What is Immigration Advertising?
In our competitive employment market, companies can find it difficult to fill positions requiring a specialized and highly sought-after skill set. At times candidates for these positions can’t even be filled via the U.S labor market. At the same time, these roles are considered vital to the success of a given company.
For this reason an organization will at times fill the position by appealing to foreign nationals. Of course, organizations want to hire from within if at all possible, so a decision to bring in someone from outside the country can never be made lightly.
A Complex And Multi-Step Process
Reaching out to foreign nationals is made necessarily complex. There is a myriad of legal and regulatory steps an organization must take before considering a non-U.S. citizen for a job. One of the top challenges involves specific immigration labor advertising steps your company has to make before offering a job to a foreign national.
Before You Place Your Immigration Ads
Immigration advertising is frequently a requisite part of recruiting employees from outside the country. But even before you place your ad, there’s a lot of paperwork— everything from filling out forms to getting approvals. And of course, there’s the immigration advertising campaign itself. At the end of the day, you have a position to fill at your company and naturally, you want the best candidates.
Bring In The HR Experts
The immigration labor market is complex and in fact, might be beyond the comprehension of your internal HR team. It can be beneficial to consult with HR experts to help you navigate the process. You might even want to solicit the help of outside HR services— either to aid you in filing the correct forms, or by filling them out on your behalf.
What Is The Established Wage For The Position?
Before launching your immigration advertising campaign, you’ll need to determine what the “prevailing wage” is for the position you’re looking to fill. This wage has been set by the U.S. Department of Labor and is based on the exact job you’re seeking to fill, as well as your geographic location. It’s essential that this information be accurate.
If you advertise a position with a wage that is lower than the one the government has predetermined, you are opening yourself up to a possible audit. Not only that, but you are likely to encounter delays in the hiring process that will cost you time and money. Any “red flags,” like hiring a worker for a reduced salary, will make your case stand out and draw the kind of attention that you don’t want.
Do Your Homework
Before you place your immigration ads it’s imperative that you thoroughly research the prevailing wage for the role as established by the U.S. Department of Labor. Once you’ve determined the rate, you have to set the salary at this wage or above. It can’t be overstated how crucial this step is. When placing immigration ads, you must follow the letter of the law.
Job Placement And The State Workforce Agency
If a job has an open position, you’re legally required to place it with the State Workforce Agency. You’ll need to find a State Workforce Agency in the region where the job is offered, as opposed to where your company is located. On top of that, Job orders must run for at least 30 days in order to fulfill the legal requirements. Moreover, there is an additional 30-day waiting period in order to offer any applicant from the U.S. extra time to apply for any open position if they want to. When the allotted amount of time has passed and the position remains unfilled you will need to complete and submit additional paperwork.
Additional Immigration Advertising Steps
On top of placing a job order on the State Workforce Agency in the correct state, there are several additional immigration advertising steps you have to take. These steps will vary depending on whether the position you are recruiting for is considered “professional” or “unprofessional.” It’s helpful to solicit outside expertise to help determine the right classification for any job. Here’s where you’ll also want advice figuring out which immigration ads will be the most effective and economical for your purposes.
Ensuring Your Immigration Labor Advertising Is Legal
It’s imperative that you obtain all necessary records associated with your immigration ad placement and that it’s deemed legal. You’ll need to fulfill specific requirements depending on the kind of immigration labor advertising you choose. If you opt to post an immigration ad in the newspaper classifieds, the usual time frame is two Sunday issues in a local newspaper. Additionally, the immigration ad must run in a paper with a wide circulation in the location where the job will be held.
For this kind of immigration labor advertising to be deemed legal, it must include your business name along with a description of the job responsibilities. It should cite any travel requirements the job might entail. Of course, the immigration ad must also clearly state all application details.
You can also post jobs on your own company website. If you go this route, you’ll need to ensure that your posting includes all necessary components in order to fulfill legal requirements. You’ll also need to save all documents for your records. It can be beneficial to solicit outside help when building these postings to ensure they comply with all necessary regulations.
Immigration labor advertising can be confusing so you’ll want to ensure you are taking all the necessary steps to avoid any costly mistakes that waste time and financial resources. You can also explore immigration advertising via internet job boards like Indeed.com. If you choose this route, you’ll want to ensure you’re posting optimally by choosing the right site and running as cost-effective a campaign as possible. Trade publications are another excellent place to post your immigration ads. Radio and television announcements are also an option.
