What is an Immigration Provider?
Businesses that hire international employees regularly often use an immigration provider to help streamline the visa process and keep track of existing immigration cases. With the rise of tech, companies need to find providers who use the most advanced technology to provide the highest level of efficiency and to make accurate predictions concerning visa-related costs. With the right provider, employees can more effectively navigate the global labor market.
Below, we’ll discuss 3 things to consider when choosing a new immigration provider:
Keeping Everyone in the Loop
The danger when switching over to a new provider is that certain individuals may not be informed at the appropriate time. All stakeholders should be told before and after the change.
Any existing visa-holding employees should be made aware of the switch (and any related benefits) so that they can make the appropriate adjustments. The same holds for all managers and departments. The accounting department, for example, will need to be informed so they can make any necessary changes to budgets and projections.
The provider itself should also be notified of any existing employees with closed immigration cases. This information can help them better understand the current landscape to make more precise predictions regarding visa renewals and the like.
Transferring All Data to the New Provider
When making the switch, the employer needs to transfer all the data — such as visa expiration dates, documents for current international employees, and visa renewal timelines — to the new immigration services provider. Missing data could lead to major inefficiencies and avoidable mistakes. The employer will also need to include data that exists in hard-copy format — anything in a folder or filing cabinet. Digitizing all this data will help the new provider streamline future visa inquiries.
Finding a Digital Provider
Ultimately, the new provider should offer services that are accessible via a network. Not only does this help increase efficiency; but it also helps cut costs and reduce financial risk. The future of immigration services is digital, as eloquently stated in a report by the American Immigration Lawyers Association: “Online immigration services are a disruptive technology, creating a new model of delivering legal services that compete with the traditional model of a brick-and-mortar law practice. The waiting room is gone, the file cabinets are digital, and more likely than not, the client will be doing much of the data entry.”
While the employer may need to handle some data entry, they will likely find a technologically integrated provider to be far more intuitive and efficient than the outmoded brick-and-mortar firm.
If you’re looking to change immigration providers and scale your business with global talent, Boundless can help. Learn more about our business immigration solutions here.