
In the past several weeks, employers have come to us for advice on how to prepare for upcoming changes in policies that may affect their ability to onboard and retain international personnel. We have discussed this in a recent blog post.
Similarly, managers, in-house legal counsel and HR professionals responsible for onboarding and retaining international personnel have been receiving many anxious requests from international employees. HR inboxes are being filled with emails such as: "what is the status of my visa/employment authorization?" and "What will happen next?" The level of anxiety is high, and the level of additional workload to provide these updates is overwhelming. One example of this is a Midwest hospital we advise, which hires international physicians, nurses, and medical technologists to partially address shortages in the occupations. The hospital's Talent Acquisition Director was managing a high volume of emails seeking status updates and guidance. What should the employer do in this situation? Below are three practical steps we have implemented in collaboration with our client:
1. Hold a Townhall Meeting with International Employees;
2. Encourage Checking Online; and
3. Reach out to Your Outside Legal Counsel.
This is how it is done in practice:
1. Hold a Town Hall Meeting with International Employees
Our client organizes Zoom sessions for its international employees, providing updates from the legal team on what to expect and offering an opportunity for employees to ask questions. This approach is both time- and cost-effective in reducing employee anxiety. For large organizations, such as hospitals, we have conducted multiple sessions to accommodate medical personnel working various shifts, including night shifts.
2. Encourage Checking Online
One of the best ways to reduce the traffic of inquiries and to speed the flow of information to the employees is to enable employees to check the status of petitions filed with USCIS online. Employers may consider providing petition receipt numbers to their employees and encourage them to check with USCIS.gov here: Case Status Online - Case Status Search.
3. Reach out to Your Outside Legal Counsel
Some questions from your international employees may be complex and cannot be addressed by logging online at USCIS.gov or at a town hall-style meeting. In such cases, collaborating with your outside legal counsel alongside the employee can be an effective approach to obtaining prompt and accurate answers. This can help alleviate employees' immigration-related concerns, allowing them to focus on their responsibilities, such as caring for patients.

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The information provided here does not constitute legal advice. It is general information regarding law and policy that may be applicable to your particular HR issue or legal problem. Information provided in this blog, or any of our other public posts, does not create an attorney-client relationship. For specific advice you can rely upon, please contact your attorney.
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