Mediaboss Marketing

Costs and challenges

According to Joseph Woodbury, founder and CEO of Neighbor.com, the companys first core value is to hire and develop the best. To accomplish this, Neighbor is one of few Utah companies that sponsor H-1B, STEM OPT and TN visas.

Sponsoring work visas is a competitive advantage for employers like Neighbor.com, Woodbury says. It provides access to a broader talent pool of extremely accomplished and driven individuals. It also brings diverse perspectives into your company that drive strategic decision-making and foster a global perspective.

Sponsoring work visas also provides significant benefits to talented immigrant workers striving to gain access to the largest economy in the world and participate in developing companies that will redefine the future, Woodbury explains.

The United States needs to work quickly to dramatically expand the number of educated immigrant workers it allows into the country, he continues. Making immigration easier will be a major benefit to the U.S. economy.

According to Woodbury, the average cost to sponsor an employee is $5,000, including premium processing. He says working with immigration law firms has helped make the process simple.

The biggest challenge Woodbury has encountered with sponsoring work visas? The United States government. The application process for an employee looking to transfer from temporary sponsorship to permanent residency is a tedious and entirely outdated system, he says. We have an employee that has gone through the lottery system for four years with a preferred Masters Cap lottery position and has still not been selected. For some reason, the U.S. government doesnt want some of the most talented individuals in the world to stay in the country.

Woodbury says the other main barriers are the filing costs, legal costs, the time to file and the requirement to publicly post documents.

Its absolutely worth the cost, but it is understandable why more companies dont embrace it given the hurdles that have been set up, Woodbury says. The system desperately needs reform to make it quicker and easier for companies to obtain work visas for talented employees and candidates.

Regardless, Neighbor has sponsored numerous employees for roles in software engineering, data and analytics, marketing and sales. In every instance, Woodbury says, it has been a net positive experience. He hopes business owners will speak to elected officials about streamlining the process for employers to obtain skilled worker visas and making it easier for talented individuals to contribute to our economy.

As one of the largest technology employers in Utah, Zions Bancorporation employs skilled technology workers from around the globe. The company currently provides immigration sponsorship for over 100 employees who are on H-1B status. This represents approximately one percent of Zions Bancorporations current employee population, according to HR Compliance Analyst Stephen Allred.

If a business is experiencing unusual difficulty hiring highly-skilled talent and is considering immigration sponsorship for the first time, Allred offers this advice: contact an experienced in-house immigration consultant and use your professional network to identify a reputable, service-oriented immigration law firm.

Utah universities put a lot of investment into attracting international students, but those students are often unable to find permanent employment upon graduation due to confusing and outdated worker visa systems, says Michelle Conley, director of partner relations for World Trade Center Utah. Formerly, Conley was the refugee program director for the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.

While WTC Utah does not manage an immigration program, the organization is an outspoken advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. Conley says the team at WTC Utah hopes to help solve the broken parts of the system by making it easier for employers to hire international students upon graduation.

Employers are often hesitant to hire graduating students because they arent familiar with the visa system or how to apply for worker status for their potential employees, she continues. This means many talented, U.S.-trained potential employees return to their home countries. Making the process easier and more transparent for employers to hire these students would help Utah companies retain highly-educated workers who have already spent years in the state and would like to remain.

Conley believes it is very feasible to reform and increase immigrationand its in our best interest. Skilled, foreign-born workers will strengthen our economy, innovation and standing in the world, she says.

Utah is strongest when its seen as one of the most welcoming and accommodating places in the world to get an education, start or work at a business and raise a family, Conley says.

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The why and how of sponsoring employment visas - Utah Business - Utah Business