Visa support is a service that assists employees in obtaining all the necessary documentation and permits to live and work in a foreign country. This service includes assessing visa eligibility, gathering required documentation, and liaising with immigration authorities in different countries to ensure compliance with immigration laws.
Visa support services often extend to helping with the visa needs of dependents and family members of the primary visa holder, ensuring a smooth and legally compliant relocation.
What kind of visas can employees get support for?
Employer-sponsored visas
Employer-sponsored visas are a common form of visa sponsorship. An employer arranges and pays for these visas to enable foreign employees to work in a specific country. These visas are required for roles that require specialized skills or expertise not readily available in the local workforce.
Visa support for these visas includes:
- Managing the visa application process
- Ensuring compliance with local immigration laws
- Handling renewals to maintain the visa status
A common example is the H-1B visa in the USA. This visa category is for foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent. The employer must demonstrate that there is no qualified U.S. citizen available for the position.
Work permits
A work permit is a legal authorization that allows a foreign employee to work in a specific country. It’s often required alongside a visa and ensures that a foreign national's employment is legal.
Visa support services for work permits typically involve assistance in understanding and meeting the host country's specific visa requirements and procedures, which can vary across countries.
Note that a work permit is often included in the visa issued for employment purposes and doesn’t involve a separate document.
Residency permits
Residency permits allow a foreigner to live in a country for an extended period and potentially become a permanent resident. These permits may be tied to employment, investment, or family reunification.
Visa support for residency permits includes:
- Helping applicants gather the necessary documentation
- Submitting their applications
- Ensuring ongoing compliance with the host country’s immigration laws
Dependent and family member visas
Visa support services usually extend to the dependents and family members of the primary visa holder, ensuring they can legally join and reside with the visa holder in the foreign country.
This support includes understanding family members' eligibility and ensuring all necessary documentation is correctly prepared and submitted.
Why should businesses offer visa support?
More and more global companies today offer dedicated visa support for their employees—and for a good reason. This additional benefit allows businesses to:
- Attract top global talent: Global mobility allows companies to access a wider pool of skilled talent from around the world who can bring diverse expertise and innovation to the organization. By providing visa support services, businesses can simplify the process for highly qualified candidates to join their teams, regardless of their location.
- Retain valuable employees: Visa support is often necessary for retaining valuable employees who may otherwise face challenges with work visas or immigration status. By assisting with visa renewals, compliance with immigration laws, and managing the visa application process, companies can keep their key employees legally employed.
- Promote diversity and inclusion: Businesses can hire employees from various backgrounds and nationalities by providing visa support. Diversity adds to the company culture and brings in varied perspectives that can lead to better problem-solving and decision-making.
- Expand operations globally: Facilitating the movement of employees to different countries enables businesses to establish and grow their presence in new markets. Reliable visa support services allow companies to place the right people in new locations to drive success in global operations.
What are some common work visas globally?
We already mentioned the H-1B Visa for the United States, which allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require specialized knowledge.
Here are other common work visa types that attract many applications year after year:
- Tier 2 Visa (United Kingdom) is a visa for skilled workers who have a job offer from a UK employer that cannot be filled by local employees.
- HPI Visa (United Kingdom): The High Potential Individual visa lets graduates from the world’s top universities work in the UK for three years.
- EU Blue Card is a work permit for non-EU nationals that allows them to work in most EU countries, provided they have high qualifications and a job offer.
- 457 Visa (Australia): For skilled workers sponsored by an Australian employer.
- E2 Visa (United States): For investors and entrepreneurs from treaty countries.
- ICT Visa (Canada): Intra-company transfer visa for employees transferring within their company to a Canadian branch.
What does the visa support process look like?
Depending on the visa type, the process of application and issuing of a work visa may vary, but here are some general steps that employers and employees take to obtain this document.
1. Initial assessment
The first step in the visa support process includes:
- Determining the appropriate type of visa (for example, a general or skilled work visa, a family work visa, etc.)
- Understanding eligibility (for example, education level, certifications, or language knowledge)
- Identifying any potential challenges that could arise during the visa application process
Additional information about country-specific requirements may also be provided to ensure a smooth process.
2. Documentation preparation
Once the visa type is determined, the next step is preparing the necessary documentation:
- Identification documents
- Proof of employment
- Financial statements
- Potential background checks
- Other paperwork required by the specific visa category
Ensuring that all documents meet the visa requirements helps avoid issues during submission.
