As you prepare your expat for assignment abroad, you can help to ease the transition by putting things in motion well in advance. Regardless if the assignment is short-term, permanent, or rotational, you can help them understand what they’ll be facing and set them up with programs for success in their new host country.

Is your employee ready to move abroad?

Before you designate any assignments to specific employees, you should have defined selection criteria for who is chosen. When making this determination, it helps to do an assessment by asking yourself a few questions:

• Is the employee prepared to move to a new country? Is the family ready?
• Do the employee and his or her family have a full understanding of challenges they’ll face? Are they equipped to handle them?
• Is the employee culturally astute? Do they possess a global mindset?
• Do you have a formal diagnostic tool for an employee and family to take prior to selection?

One study suggests 40 percent of expats find being away from family and friends to be a challenge, with 20 percent saying it’s difficult to make new friends. Thirty-two percent of children had difficulty being away from loved ones, with 28 percent saying they had trouble making friends.

You want to be sure your employees don’t fall into these statistics. You can ensure this by providing the right coaching, training, and education.

Providing coaching, training, and education

Employers can equip employees and their families with the knowledge and tools they’ll need to relocate to another country. Preparations you can organize and provide for your employees include:

• Business coaching – Even though they’ll be working for the same company, consider the cultural differences that span international borders. Business practices, social norms, and etiquette will differ from country to country. Give your employees the tools needed to learn the ropes in their new location.
• Cultural training – The more employees and their families learn about their host country and its people, the better prepared they’ll be to interact within their community when they arrive.
• Language classes – It’s important to consider employees may not be familiar with the primary language spoken in their host country and, even if they are, are likely to be a bit rusty. Help them and their families by enrolling them in language classes.

Providing your employees with these skills and knowledge will greatly raise their probability of success as they assimilate into their new environment. Relocation management companies can help you to set these up.

Consider the work culture and prepare them

Be sure each employee has sufficient time to meet their new team prior to moving. You can set up an online call or video conference to allow everyone to meet and get better acquainted. This will help reduce any discomfort or awkward interaction after the relocation is complete.

Remember, once employees accomplished their relocations and are settled in, the preparation doesn’t stop there. To help them succeed in their new roles, it’s helpful to provide ongoing training and support. And, once the assignment is complete, you should also consider repatriation assistance.

In our 24 years at WHR Group, we put our customers’ needs first and have been proactive in facilitating a seamless relocation. Preparation is one of the best benefits you can offer. We understand the importance of helping employees to know what to expect. It will help reduce any anxiety and/or apprehension, along with increasing their comfort level, guiding them to success.

Our company has global partnerships with industry experts across the globe, enabling us to provide cultural and language training services to help expats and their families prepare for relocation abroad. For more information on how WHR Group can assist your employees with their international move and new assignment, give us a call at 800-523-3318 or email [email protected].

From coast to coast, U.S. businesses feel the impact of these restrictions. Back in April, when President Trump stressed the need to “Buy American and Hire American,” an executive order was signed in an effort to put H-1B programs under new scrutiny. Companies that seek people with specialized knowledge and training, typically those in engineering, science, and information technology, can temporarily hire foreign workers though the H-1B programs. With this executive order, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services was told to more rigorously review every H-1B applicant, resulting in hiring and productivity delays from longer processing times.

Then, in October, USCIS changed a policy that had previously allowed anyone eligible for H-1B to get an extension without major reapplication requirements. Implementing a higher level of scrutiny on extension requests was, the service said, “consistent with policies that protect the interests of U.S. workers.”

Some politicians believe reform will increase employment of U.S. citizens. But others are not so sure.

“What a mistake when we are trying to fuel the innovation economy around the United States,” noted Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Statistics show there aren’t enough qualified American workers to fill openings because not enough American students major in these fields.

The head of an immigration law department representing companies and academic institutions told The Boston Globe that entry-level computer science jobs, “might sound like positions that would be easy to fill with American labor,” but they are often highly specialized.

This change in policy hits Silicon Valley particularly hard because numerous engineers vie for H-1B visas. In 2016, the major technology companies combined applied for more than 30,000 of the 85,000 H-1B visas awarded.

It is not just the tech industry facing difficulties in securing and relocating employees. Experts in oil and gas say recruiting new and younger talent may become more difficult “at a time when oil and gas companies need it most.” Health care facilities, many of them located in medically underserved areas, feel a pinch in their personnel as foreign-born physicians question whether their visas will be renewed. The nation’s nursing shortage grows more dire if foreign-born nurses are not allowed to renew.

The uncertainty of what will happen next continues, especially because the travel ban decisions of lower courts are still in limbo. Because immigration laws constantly change, companies need to be aware of all that is happening and make sure they and their employees abide by regulations. Companies also need to be realistic with timeframes for when employees can start positions in the U.S. It may take months to get the necessary visas due to the additional roadblocks many people now face.

The challenges of employee relocation into the U.S. are extensive, which is why many companies outsource to a relocation management company. Offering immigration benefits allows your employees some peace of mind while going through this very difficult and stressful time.

RMCs keep up to date with everything that occurs in the courts, including what changes go into effect and when. They ensure companies and employees remain compliant and, when necessary, help relocate staff in as little time as possible allowing your business to focus on core personnel decisions.

For more information on how WHR Group can take your relocation program to the next level, call us at 800-523-3318 or email [email protected].

Market Opportunities

Imagine relocating to Mexico. What do you see?

According to Fraind, you should be envisioning a robust economy in many parts of the country, no longer simply related to manufacturing. Design, engineering, and other “white collar” roles are taking a foothold.

Mexico is emerging above the typical “beachy” (or perhaps cartel-related) imagery. Because beyond the weather and cuisine, Mexico is the world’s eighth largest producer of automotive parts and the world’s largest supplier of flat-screen TVs.

Mexico’s infrastructure is reliable and modern. There are malls, cinemas, and private hospitals specifically catering to medical tourism. Oaxaca and Playa Del Carmen are short vacations away from such bustling metros as Monterrey and Mexico City.

Market Challenges

While its global image is starting to change, there are, of course, challenges to consider regarding Mexico as an expat destination.

Fraind cautioned on corporate housing and rental issues for transferees in Mexico, such as low suitable inventory, the lack of modern appliances in many units, and needing a co-signer in most leasing agreements.

Fraind also explained there are long wait times and application processes for schooling—posing an issue for relocating families.

Visa processing is straightforward and relatively quick, but any delays in the application process means a delay in other destination services: applying for a bank account, applying for a driver’s license, and finding housing in a timely manner. Working with a professional destination support organization should eliminate the chances of delays.

Thanks in part to rebranding efforts alongside the country’s growth (“Mexico: The place you thought you knew”), businesses’ initial perceptions of Mexico are starting to shift to envision something more rich in infrastructure and opportunity. And a market where employees could thrive.