How to Hire an Offshore Laravel Developer: Top Benefits, Skills, and Countries

You've posted the same Laravel developer job three times in the past four months. The applications keep coming in, but none of the candidates have the experience you actually need—or they want $130K+ for what should be a $90K role.

Meanwhile, your product roadmap is stalled. The backlog of Laravel-specific features keeps growing. Your existing team is stretched thin, and you can't keep asking your senior developers to handle both architecture decisions and basic CRUD operations.

That's exactly why more companies are looking offshore for Laravel talent. This guide covers everything you need to hire an offshore Laravel developer who can hit the ground running: the specific benefits of hiring Laravel developers internationally, what skills to evaluate and where to find the best talent.

Top Reasons to Hire Offshore Laravel Developers 

Offshore Laravel developers offer specialized PHP framework expertise at significant cost savings while providing the same technical depth and collaboration capabilities as US-based developers.

Here are the key reasons why you might want to hire offshore Laravel developers:

Access to the exact Laravel skills you need

When you're struggling to find developers with specific Laravel expertise locally, expanding your search offshore dramatically increases your chances of finding the exact skills you need.

Instead of settling for generalist PHP developers or junior Laravel developers, you can find candidates with deep experience in your specific use case—whether that's Laravel API development, complex Eloquent relationships, or Laravel package development.

The depth of Laravel knowledge available offshore often surpasses what you'll find locally. Many offshore developers have spent years working exclusively with PHP and Laravel, building everything from complex e-commerce platforms to fintech applications.

Cost-effective hiring

Offshore hiring allows you to hire skilled Laravel developers who otherwise might not be within your budget.

For example, hiring Laravel developers in LatAm can save you up to 50% on salaries due to the lower cost of living in the region.

From our experience, here are the average salaries for Laravel developers in LatAm compared to the US.

Fast hiring timelines with specialist recruiting support

Most companies hire offshore Laravel developers through specialist recruiting firms that can deliver qualified candidates in 2-3 weeks instead of the 3-6 months typical for US hiring. These firms have established networks and pre-screened talent pools that dramatically accelerate the process.

Working with recruiters who specialize in offshore Laravel talent also means you get candidates who are serious about the opportunity. As our recruiters note, "candidates are very committed to the process. If they have a take-home assessment, sometimes the deadline is seven days, but a lot of candidates finish it in four or five days because they're eager to move forward." 

Time zone options that fit your workflow

One of the advantages of offshore hiring is that you can choose locations based on how you want to collaborate:

• Real‑time collaboration: Hire from countries with workday overlap (such as much of Latin America if you’re US‑based). You’ll have instant communication for stand‑ups, sprint planning, and resolving blockers during your normal business hours.
  
  
• Around‑the‑clock development: Hire from regions farther from your own time zone (such as Eastern Europe or Asia) to create a 24/7 development cycle where work continues after your in‑house team signs off.

The right choice depends on whether you value live collaboration or continuous progress more for your projects.

Easy cultural and workflow integration

Many offshore developers—particularly those in regions with strong ties to US and US business culture—have prior experience with US‑based companies, speak fluent English, and work within Agile/Scrum frameworks.

This makes onboarding smoother, reduces miscommunication, and helps them operate as a seamless extension of your in‑house team from day one.

How to Hire a Laravel Developer: A Step-by-Step Process 

Hiring a skilled Laravel developer who also fits your team’s culture is crucial for project success. Here’s a step-by-step strategy to streamline the hiring process and find the right developer: 

1. Define your project requirements: Start by outlining your project goals, the timeline, and the specialized skills you need. Clear requirements make it easier to identify potential candidates who meet your needs.
2. Search for qualified candidates: Use reliable sources like LinkedIn, GitHub, developer platforms, or a software developer recruitment agency to find experienced Laravel developers with proven portfolios and client testimonials that indicate a strong track record.
3. Evaluate skills and experience: Review resumes and past programming projects, conduct interviews, and assess candidates’ expertise in Laravel and PHP.
4. Test practical skills: Give candidates a trial project or coding challenge to gauge their technical skills and problem-solving abilities in a real-world scenario.
5. Choose the right fit: Select ideal candidates who have technical skills and align with your team’s culture and communication style.

