Immigration to Ukraine for Highly Qualified Workers: How to Prove Your Qualification

Immigration of highly qualified workers to Ukraine is a real opportunity to obtain a permanent residence permit if you meet clearly defined criteria. Foreign specialists with high qualifications, as well as foreign workers with relevant education and work experience, can apply for permanent residence in Ukraine.

Of course, not all foreigners with education and work experience are eligible to apply to the migration service, but only those specialists and workers whose skills are in tangible demand in Ukraine’s economy. The list of occupations needed for Ukraine’s economy is approved annually by the Ministry of Economy. However, changes are periodically made to this list, including to the qualification requirements for each occupation.

For each profession, typically one mandatory qualification requirement and several additional ones are established. To apply for immigration as a highly qualified specialist to Ukraine, it is sufficient to meet the main requirement and at least one of the additional requirements. In other words, at least two criteria must be met: the main one and one additional. We will discuss this in more detail in our article.

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Which Professions Are Most in Demand in Ukraine in 2025?

First, let’s identify the main specialties in demand in Ukraine in 2025. These include:

• IT specialists: programmers, analysts, database administrators, software engineers, information security and data protection specialists;
• Executives: managers, shift supervisors in industry, site supervisors;
• Technical specialists: electrical engineer, demining engineer, hydraulic engineer, design engineer, occupational safety engineer, electrician, power engineer, process engineer;
• Medical workers: doctor, nurse, medical staff;
• Other specialists and workers: welder, plumber, trackman, slinger, locksmith, electrician, process operator, operator, machinist, lab technician, tractor driver, driver, and others.

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What Are the Mandatory Qualification Requirements?

For almost all positions, the mandatory qualification requirement is work experience in the specialty. For specialists, this is a minimum of three years, and for workers, from one year. Specialists can accumulate three years of experience over the past seven years. For example, a foreigner worked 14 months from 2019 to 2020, and 22 months from 2023 to 2025. In total, that’s 36 months, which equals 3 years.

For workers, it is enough to have at least one year of experience, but it must fall within the past three years. This experience can also be accumulated over several periods.

Please note: It should be noted that some professions have two mandatory requirements. For example, for medical workers, both work experience and higher education in the field of “Healthcare” are mandatory.

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Which Documents Confirm Work Experience in the Specialty

Of course, the simplest way to confirm work experience is with entries in a labor book. However, we all know that this document is typical mainly for post-Soviet countries and is rarely used elsewhere.

Instead, companies usually formalize employment through an agreement, contract, or offer letter. These documents can also be used, but they often only indicate the start date of employment. That’s why the following should be attached to such documents:

• Work completion reports
• Documents confirming salary payments
• Orders of appointment and dismissal

It is also possible to obtain a relevant certificate from the place of employment.

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What Additional Qualification Requirements Confirm a Specialist’s Qualification

Additional requirements for confirming a specialist’s qualification vary by position. Most often, this is the presence of a higher education diploma in the relevant field. For example:

• For IT specialists: “Mathematics and Statistics” or “Information Technologies”
• For executives: “Management and Administration,” etc.

For certain IT specialties, it is sufficient to have:

• A certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the relevant field
• Certificates of professional development in the specialty or a document confirming the assignment of a professional qualification
• Proof of income from work in the relevant specialty over the past year in the amount of at least 24,000 US dollars or the equivalent. This may be either a one-time payment or the total amount for that period
• A letter of recommendation confirming the skills required for work in the specialty. For example, developing design documentation in one of the following systems: Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, AutoCAD; skills in creating graphic design documentation in Autodesk Inventor; or working on projects involving the implementation of advanced information systems, such as creating modern computer labs, etc.

Why It Is Worth Hiring a Lawyer for the Immigration of a Highly Qualified Worker

Our lawyers have been working in immigration support since 2012 and know exactly how to prepare, avoid common mistakes, and achieve the desired result on the first try.

Every year, with our help, three to four highly qualified specialists receive their permanent residence permits. In the last two years alone, there have been six successful cases of obtaining permanent residence permits in Ukraine by highly qualified specialists.

How can we help our clients? Before submitting documents for review to the Ministry of Economy, we:

• Conduct a detailed analysis of the situation: Since each case is unique, we study all circumstances to choose the most effective course of action.
• Review education documents, comparing the level of qualification and specialization obtained abroad with the requirements of the fields of knowledge and specialties for higher education applicants in Ukraine.
• Analyze work experience documents to verify compliance with mandatory requirements (correct job title, presence of required details) and assess whether the documents sufficiently confirm the facts of employment or activity in the relevant specialty.
• Arrange professional translation of documents into Ukrainian. We pay special attention to the need for an apostille or legalization if required by international agreements.

We not only prepare the complete package of documents but also assist in obtaining the document of support for the immigration permit application from the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. This document is the main basis for submitting the application to the Migration Service to obtain an immigration permit and subsequently a permanent residence permit in Ukraine. We manage this entire process turnkey, from start to receiving the residence permit.

Ready to get started? Submit a request, and we will explain in detail where to begin, how long it will take, and how we can assist you in your situation.