Recruiting talent from overseas allows you to improve your global brand, opening your business to a wider range of talent, and increasing the chance of success. There are factors you need to take into account and apply to your business when recruiting talent from overseas.
Anyone you want to recruit from outside the UK has to meet certain requirements and apply for permission, since the UK has introduced an immigration system that treats all applicants equally, regardless of what country they are from. This article will outline what you need to know before recruiting employees from overseas, as well as the benefits of international hiring.
What you need to know before recruiting from overseas
There is specific information you need to know if you are thinking about recruiting from overseas and hiring international employees for your business.
If you are looking to employ staff from overseas for the Skilled Worker route, any individual has to demonstrate that they have a job offer from a Home Office licensed sponsor, they speak English at the required level, the job offer is at the required skill level of RQF3 or above (A level equivalent), and they’ll be paid at least £25,600 or the job offer ‘going rate’, whichever is higher.
There are mandatory points which employers have to include on their adverts for the job. These are: job title, job location, indication of salary package, primary duties and responsibilities, job requirements, and posting and closing dates.
All Job Seekers/workers from outside the UK (excluding Ireland) will need a valid VISA before they can travel to the UK if they intend to work. Employers hiring international employees will need to have a sponsor licence. As a business owner, you need to make sure you understand the work permit and visa laws when looking to hire a candidate from overseas.
To employ staff from overseas you’ll need to create a payroll and benefits scheme that’s in accordance with local laws and business regulations, as well as registering with local tax authorities.
You also have to make sure you know your target candidate. If they have a family or established social networks, it may be more difficult and more expensive to move them to a different country, and potentially more time-consuming if they have to sell their house and buy a new one in the UK prior to moving. It would be helpful if you provide new overseas employees with attractive relocation packages, to ensure their relocation is as smooth as possible and get them acquainted with their new culture easily.
You must consider cultural barriers to employing staff from overseas. Local candidates will have a language and culture advantage and may have more knowledge of the market in which your business operates in, as well as any competitors. As a business owner, you may need to factor in that it could take some time for an international employee to settle in.
Why should I hire internationally? The benefits of International Hiring
There are many benefits of international hiring. Widening the talent pool at your company by employing staff from overseas gives you the chance to improve your global brand and open the business up to a wider range of talented individuals. Additionally, being bilingual is becoming a more and more important attribute for employees, and so having international employees who can speak multiple languages might open up your business to new avenues.
Ensuring the business has an inclusive workplace culture and an internationally diverse workforce allows the business to benefit from the perspectives and ideas of different cultures and backgrounds.
Having multiple perspectives from various cultures within the business will aid in problem-solving, as employees will have different experiences from the places they’ve lived and experiences they’ve had, and everyone can apply different perspectives to a problem to work towards a solution.
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