Demystifying the Immigration Process to Enhance Recruitment in the Global Environment

By Robert C. Meltzer, CEO of VISANOW

International recruitment has become a necessity rather than an alternative for many companies. As more U.S. Corporations turn their attention abroad for skilled talent, HR professionals are faced with the growing challenge of navigating the confusing and time consuming U.S. immigration process. This critical gateway for hiring foreign workers has never been easy to manage. Now, in the face of increasing applications and evolving legislation, companies are finding it more difficult than ever to get the useful advice and the approvals they need to stay competitive.

Leveraging technology, the immigration process can be efficient and seamless for employers and their foreign applicants, creating a recruitment advantage for organizations. Enhanced offers to international talent, higher retention rates and faster additions to your workforce can be realized and directly translated to a competitive edge when trying to secure top talent. By every measurement, it is easier, faster and less expensive to deliver legal services via a technology-driven model than the traditional billable hours-based law firm model.

Introduction to the Process
The immigration application process can be separated into three key pieces or components:

1) Preparing applications: Immigration processing is a document-intensive, form-driven procedure. Employers must take the necessary steps to correctly fill out all documents in a timely manner in order to meet regulation requirements and deadlines. Immigration applications contain:

• Forms
• Letters
• Templates

2) Answers to legal questions: Although the process is highly administrative, it is crucial for employers or individuals preparing immigration petitions to have fast and direct access to legal guidance throughout the process.

• Situations and cases vary, but the majority of legal questions for specific applications review much of the same information.
• When time is of the essence, employers must receive responses to their legal questions within a resonable timeframe to keep the process moving forward.

3) Tracking- When it comes to immigration processing, managing dates and documents in a timely manner is a necessity.

• Time sensitive filings, the review and approval of supporting documentation, and the management of cases or different points in the process present a significant challenge to track or locate critical information.

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