rather than your personal qualifications, and Germany now accepts demonstrated IT experience in some cases. Australia is stricter because of the skills assessment.

Are remote roles a route in?

Not usually a visa route — sponsorship requires a job located in the destination country. Remote contract work can build relevant experience and references, but it does not by itself lead to a work visa.

Other pathways and tools