Hiring and relocating global talent: a guide to building your immigration strategy

With talent shortages persisting across industries, employers are expanding their reach to find the right people, no longer bound by borders. Recruiting internationally opens access to a much broader talent pool and creates opportunities to hire highly skilled individuals who may not be available locally. For companies looking to stay competitive, hiring global talent is now an important aspect of the business’s growth strategy.

This guide walks you through the international recruitment process, what to consider when hiring across borders (including critical immigration compliance and visa processes), and how to build a reliable strategy that supports long-term global talent acquisition.

What is the hiring process for international talent?

International recruiting refers to the process of sourcing, attracting, selecting, and hiring employees from outside your home country. It includes everything from identifying global talent needs to onboarding and managing the legal complexities of employee immigration. This approach can involve remote hiring, strategic employee immigration, or a mix of both.

The hiring process often includes:

• Defining hiring priorities: Focus on roles where international recruitment makes sense, such as those with skill shortages or global relevance.
• Attracting candidates: Use channels that reach international talent and align with your recruitment goals.
• Screening applicants: Account for different resume formats and qualification systems.
• Interviewing: Adapt interviews for time zones and cultural expectations.
• Making an offer: Build a compensation package that aligns with local standards.
• Handling employment setup: Decide between contractor or full-time employee and manage payroll, contracts, and compliance.
• Immigration, relocation, and remote onboarding: Depending on your setup, you'll first navigate employee immigration processes, then either relocate international employees or integrate them remotely.

This process requires alignment between HR, legal, finance, and operations. It can be far more involved than domestic hiring, particularly due to intricate immigration requirements and visa processes. But with the right support and tools, it’s entirely manageable.

Components of an international recruitment strategy

A structured approach is essential to avoid legal risks, hiring delays, or unnecessary costs. Here are the core elements that support successful international talent acquisition:

• Role and location clarity: Decide whether roles will be remote, hybrid, or require physical presence. Not all jobs or teams work well across time zones.
• Compliance knowledge: Understand complex local employment laws, diverse visa requirements, and benefits expectations for each country you're hiring in. Navigating specific immigration rules is often the most challenging aspect.
• Hiring infrastructure: Choose your employment setup — direct hire, Employer of Record (EOR), or contractor — based on your business presence in the target country.
• Mobility and immigration planning: If global talent requires a move, planning for employee immigration and visa processes is paramount. Ensure your team can handle the legal complexities, or consider partnering with an immigration services provider to navigate challenges and ensure compliant moves. To learn more about when and how to leverage external help, explore our guide on when and how to outsource immigration services.
• Consistent communication: Hiring across borders requires extra attention to expectations, timelines, and cultural alignment. Keep candidates informed and engaged throughout.

If you're building your hiring plan from scratch, working with a partner that offers global immigration solutions can help you avoid delays and mismatches.

What should employers prepare for when hiring internationally?

The process of international recruitment and selection involves more than just finding the right person. Before you post a job, it's worth asking: Can we support a hire from another country from start to finish? Even well-resourced HR teams benefit from global mobility software or partnerships that reduce the administrative load and keep international hires on track.

Here are a few areas to prepare for:

• Legal and compliance: Every country has different rules around employment, tax, and documentation. Immigration compliance is often the most intricate and high-stakes area, as missteps with visa categories or application processes can lead to significant delays or fines. That’s why companies working across borders often build robust systems  —  or rely on specialized global immigration solutions  —  to stay compliant.
• Employment setup: Decide early if the hire will be a contractor or employee. The answer affects contracts, payroll, and benefits, and needs to match local regulations.
• Relocation: If the role requires a move, be ready to handle visa sponsorship and the subsequent housing support and documentation. Successfully navigating employee immigration processes is the critical precursor to any smooth relocation. Relocating international employees is easier with clear internal workflows or a global mobility provider who specializes in immigration expertise.
• Cultural alignment: Even the best candidates need help adjusting to a new team or country. Support their integration with onboarding, mentorship, and tools that encourage collaboration.

How to build a reliable international hiring strategy

International hiring pays off when it’s done intentionally. Whether you’re scaling your team across markets or hiring a few international experts, here’s how to set your company up for success:

• Map out your hiring needs: Identify which roles are globally flexible and which require relocation or proximity to HQ.
• Align with internal stakeholders: HR, finance, and legal all play a role in hiring international talent. Bring them in early.
• Build your mobility infrastructure: This might mean setting up internal employee immigration and relocation support, or partnering with a global immigration services provider who can coordinate complex immigration processes, housing, and onboarding.
• Use the right tools: Track applications, centralize documents, and keep communication flowing across countries. The right global mobility software can help simplify the admin and reduce delays.
• Think long-term: Global hiring isn’t a one-off fix. It’s a way to scale, diversify, and compete for talent  —  and it works best when your strategy is built to support it over time.

Conclusion

The best international hiring strategies don’t stop at recruitment. They carry through to navigating employee immigration, facilitating smooth relocation, seamless onboarding, and long-term support. That’s where global talent mobility plays a vital role, making it easier to bring in the right people, ensure immigration compliance, and settle them into their new role (and sometimes country), keeping your company moving forward.

Want help relocating international employees? Let’s talk.