Overseas recruitment is made easier for firms
Businesses looking to bring in talent from abroad are set to benefit from a new national initiative launched by a top 10 accountancy firm with offices near Portsmouth.
Azets’ HR Consultancy is now able to offer advice, information, and support in a ‘one-stop shop’ dealing with business immigration, sponsorship, and visas.
The complex process of hiring overseas workers was recently overhauled with difficulties also compounded by all European citizens now requiring a visa since Brexit.
Heading the new service for Azets, which has offices in Fareham and Havant, is senior HR consultant Andreja Okamgba, an experienced employment and immigration law specialist.
Andreja – an Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) regulated immigration advisor – performed a similar role in two previous employments.
She said: ‘We focus on what businesses need – and that is mainly help in recruiting and bringing in talent from abroad. Business immigration is a wide area, and we are finding clients are caught up with immigration hurdles and red tape, particularly because of Brexit.’
Andreja added: ‘The immigration system is changing very quickly, and with further reforms on the horizon businesses can easily fall foul of new requirements and complex processes – we are there to cut through the noise.’
UK businesses must obtain a Home Office sponsor licence to engage with the immigration system before being able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to individuals, who can then apply for a work permitting visa.
Azets’ new service is fully OISC registered.
Hannah-Jane Dobbie, Head of HR Consultancy at Azets, said: ‘It’s an exciting opportunity for Azets. There is a definite appetite for this service from both clients and the wider business community and to bring it in-house marks the start of a new chapter for us.
‘Andreja is an established HR professional who has been on our radar for some time. Her expertise in all aspects of business immigration will helping businesses assess their immigration needs, obtainsponsorship licences, and ensure employed individuals are able to enter and stay in the UK as required.