Working with the top developer staffing and recruiting agencies can streamline this process, helping you find the talent you need with minimal hassle.

For more tips on the hiring process for Laravel developers, including interview questions, hiring best practices, and mistakes to avoid, see our complete guide on how to hire a Laravel developer. 

Skills to Look for When You Hire Laravel Developers

Knowing what to look for when you hire offshore Laravel developers is essential for building robust and efficient applications. Watch out for developers who have the following skills: 

Proficiency in PHP and the Laravel framework

Since Laravel is a PHP framework, Laravel developers should be proficient in PHP (as well as Laravel itself). This includes understanding Laravel’s tools and functionalities, like Eloquent ORM, Blade templating, and built-in authentication, which are all crucial for efficient coding and application performance.

Mastery of front-end technologies

While Laravel is a back-end framework, familiarity with front-end technologies—such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frameworks like Vue.js or React—is highly beneficial. This knowledge enables Laravel developers to create cohesive, seamless applications that integrate well with front-end components.

Understanding of MVC architecture

Laravel is based on the model-view-controller (MVC) architecture, which separates business logic from user interface code. A developer should understand how to use MVC principles to structure code cleanly, making it easier to debug, test, and maintain over time.

Database management skills

A solid understanding of database management, including MySQL and PostgreSQL, is a must for Laravel developers. They should be able to design, optimize, and manage database systems efficiently to guarantee that the application performs smoothly as data needs grow.

API development and integration knowledge

Laravel developers should be skilled at API development, as many applications require communication between different services. Knowing how to build, integrate, and secure APIs helps an application reliably exchange data and connect to third-party services effortlessly. 

Familiarity with testing and debugging

To deliver a high-quality product, offshore Laravel developers should be proficient at both testing and debugging. Having a deep understanding of Laravel’s testing tools and PHPUnit helps them develop code that is reliable, easy to maintain, and error-free.

Where to Hire Offshore Laravel Developers 

For businesses looking to hire offshore Laravel developers, certain countries stand out for their technical talent, favorable costs, and rich experience. 

Brazil

Brazil has one of the most vibrant tech industries in Latin America (LatAm), with an abundance of skilled Laravel developers. The country boasts a strong educational system in STEM fields and a rapidly growing IT workforce.

Mexico

Mexico is a key nearshore destination, offering proximity to the US and time zones that overlap with the US. Mexican developers are highly proficient in modern technologies, and the country is known for its bilingual talent.

Argentina

A high-quality educational system and government initiatives have bolstered Argentina’s technology sector. The country’s cultural alignment, competitive costs, and active community of developers make it an attractive option for companies hiring nearshore talent.

Philippines

The Philippines offers a large pool of proficient developers with expertise in Laravel and PHP development. Known for their strong English proficiency and cultural adaptability, Filipino developers are excellent at collaborating with international teams.

Vietnam

Vietnam has rapidly become a tech powerhouse in Asia, known for its cost-effective solutions and skilled developers. The country’s low costs and rising reputation for software development make it a popular choice among companies looking to scale quickly.

Final Thoughts

Hiring an offshore Laravel developer can bring major advantages to your business, from cost savings to flexibility and hiring high-quality talent. 

Although the best offshore location for hiring Laravel experts ultimately depends on your situation, LatAm countries stand out as a strong choice due to their time zone alignment and cultural similarities with the US.

With Near, you can easily hire remote LatAm Laravel developers, giving you access to these benefits so that you can start working with top Laravel talent without having to worry about communication gaps or collaboration hurdles.

If you’re curious about how the results of this approach look in practice, take a look at how Snap Diagnostics, a fast-growing medical equipment company, saved $391,000 annually and reduced their hiring time to just 19 days by switching to nearshore talent with Near.