Employment · HR glossary

Work Permit

A work permit is an authorisation to perform work in a jurisdiction under specified conditions. Conditions may concern the employer, role, location, duration or type of activity.

Example

An employee's authorisation permits work for a named employer, so a proposed move to a different employer requires checking whether new permission is needed.

What to keep in mind

Terminology differs between countries and some permissions take other forms. Confirm the exact conditions and current rules rather than relying on a document's informal label or an assumed general right to work.

Further reading

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