In a recent roundtable session in Toronto, we tapped into the incredible experiences and strategies of corporate mobility leaders leveraging creative strategies for overcoming some of the biggest hurdles around maintaining a compliant mobile employee demographic and overcoming immigration challenges, all while driving high retention rates. We’re pleased to share the key takeaways around the seven dominant themes addressed and what they tell us about the future of workforce mobility in the months and years ahead.
Immigration Woes and Stumbling Blocks
Participants emphasized the difficulties in navigating Canadian immigration policies, especially with the increasing backlog and changing regulations. Most concerning is that these hurdles are stunting their ability to retain critical talent. Even traditional pathways for students to gain permanent residency (PR) through postgrad work permits and Canadian experience have significantly narrowed. As a result, companies are seeking creative solutions to support employees needing PR pathways. One example included leveraging assessment calls to identify key employees who need support and providing training sessions to inform them about available options.
The group unanimously agreed that integrating mobility and immigration strategies with talent acquisition is becoming essential.
Compliance Considerations
The importance of compliance with immigration laws and the potential risks of non-compliance were discussed, with a focus on the pressure for employers to support foreign workers with work permit applications such as the C10/C20 or with employment-based permanent residence applications such as the OINP that they traditionally have had to support. Participants shared experiences with various immigration categories, such as the C20 reciprocal employment category, and the challenges of maintaining compliance while supporting employees.
Leading Policy and Support Strategies
While companies have not changed their policies in response to compliance challenges, many are providing exceptions on a case-by-case basis to support critical talent. Examples include supporting limited Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications for critical employees and conducting analyses of critical talent to identify those at risk of leaving and developing business cases to support PR applications.
While our policy traditionally did not offer support, we now provide assistance on an exception basis, which has become more common.
Getting Creative to Support Future Talent
As mentioned earlier, the need for creative strategies to align mobility and immigration with talent strategy was emphasized. One company discussed the importance of having advanced conversations with business leaders to proactively address potential immigration issues. Attendees agreed that employers increasingly need to find pathways for their employees to secure PR, as individuals often cannot achieve this independently.
We conducted a thorough analysis of our critical talent at risk of leaving in the next year and engaged with business units to identify key concerns.
Reliance on Technology and Data Integration
The use of technology to track and manage immigration and mobility data was highlighted as a critical tool for compliance and strategic planning. One company shared their experience with using a platform that integrates immigration and tax information, allowing for better tracking and management of employee data. Another company discussed their use of AI to generate cost estimates and memos for new assignments, streamlining the process and reducing manual work. In fact, we’ve got a purpose-built compliance tool of our own…
Weichert’s SMARTRIP tool has proven invaluable in helping many of our clients and their mobile talent to navigate the complex process of compliance tracking. SMARTRIP effortlessly pre-assesses each trip against the latest travel, tax and immigration regulations worldwide, and alerts dedicated specialists who identify and address any resulting compliance issues before they become problems.
Managing RTO and Remote Work
The impact of remote work and Return to Office (RTO) policies on mobility programs is leading companies to explore flexible approaches to support employees while ensuring compliance with tax and immigration regulations. The complex issues of RTO are being felt as cases emerge in which relocation packages are offered to employees who moved away during the pandemic and now need to return to the office.
Smart Cost Management and Budgeting
Strategies for managing costs associated with mobility and immigration were shared, including the use of external service providers and internal resources. One company discussed their approach of pushing back certain responsibilities to the business units to manage costs effectively. Another emphasized the importance of demonstrating the value of mobility programs to senior leadership to secure necessary resources and support. But of course, effectively demonstrating this value will rely upon smart tools and processes for pulling and analyzing spend data and isolating the trends that demand attention. At Weichert, we’re seeing our clients lean upon our teams to provide consultative support in turning data into stories that show the impact of mobility on the broader business.
The essence of these roundtable discussions? Our creativity as mobility professionals will continue to be challenged as legal and immigration challenges persist in the years ahead. The silver lining? Purpose-built, intuitive tech tools and the support of consultative partners will make these challenges seem manageable, reducing the negative impact upon your overall talent strategy.
We’re grateful for the participation and contributions that make these insight-packed sessions possible, and we look forward to continuing to collaboratively explore new ways to support our clients and the broader mobility community.
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