A company’s biggest asset is its employees, and the people you hire can have a major impact on your organization. When many businesses recently added “remote workplace” to their list of employee benefits, they realized the advantage of expanding their pools for top talent. Hiring workers from all around the world is a great way for small businesses to find highly skilled employees and expand into a global market. If you’ve found yourself wanting to grow your business with foreign employees, you will need to follow some specific processes before your recruiting strategy can hop the pond.

Who is considered a foreign national?

A foreign national is an individual who is not a citizen (which refers to their legal status) or national (which refers to their place of birth) of a specific country. In terms of employment in the United States, a foreign national (also known as a foreign employee or foreign worker) is an employee or independent contractor who works in the United States but is not a naturalized U.S. citizen.

FYI: Even lawful permanent residents (LPRs) with green cards are considered foreign nationals until they are naturalized.

Pros of hiring foreign national employees

Hiring a foreign national employee can greatly benefit your business as well as the life of the employee. Every business should strive for a diverse workplace, and hiring a foreign employee is one way to get there.

Low cost of hiring

Hiring foreign workers could save you money, depending on the role you are hiring for and the pay range for the position. The U.S. has a desirable job market for many foreigners, giving employers the flexibility to pay lower wages.

“The demand, with the high supply of workers, allows the employer to hire employees that are willing to work for lower costs,” Marianne Curtis, employment litigation attorney and partner at Berger Singerman, told business.com. “In some cases, this may be the foreign worker who is looking for an opportunity to break into the United States’ employment market.”

Although a lower cost of hiring is a potential benefit, keep in mind that you cannot simply hire a foreign worker just because you want cheap labor. To get the work certificate necessary to hire a foreign worker, you must demonstrate a lack of other options.

“The certification requires the employer to confirm that there are insufficient U.S. workers to perform the work at wages that meet or exceed the prevailing wage for the area of employment,” Curtis said.

Company diversity

Because of their culture, work experience, and personal life experience, foreign national employees bring unique skill sets and perspectives to the U.S. workplace. You might want or need this variety to add to the diversity of your company culture.

Expansion opportunities and connections

Hiring a worker from another country can be especially beneficial if you intend to expand your market reach to their region. The employee can give you firsthand knowledge of what their country is like and what market gaps currently exist. They may even have business connections that prove useful in your expansion.

Intrinsic value to employers

Curtis said hiring a foreign worker can also be beneficial for a small business owner because they’re giving a valuable opportunity to someone seeking employment in the U.S. This can be a rewarding and personally enriching experience for employers.

Cons of hiring foreign national employees

Although hiring foreign workers can benefit you and your company, there are a few potential drawbacks. You can mitigate most of these with the proper preparation.

Language barriers

If you and your foreign employees do not speak the same language, you will need to have a detailed plan to help them do their jobs and take extra measures to overcome the language barrier. For example, you might want to hire bilingual mentors for them.

Pushback from local communities

Some communities might push back on businesses hiring foreign workers because they want to retain local jobs for local talent. This is something to keep in mind, especially if you operate in a small community with limited job opportunities.

Misaligned motivation

Curtis said some foreign workers see their employment in the U.S. as an individual steppingstone, which can cause a lack of interest in and dedication to the company’s future and growth.

Time and money

The process of recruiting and hiring a foreign national often requires more time and money upfront than hiring a domestic employee. Applying and waiting for certifications and visas can delay the process even further.

“The process can be cumbersome, so patience, commitment to the ultimate outcome, and managing expectations are critical,” Curtis said.

How to hire foreign workers

If you are considering hiring a foreign worker, follow these four steps:

1. Acquire certifications.

Apply for certification from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). To complete this application, you have to provide proof that you need a foreign worker, that you can pay them appropriately, and that you meet the criteria for the applicable foreign labor certification program.  

2. Recruit and interview candidates.

The hiring process for foreign workers will look a little different from the typical hiring process you use for U.S. citizens. Keep this in mind as you post on job boards, review resumes, and conduct job candidate interviews. The overall process can also take much longer. The candidate will need to be approved for their visa before you can officially hire them, and this paperwork could take a while.

3. Acquire work visas.

Your foreign national employee will need a work visa from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before they can legally work in the United States. If they already have one, you can verify their work authorization with Form I-9. If they don’t, you may have to sponsor their work visa, which will take a lot more time and effort on your part.

Tip: You need to plan ahead when hiring a foreign worker, because sponsorship of a work visa generally takes three to six months to get approved.

4. Comply with tax laws.

Address all tax laws that apply to your company and the foreign worker. For example, foreign workers in the U.S. will need a Social Security number and be subject to payroll taxes.

FAQs about hiring foreign national workers

What certification do foreign workers need?

