Getting Your Qualifications Recognised and Finding Work

The skills survive the journey; the paperwork often does not

Under-employment among refugees is largely an administrative problem. Recognition procedures exist, and several are designed specifically for people who cannot retrieve their original documents.

1. Check whether your profession is regulated

• Regulated (doctor, nurse, teacher, lawyer, electrician, engineer in some
• countries): you need formal recognition or a licence before working.
• Unregulated (most IT, design, logistics, hospitality, trades in some countries):
• an employer can hire you on evidence of skill alone. Start applying now.

2. If you have no documents

The European Qualifications Passport for Refugees, developed by the Council of Europe with UNHCR and national ENIC-NARIC centres, assesses qualifications through structured interviews and available evidence when diplomas are lost. Many countries also run background papers, competency assessments or supervised trial periods.

3. Build the file recognition bodies actually ask for

1. Any diploma, transcript or certificate — scans are fine as a starting point.
2. A written record of your studies: institution, years, subjects, thesis topic.
3. Employment evidence: contracts, payslips, reference letters, portfolio, project links.
4. Certified translations — ask which translators the authority accepts before paying.

4. Bridge routes while recognition is pending

• Assistant or technician grades in your own field keep skills current.
• Sector language courses (medical, technical, care) are more effective than general
• classes for employment.
• Short national certifications often unlock work faster than full re-qualification.

5. Organisations that place skilled displaced people

• Talent Beyond Boundaries — labour-mobility placements into skilled jobs abroad
• Refugee Talent Hub, Tent Partnership for Refugees — employer networks
• UNHCR and IOM livelihood programmes, and national public employment services

Every month of waiting for a work permit delays first employment. Apply for permission to work the day you become eligible.

Keep reading

• The First 72 Hours After Crossing a Border
• What the Data Says About Refugee Employment