How is the immigration process handled in Germany? How do you immigrate to Sweden? What on earth is a RECE in France? How can we send our employees to the UK after Brexit? What will the Migrii say about per diems in Finland? Does this sound like Greek to you? And what is a relocation specialist?
Strong global networks around immigration and relocation
Strong networks that focus on global work are available based in the common interest in immigration & relocation. For over 25 years we have had local, regional, and global networks and it’s not just paying a membership fee. These are true networks. Some we have founded. Others we have joined and therefore, undergone a rigorous process to qualify as a member. Other interest groups such as the International Bar Association holds a bi-annual immigration conference in London. Only really passionate immigration specialists can thrive on back-to-back immigration sessions for days. It’s clear that many countries and governments are helping their corporations by setting up attractive programs.
The great benefit that we can extend to our clients is the short distance we have to real experts in all four corners of the world within hours. Several of these networks that we belong to; examples are TIRA – The international Relocation Associates and the ARE Mobility Group (European based), where we are in constant contact with the other members. Weekly calls, joint training, exchange of ideas, and referrals for our clients when they need a local expert far away from home.
How a network can help you with immigration and relocation issues
Only this week have we had questions from our clients where we have drawn on the resources and know-how of our global business friends. One client had an employee in the intensive care in Sweden without having any local representation and was having a hard time understanding what the medical status was for the employee and possibly other practical matters that needed to be addressed.
I sent out a query to our network. Within minutes we got good advice from our partners. Many of them had already had situations like this in their countries and told us what they had done. The answers also glean insight into their local cultures. Some talk about the practical matters with the property and bills that must be taken care of. Others put the spotlight on possible liability when translating medical information. Others had ideas of how to package this service so it made sense. While many said that when emergencies arise, they jump in to make themselves useful and hope that the client will survive. All the advice was useful and gave us a well-rounded approach to helping our client.
How a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) can help
Another topic of discussion was how to get employees deployed into a country where they don’t have a local company. This is a hard task in most countries. The workaround is a PEO company, Professional Employer Organization that, for a fee, will assume the employer’s responsibilities. It can also take on administration while the client company sets up shop in the country. Usually, the duration is less than one year and will actually enable the company that is sending subcontractors in the country to bid, win and execute the project. Not surprisingly, there are many companies that offer this service around the world and within our partner networks. It doesn’t take long to get the inside information on which ones are best and most reliable.
A network makes the job of a relocation specialist a lot easier
What these networks and all the engagement that goes into them provide us is going out in the world in an educated way to reliable experts without delay. What is even better is that we can assist our clients to go out in the world and not have to learn by doing or by making mistakes. Our partners are just like us; accountable.
We often talk about what are the advantages of being a small business:
- They are agile and can get answers quickly
- No unnecessary administration or useless reporting
- Action-oriented and focused on the client work, not internal non-essentials
- Entrepreneurs that have “skin in the game” take responsibility all the way. There’s no blame game, we own up, fess up and make it right if something goes wrong.
Lastly, we also have the perk of getting really close to our clients. We know what their plans and dreams are, we know their goals and support them as best we can with our piece of the puzzle. The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” can be converted to “It takes a village to recruit a foreign talent and get them to Sweden in time”! That aside, we love what we do, and contributing a small but important part to the whole is what we live for.
Would you like to get in touch with a relocation specialist?
Don’t forget to contact us when you are thinking about moving people out of Sweden or have a tricky situation in Indonesia. In times like that, it’s always good to have a relocation specialist on your side to help you out. We look forward to hearing from you and we will try to get back as soon as possible!