Foreign nationals must acquire specific certifications before they can work in the U.S. These foreign labor programs are meant to ensure that the presence of the foreign worker will not adversely affect job opportunities or wages for U.S. workers.

Your foreign national worker will need to acquire one of the following certifications from the DOL, depending on the occupational requirements of the job:

How much is it to sponsor a foreign worker?

The filing fees to sponsor an H-1B employee typically range from $1,200 to $4,500. You will also be responsible for additional attorney fees, which can be another couple thousand dollars.  

How many foreign workers can a company hire?

There is no set maximum for how many foreign workers an organization can hire; however, that doesn’t mean you won’t face any limitations. Business owners seeking to hire foreign nationals will need to pay close attention to current immigration processes.

“For example, with the Trump administration, there were restrictions on work visas for the stated purpose to Strengthen job prospects for Americans,” Curtis said. “Ultimately, the restrictions on foreign workers will depend on the current immigration process and economic effects on the individual company to navigate the process.”

How are foreign employees paid?

If your foreign employee is working for you in the United States, you can pay them just the same as you would a U.S. citizen. However, if your foreign employee is doing the job from abroad, you need to pay them according to the payroll and employment guidelines in their country. Pay attention to factors like tax rates, payroll deductions, deadlines, employee benefits and time-off regulations. Also make sure you are properly classifying them as employees vs. contractors. If you’re paying workers overseas, you can either set up and incorporate a legal entity or use a global employment organization (GEO) service.

What kind of job qualifies for foreign labor certification?

Numerous temporary and permanent jobs qualify for foreign labor certification by the DOL. These can include jobs such as specialty professional specialty work (e.g., architects, engineers, therapists and healthcare workers), temporary or seasonal agricultural labor (e.g., farm workers), and temporary or seasonal nonagricultural labor (e.g., housekeepers and cooks).

Can you hire someone without a work visa?

Sort of. Yes, you can technically hire a foreign national who doesn’t have a work visa. However, they can’t start working for you until they have one. If the foreign worker does not have a work visa at the time of hire, you will have to sponsor them or help them get a work visa before their official start date.

Around 10,000 foreign children of compulsory school age in Japan are not receiving a formal education, according to an education ministry study that found the situation, while still grim, had vastly improved from three years ago.

A similar study in 2019 found that local education boards did not even bother to check on the status of about 10,200 children of foreign heritage.

That accounted for the bulk of the 19,471 children found not to be attending school in 2019. The latest study determined that 10,046 children were not in school as of May 2021.

While the Constitution and the Fundamental Law of Education obligate Japanese parents to place their children in school, the provision does not cover foreign nationals. However, the ministry has asked local education boards to provide appropriate schooling opportunities for children of foreign nationals, based on international treaties, such as the International Bill of Human Rights.

Residence rosters show there are about 133,000 foreign children who are of an age when they should be attending elementary or junior high school.

The education ministry contacted municipal education boards and found that the 10,046 children not in school could be classified into three broad categories.

In 649 cases, it emerged that the children were simply not going to school. The ministry found that while 8,597 children were listed on local residence registers, their whereabouts could not be confirmed when local officials, for example, visited the address listed by the parents on the register. Local education boards were unable to confirm the status of an additional 800 children, a decrease of about 9,400 from the study three years ago.

In 2019, about 20 percent of local education boards had not even compiled a roster of school-age children of foreign nationals. But that ratio has now dropped to 4 percent.

An education ministry official noted that more foreign children are attending school these days after concerted efforts to ensure they are provided with a minimum education.

Even so, the ministry found that 9.8 percent of all education boards had not mailed out notices informing parents that their children had reached an age when they should be attending school.

Japanese families automatically receive such notices when the time comes.

The Little Rock School Board on Thursday opened the door for the hiring of teachers from outside the United States to work in the capital city school system.

The board voted 5-4 to authorize a partnership with the International Alliance Group to give the district access to a pool of practicing teachers from other countries -- brought to the U.S. on J-1 visas -- for classroom jobs that have been difficult to fill locally.

"With the teacher shortage we are experiencing in our district, I feel we need every tool available at our disposal to mitigate these challenges," Superintendent Jermall Wright told the board.

The agreement with the alliance group would obligate the district to pay the company only in the event that one or more international teachers are hired.

A partner school district is asked to pay a fee to the alliance of 20% or 25% of the international teacher's district-paid salary.

The higher percentage would apply to the teachers in high-demand fields of math, science and special education. Data provided to the Little Rock board as part of the presentation in early January showed that an Arkansas teacher with two years of experience would cost the district a total of $62,829, including a salary of $48,000 and benefits. The international teacher would cost the district $68,757, including the $48,000 annual salary, benefits and a $9,600 fee to the alliance.

Wright acknowledged concerns expressed about the possible hiring of teachers from outside the nation's borders but he said he believed most concerns -- such as potential cultural and language barriers -- can be mitigated when applicants are screened and interviewed.

