Envoy Global's Immigration Trends Report Reveals Demand for Foreign Talent Remains High Ahead of Election Year

CHICAGO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Envoy Global, the technology leader in global immigration and workforce mobility, announced the findings from its Fifth Annual Immigration Trends Report.

Conducted by The Harris Poll, the report surveyed 433 human resources professionals and hiring managers across different industries and company sizes to gauge how employers approach inbound and outbound global immigration processes and challenges.

"This year's survey confirms the clear importance of foreign talent in the U.S. economy, as the skills gap shows no signs of closing and the desire for a diverse workforce grows," said Richard Burke, CEO of Envoy Global. "Despite the demand, employers struggle with lack of efficiency, transparency and visa availability in the current immigration process. Our Trends Report aims to highlight these challenges and offer solutions to overcome them in order to maintain and enhance effective talent acquisition strategies."

Some of the top findings and trends from the 2020 report include:

Demand for Foreign Talent Remains High as Companies Use Immigration to Foster Diverse Workforces

Immigration remains a top priority for talent acquisition (TA) teams as 95% of employers said sourcing foreign nationals is important to their TA strategies. In the same vein, 85% of employers expect their company's foreign national headcount to increase or remain the same in the next year, a 5% percentage point increase from the 2019 report.

Meanwhile, the report revealed that employer diversity is playing a significant role in the competition for talent, with 40% of those surveyed reporting that recruiting a diverse workforce was the primary driver in the growth of their immigration work. In addition, 95% of employers said that attracting and retaining a diverse workforce played a very or somewhat important role in their decision to sponsor foreign nationals for employment.

Ahead of 2020 Election, Proposed Legislation Has Potential to Impact U.S. Work Authorization

After another year of political uncertainty around immigration policies, Envoy's survey found that employment-based immigration reform and proposed legislation has the potential to impact the workforce this election season.

"Increasingly, we're seeing heightened employer concerns around changes to immigration policy," said Burke. "Our report reflects these concerns. Eighty-two percent of employers said an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program would have a significant impact on their talent pool. Moving forward, we expect to see more companies support policies and legislation that expand work visas in an effort to bring foreign talent to the U.S."

Canada Continues to Play Vital Role in Global War for Tech Talent

The report reveals that employers are looking to Canada as an alternative to U.S. assignments as the country remains a compelling destination for the world's top talent – 51% of employers said they were considering Canada for their company's expansion, up from 38% from 2019. Additionally, 48% of employers said a primary driver for overseas placements was due to the need to place or hire high-skilled talent for whom they were unable to secure work authorization in the U.S.

In the past five years, Toronto has seen the biggest growth in tech jobs of any North American city – beating San Francisco, New York and Seattle due to more relaxed immigration policies. Envoy's report found that employers agree, as 74% said they considered Canada's immigration policy to be more favorable than the U.S., with ease of application (64%), shorter processing times (60%), and more favorable permanent residency processes (59%) cited as positive aspects of Canada's immigration system.

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

Survey Methodology

The national survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll from Oct 30th to Nov 16th, 2019, with 433 HR professionals and hiring managers participating across a variety of industries and company sizes. All participating companies have experience with employment-based visa sponsorship or green card sponsorship. Questions covered internal and external global immigration processes and challenges. All global immigration questions were limited to respondents with global immigration experience (255). The data is weighted; a full methodology is available.

About Envoy Global

Founded in 1998, Envoy 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. We combine expert legal representation and proprietary technology to bring efficiency and transparency to the immigration process for employers and employees. Through our platform and services, we empower companies to acquire the best talent regardless of where they live, manage their entire global workforce and enable employees to take advantage of business opportunities around the globe. Envoy serves over 1,000 customers ranging from fast-growth startups to Fortune 50 corporations. Envoy is a 2019 honoree of the 18th Annual Chicago Innovation Awards, 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 and ChicagoInno's Coolest Companies List. Envoy's affiliated law firm is Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (GIA), who provide immigration legal services to companies.

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.

About Global Immigration Associates

Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (GIA) is an independent law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. GIA is the affiliated law firm of Envoy Global, providing immigration legal services to companies. GIA staff are experienced, dedicated, highly-skilled professionals who have a passion for immigration law and for the clients they serve.

About The Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible. To learn more, please visit http://www.theharrispoll.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Envoy Global