(BUTTON) Global HR

The Ups and Downs of Hiring Foreign Workers

   New regulations make it harder to hire foreign talent; having a policy
   helps
   aliah.wright@shrm.org
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   ​Politics has made it harder for employers to identify and hire
   qualified foreign applicants for open positions, attendees told
   panelists June 13 during a session at the Council for Global
   Immigration's 2017 Symposium in Arlington, Va.
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   Recruitment Woes

   In some situations, employers may need to sponsor foreign nationals for
   certain jobs if qualified U.S. workers can't be found, according to a
   panel of immigration experts that included Justin Storch, manager of
   agency liaison at the Council for Global Immigration, an affiliate of
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   When polled during the symposium session, 63 percent of attendees said
   their companies have a written sponsorship policy for recruiting and
   retaining foreign national employees. Sometimes, however, employers
   will file for visas without bothering to see if their organization even
   has a policy, Gonzalez said.

   Having a policy makes it easier for companies to find foreign talent,
   the panelists said. With a policy, companies have processes in place to
   engage with appropriate parties when recruiting and retaining foreign
   national employees.

   Sponsorship includes two categories of work authorization: nonimmigrant
   temporary work visas, which provide work authorization for a limited
   time, and permanent residency (also known as green cards).
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   should consider risks," Gonzalez said. These include "time [to hire],
   cost [of hire] and qualified candidate pipeline," which means "if you
   have qualified U.S. workers who are available to do the job, you might
   not consider a foreign national," especially given Trump's executive
   order in April.

   As SHRM Online reported previously, that order "directs federal
   agencies to review and propose changes to the H-1B high-skilled guest
   worker visa program," which creates a preference for American workers
   over foreign nationals.

   There's just one problem: Many highly skilled workers—those with
   advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
   fields—typically aren't Americans, according to the Integrated
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   For example, 54 percent of students who earn doctorates in computer
   science and information management in the United States are foreign
   nationals, as are 56 percent of those who earn engineering doctorates
   in the U.S.
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   Center.

   Helping foreign nationals with their immigration status isn't cheap.

   "It's … quite expensive," Gonzalez said. "Filing an H-1B and the
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   require additional paperwork and are limited in number.  "Will we be
   able to keep them on an H-1B? What is right for your organization
   regarding hiring a foreign national is important," she said, adding
   that HR professionals need to ask themselves if it's preferable to hire
   U.S. workers.

   [SHRM members-only toolkit: Understanding and Obtaining U.S. Employment
   Visas]

   Some Shy Away from Foreign Workers

   Fitzgerald said that for the second time in the last year, a client has
   told him the organization doesn't want to hire foreign talent.

   However, he added, "if you're looking for STEM folks, you're probably
   going to have to source some foreign talent" because most of the
   students in U.S. graduate programs in electrical engineering or
   computer programing are foreign nationals.

   "One of the things we say to clients is, 'Don't hire foreign nationals
   unless they have a STEM degree, because you're not going to be able to
   keep them' " if they haven't gone through the visa process, he said.
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     * Will this job title attract qualified candidates?
     * Why are these skills so hard to find?
     * Is it easier to find these skills among workers at different
       company locations?
     * Can we train someone on staff or hire someone and train them to do
       this job in a reasonable period?
     * Will you consider foreign nationals who require sponsorship for
       this role?
     * Are all these skills required or just desired?
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