Providing transparency into complicated legal matters isn't an easy process, but it's immensely beneficial. Not only is transparency a key way you can monitor your immigration process, it's also the best way to consistently improve it. I don't have to tell you how valuable catching an application error early or resetting expectations is, but there are some other, less obvious benefits of increased transparency:
- Reduce communication hurdles: keep your team in sync so you can handle surprises quickly and scale up to process more applications next year.
- Questions get answered: Transparency means having a detailed and accessible history available to all parties, reducing the number of questions that have to involve another party.
- Boost morale: understanding what works and what needs improvement in your process is a good thing, consistently improving your process is a great thing.
What You Can Do
Email Updates
Set a regular interval for updates. Once your case is in process, use weekly or monthly updates that detail what's been completed in the past period and what tasks are coming up next. This is a great way to remind the Foreign National if anything is due from them and will let them see exactly where their application is and where it's going.
Agree on a Standard Email Subject Line
You're going to end up handling a lot of emails for this application. Will you be able to find them? Agree upon a standard phrase to include in all email correspondence. We recommend using the application beneficiary's last name and the type of application ("SMITH H-1B EXTENSION"). Making sure that you and everyone else involved can find the emails, supporting documents and everything else related to your application by using this phrase everywhere.
Solicit Feedback
One of the hardest parts of any process is acknowledging what needs improvement. After each of your immigration applications, we recommend soliciting feedback from all parties. What was the most painful part of the process? What are 3 things that could be improved before the next application? We're always striving to make the simplest, most efficient immigration application, but these techniques can go a long way to making your process more transparent, no matter what technology you're using.
Transparency within the employee experience is essential for giving new (and old) worker's peace of mind. If you have already optimized your people trainings and your processes, consider exploring how new tools can you improve the function.
Content in this publication is not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. For additional information on the issues discussed, consult a Bridge-affiliated partner attorney or another qualified legal professional.
