There are a number of pieces of information it can be helpful to be aware of when a business is thinking about how to manage their global immigration a.k.a hire foreign nationals or send employees from one country to another.
Location, location, location
A first key piece of information that will inform global immigration strategy is identifying where the common areas of immigration needs might be – which locations a business will be hiring foreign talent into or sending employees to. Each country has their own work authorisation options.
Collating information about locations of interest also means that businesses can approach service providers (or governments or local HR) to
- Find out about general timing; salary thresholds, business vs work definitions
- Discuss support
Gathering initial location information might require reports from the business from the last few years; checking office locations and discussing possible growth/recruitment/ expansion/acquisition plans with relevant stakeholders.
Let’s talk numbers
A second piece of key data would be the volume of intended workforce travel and relocation for the short to medium term future. How many employees might need support for their immigration?
This can be challenging to forecast and change may happen along the way but having discussions within the business to create estimates facilitates clarity, budget and planning.
Combining key components 1 and 2 gives a very solid foundation for future planning e.g. 12 to Ghana in 2024; 17 to Mexico; 100 to the US; 2 to Sweden.
Review company policies
It is useful to clarify and define what internal preferences and policies are in place around
- Contract and payroll location for employees
- Sponsorship requirements
- Durations of assignments and preferences for renewals
- Business vs work travel (please see our article here for more details on this)
- Support for dependents accompanying the employee
- Budgets and allowances and process for approval
- Policies and procedures for employees around what they can expect
Stakeholders and support
A global immigration programme often involves multiple points of contact and it is imperative to identify who the key contacts involved in planning, document and information provision and tracking will be.
In addition to the employee to be moved (and potentially their family), the line managers and HR (both of the sending and receiving entity), a supply chain management contact or team and whoever owns the budget for immigration might be involved from within the business, in addition to any external immigration suppliers. Creating a clear map of key contacts and their responsibilities can streamline communication and improve efficiency.
Businesses will also need to consider what other support will be provided to their employees during a relocation process in addition to that of immigration, e.g. language/cultural training/home search/moving/school search/taxation advice/spousal support etc.
Supply management
There are a number of ways to manage global immigration. The most common ways of working are. Handling advice, paperwork, support, payment and compliance..
- Internally using HR/people contacts (usually only possible when volume is low and there are limited locations – see #1 and #2)
- By using internal HR working with local immigration providers in each country (usually only possible when volume is medium to low and there are limited locations – see #1 and #2)
- By partnering with a global immigration specialist company who works with partners around the world
- By outsourcing relocation services entirely to a relocation company who in turn works with different suppliers.
Regardless of the choice, working with any external service providers should involve a due diligence process around ethics, compliance, technology, international data protection regulations and service levels.
Suppliers will have access to a range of personal information about any employees they assist as well as contact with original passports, degrees, salary information etc and should be vetted to the highest level.
GMP has a rigorous supply chain onboarding process so that businesses do not have to bear this task. More information about how we select and work with global vendors is available here.
Education
Global immigration is a complex and changing landscape affected by politics, economics and environment. Each country determines its own categories and processes for immigration and can change these at will. It can be useful to include internal learning around general immigration factors as well as individual country overviews as part of an immigration strategy so that stakeholders understand the options, timing and red flags.
Ongoing awareness of changes is vital to ensure that realistic expectations are set. Every new file should prompt a process review.
GMP sends regular newsletters advising company contacts of legislative changes in top destinations and includes a full file review as part of each immigration service.
There are a number of technology solutions available to streamline immigration processes and improve efficiency. These include options to upload and store documents, complete forms, show process and timing and track valid immigration documents on an individual level.
Using technology
Immigration software can then be used to view dashboards and reports to monitor key immigration metrics and trends around volume, locations, processing time etc, track compliance and renewal needs and inform decision-making processes.
GMP uses our customized case management tool built on Monday.com to support our clients with efficiency, compliance and tracking.
Finally, it is recommended to have a process of review and continuous improvement for immigration strategy. Regular reports, feedback, review and meetings with stakeholders may identify opportunities and gaps and will ensure that policies and procedures are updated as needed to align with evolving business needs and regulatory requirements. How would the business want to do this?
Monthly reports? A dashboard? Quarterly meetings?
Working through these eight information points is an excellent starting point to a coherent plan of action around mobility of employees within a company. GMP specializes in guiding companies through immigration routes, developing strategies, and facilitating the practical processes of obtaining work authorization, visas, and residence permits.
