Last Updated on March 2, 2023
Immigration can get complicated. Eighty-five percent of employers told us in our 2018 Immigration Trends survey that the current U.S. immigration system has created challenges this past year. Immigration help for business comes in all shapes and sizes, but when it gets complicated, working with an immigration provider could be the solution.
Here’s what your return on investment could look like if you decide to get immigration help for your business:
Manage costs of immigration changes
Among the 85 percent of employers who are facing challenges with the current U.S. immigration system, 28 percent told us they’ve had to increase staff, 26 percent have had to delay projects and 22 percent have relocated work overseas as a result. All these changes can put pressure on HR and hiring budgets, which makes finding immigration help that can offer you the biggest ROI essential.
Alleviate cost of leaving positions open
Without the efficiency of working with an immigration provider, companies can face delays in hiring foreign nationals. And delays during the hiring or onboarding process could leave you vulnerable to poaching. Your employee could be lured away by another company with a more comprehensive and efficient immigration package that provides a variety of perks and allows them to start working faster.
Forty-one percent of HR professionals believe that leaving positions open is more expensive than hiring international talent. But when your immigration program is slow, manual or you’re struggling to keep up with the competition, those costs could go up.
Working with an immigration provider to help with retention
Foreign nationals who enter a supportive workforce with competitive salary and perks tend to be loyal and can often increase your retention rates. This saves on both recruiting costs and delayed projects due to vacant positions.
Thirty percent of expats told us in our Global Talent Perspectives Report that they plan to stay at their current company for five years or more. This is an incredible opportunity to see gains in your talent investment and that talent at your organization. But, you need an efficient and competitive immigration process to get them through the door.
Time is money (saved)
How many hours does it take to complete an immigration case? It depends on the nature of the particular case, but the answer is too many if you’re doing it on your own.
Here are just a few examples of what you need to spend time doing to complete an immigration case:
- Collect documentation and organize it in a case file
- Ask specific legal questions (and wait for answers)
- Explain to employees or candidates about the status of their case
- Audit and make changes to immigration forms
- Stay up-to-date on all immigration changes that impact filing (like the recent H-1B Premium Processing Suspension for FY 2019)
Imagine what you could do for your organization with all that time back in your day.
Working with an immigration provider can allow you to hand off time consuming immigration projects to an online platform or a team of legal professionals. You could get your questions about your particular case or visa answered within hours, and know that you’re getting expert advice that’s personalized to your situation.
Immigration providers know deadlines and policies – and some platforms even come with automated immigration management and compliance tools to notify you when deadlines or potential issues arise. That way, you don’t have to worry about accidentally missing the filing or renewal date for a visa and losing out on a great candidate.
Staying compliant to avoid penalties
During the application process isn’t the only time an immigration provider can help you.
An immigration provider has the resources, tools and knowledge to help you stay in compliance, no matter where your employees are. Immigration and global mobility compliance goes beyond inbound immigration (into the United States). Compliance through tracking global employees sent across borders for assignments and business travel is also critical. Every country has its own unique immigration policies that are always subject to change.
The penalties for being caught out of compliance can be directly fees or have deeper financial implications. They could range from employees getting stuck at borders and missing critical sales meetings to your organization being barred from doing business in certain countries or from hiring employees with certain visas.
Download our new Immigration Management: Technology’s Role During Times of Regulation Change eBook to explore alternatives to traditional immigration management. Then contact us to learn more about how a tech-enabled immigration provider can help.