District leaders don't want to hire teachers who would present more barriers than benefits to students -- particularly to students in low-achieving schools, he said.

He added some of the teachers available through the partnership are teachers of English to students who do not speak English as their first language, which is a need in some of the Little Rock schools.

Board member Greg Adams made the motion to authorize the partnership, saying that the district won't have to hire anyone it doesn't feel good about. Those voting for it were board President Michael Mason, Adams, Norma Johnson, Leigh Ann Wilson and Joyce Wesley.

Wilson noted that the district is not bypassing domestic teachers who want and are applying for the jobs. She said the district is competing not only locally but also nationally for teachers in some academic fields.

"I absolutely support this as an option because I trust our human resources department to do their due diligence, and if we have a good candidate in front of us, that is who we are going to select," Wilson said.

Those against the proposal were Vicki Hatter, Ali Noland, Sandrekkia Morning and Evelyn Callaway.

Noland said she understood the plan to be a good faith effort to fill hard to fill jobs, but she would prefer to use the money that would go to the alliance group to go directly to teachers as incentives to fill the vacancies.

Callaway said the partnership and international teachers "will open a can of worms," and that other options for filling the jobs have not been exhausted.

Earlier this month, Wright proposed the partnership to try to fill more than two dozen teaching jobs -- many of them in special education as well as in math and science -- that have been vacant this entire school year. Several of the positions are in schools that Wright has designated as "priority schools" because of low student achievement and their need for more support.

"Isaiah Thaler, vice president of marketing and partnerships for the alliance organization, previously told Little Rock School Board members that the company recruits, screens, trains, mentors, supports and coaches international teachers for the partner school systems.

The alliance organization, started in 2020-21, is currently working with about 300 international teachers from about 60 countries in more than 100 schools in 28 states. Thaler said that includes the Hope School District in Arkansas.

The company anticipates having some 500 more visas available for international teachers to work in the United States in the coming 2023-24 school year.

The J-1 visa for the visiting teacher is issued by the U.S. State Department. The visa-holder is eligible to teach in this country for three years with the potential for a two-year extension. After that, a teacher must return to their home country for at least two years, Thaler said.

The model is not intended to be a pathway to U.S. citizenship but a cultural exchange, he said.

To qualify for the U.S. jobs, the international teachers must be currently teaching full time and have at a minimum a bachelor's degree and two years of teaching experience, and show a high degree of proficiency in the English language.

Ann Linde, former Minister for Foreign Affairs in Sweden, is joining an advisory board within Apple to contribute to analyses of international issues, according to AppleInsider. 

She’s a Swedish politician of the Social Democratic Party who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Magdalena Andersson from 2019 to 2022. Linde previously served as Minister of Foreign Trade and Minister for Nordic Cooperation.Before that, she was the Minister for European Union Affairs and Trade for the Löfven Cabinet starting on May 25, 2016.

AppleInsider says it’s not clear whether Linde’s new roll at Apple is full time, or will mean relocating to the U.S. Apple has not commented on her appointment, but the news was revealed because of Swedish legal requirements, the article adds.

Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today

Britain should stop sending foreign aid to China before the next election, Conservative MPs have urged the Government amid a renewed focus on the payments.

Andrew Mitchell, the development minister, has said he was “surprised” to learn that £50 million was spent there in 2021, but has yet to put a date on when the cash will stop.

Senior Tories have called on the Foreign Office to act before the next election, widely expected to take place next year.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the party’s former leader, who has been sanctioned by China, said he would like to see the payments stop “the day after tomorrow”.

“Why can’t they do that? Why do we need to give money to the second-biggest economy in the world? Our policy across the board to China is a complete mess,” Sir Iain told The Telegraph. “They’re paying aid out to China, a bigger economy than ours – that’s madness.

“We’ve got a policy that says China isn’t a specific threat. Our policy of robust pragmatism is mad and, in the meantime, China looks at us and thinks we’re weak. It’s time to change our policy and time to toughen up.”

David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, said: “We certainly need to stop sending aid by the next election. We have an issue where our foreign aid is very limited now and you’ve got huge potential demands on it from self-evidently worthwhile causes like the earthquake in Turkey.

“Under those circumstances, there’s really no argument for continuing any foreign aid to China beyond which we’ve already consented to.”

Another senior Conservative MP said the payments needed to be phased out “as soon as possible, not in some gradual way”.

“The problem is if people try to defend things which are, in the eyes of most British voters, indefensible, all they do is damage the credibility of overseas aid, which many people think is too high already,” said the MP.

“There are important causes at home and throughout the world. When we’re sending aid money to an adversarial nation with its own space programme that seems to be flying spy balloons over allied countries, I just think ‘what planet are these people on?’”

