Ive checked online and have found several different answers and mostly in 'official' talk.

Can anyone explain in plain English what level of eligibility foreign  players have to adhere to, to be able to play over here?

I noticed last weekend one of the non-league teams in the FA Cup had a dutch striker playing for them.

I only ask because if Gareth Jennings is something to do with football in the UAE, he may have good inside knowledge of players from that area of the world.

I think work permits are quite hard outside the top level. They'd have to demonstrate exceptional talent, and playing for Grimsby may not swing the application with the home office. Europe may have different requirements.

Getting a work permit is virtually impossible outside the Premier League, it’s a complicated calculation based on number of caps, coefficient ranking of nation, salary and transfer fee. Basically top international players on multimillion pound contracts are the only one who’s will get a WP.

They changed the rules this year so Championship clubs can sign 4 foreign players without a WP and EFL clubs can sign 2. Not sure how straightforward the process is as not many clubs seem to be taking advantage of it in our league.