When growing your company, it is important to find fitting talent to support your business’ success. Nevertheless, the search for domestic talent can be challenging. According to a recent survey, nearly 70% of US employers struggle to fill positions due to a talent shortage.

In response to this talent shortage, employers must consider how they can improve their talent search. One alternative to hiring domestically to consider is hiring foreign workers. Not only can hiring workers abroad expand your talent search scope, but you can also find uniquely talented candidates you haven’t considered before.

Understandably, the steps to hiring a foreign worker are different than hiring domestically. There are various authorizations and forms you must fill out before you can start hiring. Keep reading to learn about the steps to take when hiring foreign workers abroad and how C9 Staff can streamline your hiring process.

What to Know When Hiring a Foreign Worker

Foreign Labor Certification Programs

The first step you’ll likely take when hiring a foreign worker is applying for a foreign labor certification with the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. This is necessary because the DOL must confirm a talent shortage of available US workers before approving an employer. Additionally, filing for labor certification requires an employer to remain compliant with employment regulations when hiring foreign workers.

It is important to note that there is not a single process for labor certification. Rather, the process an employer uses will depend on the type of foreign labor program related to the job being outsourced. For example, an employer hiring foreign workers for a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor’s degree would use the H-1B program.

Visa Applications

Once an employer has a labor certification, they must apply for the correct employment visa. A foreign worker must obtain either a nonimmigrant visa or an immigrant visa to work in the United States. While an immigrant visa is intended for workers wishing to permanently immigrate to the US for work, nonimmigrant visas are for temporary stays.

The type of nonimmigrant or immigrant visa an employer must petition for will depend on the program used when filing for labor certification. So, if you used the H-1B program when filing for labor certification, you must follow that program’s requirements when petitioning for a visa.

HR Payroll Compliance

In addition to filing for labor certification and petitioning for visas, hiring foreign workers comes with additional HR paperwork. One major part of that paperwork is payroll.

When determining how to pay your foreign workers, there are various factors you must consider. First, determine what type of employee they are—this includes full-time, part-time, and contractors. Type of employment will influence whether or not that employee is entitled to benefits.

Another factor to consider is tax compliance and social security. To ensure you remain compliant with tax withholdings when paying a foreign worker, you must look at tax treaties. The US has a plethora of tax treaties with other countries that outline important tax and social security requirements, such as tax exemptions.

How to Easily Hire a Foreign Employee With C9 Staff

By and large, the idea of hiring foreign workers abroad can seem like an overwhelming process to take on alone. Thankfully, you don’t have to. Instead, you can partner with C9 Staff and streamline your offshoring process without sacrificing quality talent.

What makes C9 Staff unique are our end-to-end managed services. From sourcing your new talent to handling their taxes and employee benefits, C9 Staff is dedicated to your talent search.

C9 Staff begins each client relationship by learning more about your business and hiring goals. Next, C9 Staff then evaluates the staffing and infrastructure needs of your business. With this information, C9 Staff crafts a personalized digital proposal with our collaboration protocol recommendations. After you’ve agreed to your contract terms, C9 Staff can begin the talent search in earnest.

Looking for a cost-efficient way to hire foreign workers abroad?
Contact the team at C9 Staff and discover how we help you hire top talent while saving on payroll costs!