A holistic approach, managing the complexities

Staying compliant with different countries’ immigration laws and regulations can be a minefield for relocating employees and HR departments. Every country has its own particular rules, and if they’re not adhered to appropriately, they can create significant administrative problems and financial risks.

Without proper guidance, the processes can often be complex and riddled with time delays and inefficiencies, particularly when it comes to document processing, compliance issues, or unforeseen costs. Completing the wrong application, missing an expiration date, or being unaware of backlogs in destination countries can cause delays and increase your workload dramatically.

At K2, we understand that reducing the risk, delays and cost of potential issues from both a compliance perspective, and throughout service delivery, is vital to your business success. Our focus is to help you successfully navigate the myriad of immigration rules and ensure that your immigration requirements are well conceived and actioned quickly and efficiently, enabling your employees to commence work in their new location at the business-critical time.

We have developed a holistic and integrated immigration practice where we provide a comprehensive service with global coverage that is designed to define and fit your individual needs and run in seamless alignment with your hiring and relocation activities. Whatever your circumstances, we ensure we take the time to fully understand, consider all factors and interdependencies, and tailor our immigration service to enhance service control, timeliness, and achieve your objectives.

We offer a full suite of immigration services and can quickly identify the best solutions for moving your employee around the world on both long-term and short-term assignments, as well as business travel. We ensure policy, governmental and legal compliance, provide application guidance and track applications in real time via Ascent, our online case management platform.

We partner closely with you and ensure your relocating employees are receiving the highest level of service. All processes are managed to achieve a seamless service experience, simplifying the process by minimising the input required from your employees and HR or global mobility teams.

So, whether you just need support with visa applications, or a more comprehensive service covering immigration consultancy or the processes relating to document procurement, legalisation and attestation, we’re here to help.

Diverse expertise and experience, tailored to your needs

We have a global team of in-house immigration experts who provide services in their respective regions across a diverse range of industry sectors. Each of our specialists has the experience and expertise to handle personal matters and information with the due care and attention that is required. Our commitment to service excellence means we build a full appreciation of any specific personal criteria or company/departmental priorities that may also have an impact on immigration considerations.

We also manage a global network of certified specialist immigration partners who provide on-the-ground assistance, legal advice and compliance support. Each of our partners has been recruited to our Global Accredited Partner Programme where they have demonstrated the same exacting standards, reliability in service quality, and transparent, timely, appropriate communications as our vetted relocation services partners. They have all also undergone a full due diligence process to ensure global legal compliance with anti-money laundering, anti-bribery, anti-corruption and GDPR regulations.

Work permits and business visas

Simplifying the process, ensuring everything is covered

Operating globally means that your employees often need to undertake regular business travel. The frequency of visits and length of time spent at different countries necessitate important immigration service planning. It’s vital to ensure you don’t find your employees on the wrong side of a particular immigration rule which can run risks of costly financial penalties, as well as reputational damage and loss of productivity.

At K2, our immigration specialists can help you obtain business visitor visas for business travel and short-term assignments. We can assist with the visa immigration process to any destination around the world and can handle all requested or country specific visa types. As well as managing individual cases, we can also provide centralised co-ordination for clients with large business traveller requirements.

Our aim is to reduce the burden on you and take on the complexity on your behalf, simplifying the process from your end by scheduling appointments, paying local fees, participating in important calls, and providing comprehensive guidance throughout the process, as well as supporting case preparation from start to finish.

Aspects of our service include:

• Immigration consultations – identification and assessment of requirements applicable to each destination location and specific citizenship circumstances.
• Immigration requirements reports – providing a detailed explanation of the requirements of the immigration process with a delivery timeline, highlighting any potential barriers, delays or risks and compliance considerations.
• Consular services – visa documentation collection and application assistance through to visa issuance and delivery. Completion of all required application forms and company letters of support and advice on all required documentation as well as reviews of documentation prior to submission.
• Case management – visa and work permit expiry date tracking, timely HR notifications and alerts regarding renewals, local authority cancellation requests, and regular update reports. We can assist with any renewal by collating information, checking on any changes in the relocating employee’s role, responsibilities and salary, and submit the application, accordingly, following through to approval and completion. We can also provide follow-up with the relevant government authority as needed.
• Entry clearance – assistance once the visa is approved.
• Local registration – we can also assist with local registration procedures on arrival in the host country. We prepare all necessary documentation and can accompany your employee to the relevant local authorities to ensure that everything is completed in accordance with local regulations.

Official documents

Knowing what’s needed, taking away the distraction

Navigating varying immigration rules around the world is a complicated, time-consuming exercise, particularly when it comes to defining and submitting the necessary accompanying documentation for immigration applications. Many of us no longer know where our hardcopy original documentation is, how to get hold of another official copy, and certainly not whether we also need a translated, legalised or attested version. All of these gaps in knowledge can lead to frustrating and costly distractions for your employee and delays in the process.

At K2, we can take this distraction away so your employees can focus on what’s important. Our experts can procure and authenticate documents for a range of immigration applications. We can also determine the correct form of legalisation required and complete the process on your behalf. Where there is extra complication, such as undertaking applications in multiple countries, or where documents originate from multiple locations, our immigration specialists can also offer a regional hub service to provide co-ordination of complex multi-jurisdictional services around the world.

Immigration consultancy

Identifying your needs, putting effective plans in place

Hiring and transferring skilled people talent globally has many challenges. Some of the most complex and costly lie in ensuring you keep abreast of important changes in legislation and local immigration rules for each country. With limited in-house expertise this can be extremely hard to keep up to date.

This is where K2 can help, our immigration experts are well versed in the latest industry and country changes and can provide clients with real time updates on the latest issues. We can assist you with defining and planning your immigration needs, ensuring they are effective, fit-for-purpose, and comply with government requirements.

We regularly undertake policy reviews and enhancements, ensuring alignment with an organisation’s business priorities or talent and skills development strategy. We also undertake compliance audits and risk reviews to help mitigate against unforeseen risks and costs, ensure due diligence, and implement improvements.