3. Application submission
After all documents are prepared, the visa application is submitted to the relevant immigration authorities, such as the Department of State or USCIS in the United States. This step requires attention to detail to ensure all information is accurate and complete, avoiding delays or rejections.
4. Liaising with immigration authorities
During the application process, it may be necessary to communicate with immigration authorities to address questions, provide additional information, or clarify details.
Visa support services often handle this communication to ensure the process runs smoothly, particularly with entities like the U.S. Embassy or equivalent bodies in other countries.
5. Post-approval support
Once the visa is approved, ongoing visa support may be required to assist with the transition to the new country.
This step could involve handling compliance issues, such as adherence to local immigration laws, managing visa renewals or extensions, and assisting with any credit card or visa card-related payments for application fees.
Post-approval support ensures that employees remain compliant and that their global mobility needs are fully met.
Challenges in providing visa support
Immigration is a complicated question, so setting up and maintaining visa support services doesn’t come without its fair share of challenges:
- Complex and changing regulations: Immigration laws and visa requirements vary widely across countries and frequently change. Keeping up with these changes is challenging, especially for businesses managing visas in multiple jurisdictions, and requires significant time and resources.
- Time-consuming processes: The visa application process is lengthy and involves multiple steps like documentation preparation, application submission, and communication with authorities. Delays and long approval times can make it difficult for businesses to plan and manage their workforce, particularly when dealing with work visas for important roles.
- Cost considerations: Visa support can be costly, especially for complex cases or high volumes of hires. Errors in the detailed process can lead to delays, reapplication fees, legal consultations, and lost productivity, increasing overall expenses.
- Country-specific requirements: Every country has its set of visa requirements, which can differ widely even for similar types of visas. Handling these country-specific regulations requires a deep understanding of local immigration laws, which can be difficult to maintain, especially for companies operating in multiple regions.
How to provide excellent visa support to your workforce
Below, you’ll find several best practices that can help both you and your employees keep peace of mind during the visa application process.
Partner with immigration experts
Immigration experts are experienced in practicing immigration laws and visa requirements in different countries and can ensure that the visa application process is handled efficiently and accurately.
Experts will help you minimize the risk of errors, stay compliant with local regulations, and provide more reliable support to their employees.
Maintain clear communication with employees
Keeping employees informed about the status of their visa applications, any required documentation, and important deadlines helps reduce anxiety and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Maintaining open communication is especially important when dealing with complex cases, such as work visas, student visas, or when family members are joining an employee in a foreign country.
Stay updated on immigration laws
Immigration laws and visa requirements are constantly changing, so staying updated is critical for providing effective visa support services.
Regularly reviewing the latest developments in immigration laws and understanding how these changes impact specific visa categories can help employers avoid compliance issues and ensure that all visa applications are processed according to current regulations.
Implement a visa management system
A visa management system is necessary for businesses that need to manage multiple visa applications and ensure compliance across different countries. These systems can help track application statuses, manage renewals, and organize necessary documentation.
Through a reliable visa management system, employers can streamline the entire process, reduce the amount of admin, and ensure that all visa support activities are conducted efficiently and accurately.
Visa support FAQs
What's the difference between a visa and a work permit?
A visa allows entry into a foreign country, while a work permit grants the legal right to work within that country. Depending on the destination's requirements, visa support often involves helping with visas and work permits.
How long does the visa application process typically take?
The duration of the visa application process varies depending on the type of visa, the specific visa requirements, and the country involved. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Visa interviews or waivers for certain conditions may also affect the timeline. The duration of visas also varies, but most last between three and five years.
Who is responsible for visa support costs - the employer or the employee?
Responsibility for visa support costs can vary by company policy and local laws. Generally, employers cover the costs of work visas, especially in the case of employer-sponsored visas.
What happens if a visa application is denied?
If a visa application is denied, the applicant may need to address the issues that led to the denial and reapply. Visa support services can assist with appeals or reapplications, helping to correct any mistakes or provide additional documentation.
How can companies ensure compliance with visa regulations across multiple countries?
Companies can ensure compliance by partnering with immigration experts, staying updated on local immigration laws, and implementing a reliable visa management system to track and manage all visa applications and renewals effectively.
Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.