Diversity in the workplace should always be perceived as a positive attribute — there are countless benefits that come with having employees of varying backgrounds coming together to share ideas and collaborate. Hiring foreign workers is just one way to improve your business’s diversity. But hiring foreign workers can also come with its fair share of challenges, and it’s important to understand how to go about the process so you can navigate through each step as efficiently as possible. Here are just a few tips to help you through the process of hiring foreign workers for your business.
Know Your Obligations
First, you should know that as a legal employer in the United States, you’re obligated by law to enforce all immigration laws, regardless of whether or not you’re even hiring foreign workers. This mostly means you’ll have to keep adequate records and classify employees properly.
“As an employer, you are automatically obligated by the government to actively enforce immigration laws. This is whether you are employing foreign workers or not. Every employer is required to categorize their workers depending on their immigration status. These include U.S Citizens, noncitizen nationals, lawful permanent residents and authorized aliens. The law also requires you to keep copies of your records for each employee in case of queries,” writes CareerMetis.
Consider Sponsorship
One step you can take to help foreign workers get hired legally is to sponsor them so that they can get the opportunity to receive legal permanent residency status, also called a ‘Green Card.’ The employee will also be required to satisfy other criteria, including meeting the qualifications of the job you want to hire them to perform. Keep in mind that this process does require adequate time as well as proper funds. Taking this route is a matter of determining how crucial the potential employee is to your business.
Get A Nonimmigrant Work Visa
Finally, a quicker and easier way to legally employ a foreign worker is to get a nonimmigrant work visa, which allows the employee to stay for a designated length of time. This also helps to get the ball rolling if the employee wants a Green Card.
Lawful immigrants account for three-quarters of the foreign-born population in the U.S. While it’s helpful to understand these methods, it’s even more essential to work with the best immigration lawyers with proven experience with helping businesses. For more information about immigration lawyers, contact Reeves Miller.
