Country guide
Working in the UK after studying: a guide for students from the Gulf
After a UK degree, Gulf students normally stay on the Graduate visa, then move to the Skilled Worker route with a licensed employer before it expires. The Youth Mobility Scheme, which needs no employer, does not cover the Gulf.
Covers United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
The route that needs no employer
the Gulf is not covered. The scheme runs with 13 countries and territories, and this is not one of them. Worth knowing rather than wondering: it means sponsorship is the route that matters for you, so target licensed employers from the start.
Checked against gov.uk on 2026-09-08. Read the rule on GOV.UK.
Your degree, and your documents
Two questions are specific to where you studied, and we deliberately do not answer either here.
What your degree compares to
UK ENIC is the recognised UK body for comparing international qualifications, and issues Statements of Comparability. That statement is what a university or employer accepts. A comparison published in a blog is not, so we do not publish one.
Documents, translation and attestation
Set by the Home Office, different per route, and revised regularly. Check the requirements for your own route on GOV.UK rather than any third-party list, ours included.
Next steps
This is information, not immigration advice. It applies published Home Office rules and cannot see your own history. Always confirm on gov.uk, and take advice from an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority before making a decision that matters.