No aid money has been given to the Chinese government for more than a decade, but much of the £50 million funded scholarships for students to come to the UK from China, as well as work by the British Council building cultural links.

A Foreign Office source indicated that some of the total figure funded exits from arrangements that were already in place, while other spending went towards areas of mutual interest including climate change and shared areas of research.

It comes at a time of heightened discussion around Britain’s relationship with China and the country’s place in the wider world.

Capital markets regulator Sebi has listed the basic dos and don'ts relating to green debt securities to address 'greenwashing' related risks.

The generally accepted definition of 'greenwashing' is, 'making false, misleading, unsubstantiated, or otherwise incomplete claims about sustainability of a product, service, or business operation'.

To address the concerns of market participants regarding greenwashing, Sebi said an issuer of green debt securities will have to ensure that it will not use misleading labels, hide trade-offs or cherry pick data from research to highlight green practices and will maintain highest standards associated with issue of green debt security while adhering to the rating assigned to it.

While raising funds for transition towards a greener pathway, the issuer of green bonds will continuously monitor to check whether the path undertaken towards more sustainable form of operations is resulting in reduction of the adverse environmental impact and contributing towards sustainable economy, as envisaged in the offer document to avoid greenwashing risks, the regulator said in a circular.

The issuer will not utilise funds raised through green bonds for purposes that would not fall under the definition of 'green debt security’ under the rules.

In case any such instances come to light regarding the already issued green debt securities, the issuer will disclose the same to the investors and, if required, by majority of debenture holders, undertake early redemption of such debt securities.

The green bond issuer will quantify the negative externalities associated with utilisation of the funds raised through green debt security and will not make untrue claims giving false impression of certification by a third-party entity.

The new framework will come into force with immediate effect, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular on Friday.

This came after the regulator strengthened the framework for green bonds by introducing the concept of 'blue' and 'yellow' bonds as new modes of sustainable finance in relation to pollution prevention as well as control and eco-efficient products.

Blue bonds relate to water management and the marine sector, while yellow bonds pertain to solar energy. These are sub-categories of green debt securities.

Indian companies raised nearly $7 billion through ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and green bonds in 2021 compared to $1.4 billion in 2020 and $4 billion in 2019.

Most of the green bonds issued by Indian issuers are listed on offshore exchanges as issuers are finding it more attractive to list on bourses falling outside Sebi's framework.

As per Sebi, one of the main hurdles for further growth has been a consistent and robust approach to identifying what is considered 'green'. A lack of clarity in this regard leads to 'greenwashing'.

These measures have been taken in the backdrop of increasing interest in sustainable finance in India as well as around the globe, and with a view to align the extant framework for green debt securities with the updated Green Bond Principles (GBP) recognised by IOSCO.

The regulatory framework defines Green Debt Securities as debt securities issued for raising funds that are to be utilised for projects or assets falling under certain categories.

KARACHI: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi visited foreign ships of navies participating in 8th Multinational Naval Exercise AMAN-2023.

Upon his arrival on board foreign visiting ships, the Naval Chief was warmly welcomed by Senior Officers/ Commanding Officers and was presented Guard of Honour by smartly dressed out contingents.

During the visits, the Naval Chief interacted with Senior Officers/ Commanding Officers and was given briefings on board ships. The Naval Chief highlighted that Pakistan is effectively contributing in peace and stability in the region.

AMAN Exercise demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to peace, reinforce regional maritime security and enhance interoperability between regional and extra regional navies. The Admiral appreciated their participation in AMAN Exercise to fulfil common resolve of “Together for Peace”.

The Senior Officers/ Commanding Officers of the respective ships highly acknowledged the persistent efforts of Pakistan Navy to bring global navies towards shared commitment of maritime peace, stability and lawful order at sea.

Besides, the Naval Chief also called on Cdr DJIBOUTI Navy and Coast Guard separately, Cdr Lebanese Navy, Flag Officer Commanding Naval Doctrine Command Nigerian Navy, Flag Officer Commanding Sri Lankan Naval Fleet and Cdr Tanzanian Navy.

On the side line of PIMEC, the three days International Maritime Conference (IMC) was organized on the theme of ‘Embracing Blue Economy – Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Countries’ by National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) under the auspices of Pakistan Navy.

The conference is being held in tandem with Pakistan International Maritime Expo & Conference (PIMEC) and 8th Multinational Naval Exercise AMAN-2023.

Eminent international and national scholars from China, Germany, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UK and USA are participating in the three days conference and will share their thoughts on the dynamic theme. Additionally, majority of international scholars are also joining the Conference online.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. (TGBD)
Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S.: Board of Directors resolution regarding the foreign debt instrument issue limit

21-Jan-2023 / 11:35 GMT/BST
Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement, transmitted by EQS Group.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.