Can Oyster employ Team Members who require a visa to work in a country?

To help you efficiently work with global talent, Oyster offers a streamlined visa sponsorship solution in 60+ countries. Through our extensive network of immigration experts and HR business partners, Oyster facilitates the process of applying to and securing a work visa and employing your Team Members compliantly in the desired country of residence. 

Note: While we will always do our best to employ someone who requires a visa, it is hard to say with certainty that the Team Member will secure a visa to be employed as the ultimate decision is made by the government of the Team Member’s country of employment.

What does the general visa process look like? 

Below you’ll find an overview of our general process. Keep in mind, though, that each country has their own specific visa application process. Once we know more about your situation, we’ll be able to give you more details.

1. You, as the customer, collect key information from the candidate and share it with your Oyster Account Executive / Manager.
2. Your Oyster Account Executive / Manager reviews your situation with internal specialists and Oyster partners to determine if we can offer visa support.
3. Your Oyster Account Executive / Manager will let you know if we can support you as soon as possible. If we can, we’ll move the process forward!

How long does the visa application process take? 

Visa timelines vary depending on the country and Team Member details. While we can’t provide a guaranteed timeline up front, we’ll be by your side to work through the process and keep you informed on any updates. 

How much does visa support cost?

Costs also vary depending on the country. If we’re able to provide visa support for a Team Member, we’ll inform you of all the costs related to this visa sponsorship.

In which countries can Oyster support visa sponsorship? 

*Dependant on quota availability or other local restrictions

What if the Team Member already has a visa? 

Visas that a Team Member has previously used to work in a country do not always guarantee they can work in a new job straight away, and it may mean that a new visa is required. 

To ensure we’re protecting Team Member’s data as much as possible, and that we follow any locally mandated processes and avoid potential claims of discrimination, you should not seek to obtain a prospective Team Member’s right-to-work documentation. 

But how can we validate whether we can hire someone? We will ask you the following 2 questions:

1. Is your Team Member legally authorized to work in [Country] for any employer?
2. Will your Team Member, now or in the future, require employment visa sponsorship? 

Depending on the answer to these questions, we may request some additional information. Some of the additional follow-up questions we may ask include; 

• Is the visa tied to a company? Some visas say they are not allowed to work anywhere else apart from the place named - and they are not always automatically transferrable to a new employer
• Is the visa tied to a certain industry or role? In some countries, there are certain industries where visas are provided because they are providing labor for industries with a shortage of skills. If the person moves outside of that industry, they may not be able to transfer the visa.
• Does the visa require a certain level of compensation? Many countries require a certain salary for someone to receive a visa - this is because they want to ensure only "highly-skilled" workers are being provided visas to work

How do I get started?

Reach out to your Oyster Account manager or to sales@oysterhr.com to see if we can offer visa support for your Team Member.