Envoy Global's Immigration Trends Report Reveals Global Talent is Key to Rebuilding Economy, Fostering Innovation Post-Pandemic

Despite the impact of COVID-19 and widespread adoption of remote work, Envoy's annual survey found 59% of employers expect their foreign national headcount to increase over the next year

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Envoy Global

Apr 19, 2021, 09:00 ET

CHICAGO, April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Envoy Global, the technology leader that combines access to top legal talent with industry leading technology to bring efficiency and transparency to the global immigration process, announced its findings from its Sixth Annual Immigration Trends Report.

The report surveyed more than 500 human resources (HR) professionals and hiring managers across the U.S. to gauge employers' immigration experiences and how they approach inbound and outbound global immigration processes and challenges.

"This year's report demonstrates employers' need for foreign national talent persists, despite challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Richard Burke, CEO Envoy Global. "In the face of general U.S. unemployment decline, employers require high-skilled foreign national talent to fill vital roles at their organizations as the need for innovation and digitization become more important than ever. Our report aims to provide business leaders with a guideline to rethink their immigration and mobility strategies after a year of disruption."

Some of the top findings and trends from the 2021 report include:

Demand for foreign talent and visa sponsorship continues to increase

Immigration and visa sponsorship remain top priority for employers as they seek to fill open roles, maintain growth and transform their organizations as hiring rebounds. The report found that 82% of employers expect their foreign national headcount to increase or stay the same in the next year and 59% expect it to explicitly increase, compared to 53% of employers in 2020.

The report also revealed that amidst the widespread adoption of remote work and a year of uncertainty, green card sponsorship has reached peak levels. In fact, 75% of employers said they've sponsored a foreign national for a green card – up 71% from 2020.

Global mobility gains a seat at the table as employers expect travel to rebound post-pandemic

As vaccines roll out and talks of a vaccine passport become more apparent, Envoy's survey finds that employers overwhelmingly expect global travel to rebound. Sixty-eight percent of employers expect outbound immigration assignments to increase beyond pre-pandemic levels once travel is able to safely resume.

"We expect global mobility to play a key part in employers' talent acquisition strategies in the coming years," said Burke. "Our survey supports this trend, as the most important factors in driving the need for global travel among respondents included the need to place high-skilled talent who were unable to secure U.S. work authorization, and to support expansion into new markets. Moving forward, we expect to see Canada remain a compelling destination for top foreign national talent as employers indicate the larger quantity of visas available and more favorable permanent residency processes are beneficial to their organizations."

Immigration technology becomes imperative for employers

Employers recognize the need for sophisticated immigration providers that help navigate the complicated and rapidly changing immigration landscape. In a year that saw 48 immigration policy changes since the onset of the pandemic, employers cited COVID-19-related border and consular closures, foreign national anxiety, frequent denials and continual changes to policy as pain points in the application process.

With a growing demand for foreign talent, anticipated boomerang in global travel and an exceptionally distributed workforce due to remote work, the survey reveals that employers' top priorities when evaluating immigration providers include their technology and data capabilities and ability to provide premium customer support for HR teams. This year, employers cited these priorities over cost.

To access the full report, please click here. For more information on Envoy Global visit: www.envoyglobal.com.

About Envoy Global
Founded in 1998, Envoy Global is a global immigration services provider offering the only immigration management platform that makes it seamless for companies to hire and manage an international workforce. By combining access to top-tier legal representation—for both inbound and non-U.S. immigration—and proprietary technology, Envoy empowers companies to acquire the best talent regardless of where they live, while simultaneously managing their entire global workforce and enabling employees to take advantage of business opportunities around the globe. Envoy is a 2019 honoree of the 18th Annual Chicago Innovation Awards, 2019 winner of the 20th Annual Illinois Technology Association (ITA) CityLIGHTS Awards, Corporate Immigration & Relocation Best Global Corporate Immigration Platform, Built In Chicago's 2019 100 Best Places To Work and 50 Best Mid-Sized Places To Work, Built In Chicago's 2021 Best Mid-Sized Places to Work, ChicagoInno's Coolest Companies List and recognized by the National Law Journal as a 2021 Legal Technology Trailblazer. Envoy has affiliations with two law firms, Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (GIA) and Corporate Immigration Partners (CIP).

Website, technology platform and administrative services are provided by Envoy Global Inc., a Delaware corporation. Legal services are provided by Envoy-affiliated attorneys. Please visit envoyglobal.com for more information or if interested in exploring an affiliation with Envoy.

CONTACT:
Katie Butler
Walker Sands, for Envoy Global
614-507-5512

SOURCE Envoy Global