Corporate Relocation International

Relocation management companies work with employers to help them develop global relocation strategies and approaches to:

1. Fulfill their talent, business and budgetary objectives
2. Meet all legal and regulatory requirements to ensure full compliance
3. Keep them competitive in the attraction, development and retention of talent, and
4. Set their people up to thrive in their new locations and be able to meet or exceed the goals of the move.

The process for deciding what’s included in a company’s international relocation suite of service typically involves the consideration of things like:

• Relocation strategy: Reviewing different assignment types and employee relocation benefit options to ensure competitiveness, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with company culture and goals.
• Immigration and compliance: Managing cross-border entry, tax compliance, and visa requirements for various assignment types.
• Property / housing support: Assisting with home sales, purchases, and rentals to secure adequate and safe housing while minimizing costs and tax liabilities.
• Destination services: Providing area tours, temporary housing, school searches and placements, and local registrations.
• Family support: Offering intercultural, language, and career training for employees and their families.
• International moving: Coordinating cost-effective transport, customs, and safe handling of belongings, including pets and vehicles, by various modes of transport.
• Expense management: Handling relocation costs like travel reimbursements, rent, and utilities in multiple currencies.
• Assignment management: Overseeing all phases, from cost estimation to repatriation planning.
• Data insights: Leveraging technology to analyze relocation data and align programs with business goals.

No two people are exactly alike, so no two international moves will be, either. Support options will be tailored to meet each employee’s needs and adhere to the employing company’s policy, and will depend on things like origin and destination locations, housing requirements, timelines, including both the urgency of the move and expected length of assignment, and family status.

Some of the more common support options include:

• Pre-departure consultations to ensure all questions are answered and realistic expectations about life in the new location are set, including the provision of relocation benefits and the cost and tax implications of a move
• Immigration and visa application preparation and filing / renewals as needed
• Shipment and / or storage of household goods, or furniture rental
• Area orientation (in person or virtual) and neighborhood search tours
• Temporary and permanent accommodation sourcing and securing, including help with lease negotiations
• Career counselling or identification of volunteer opportunities for accompanying spouses or partners
• School searches, cost estimates and applications for employees traveling with children
• Assistance with registrations with local authorities, utility hook-ups, or drivers’ licenses
• Language training (virtual and in-person)
• Intercultural training (virtual and in-person)
• Connections with other groups for socializing / mentorship in the community
• Provision for a return trip / home leave
• Repatriation, or assistance localizing or moving to next assignment

As an international relocation management company, we take the responsibility to protect our clients, their people and their information very seriously. The movement of talent across borders can present many possible risks, from data and security breaches to tax or immigration penalties. We use a combination of our own in-house experts and a trusted network of professionals to ensure safe and compliant moves.

Some examples of the steps we take include:

• Ensuring proper cross-border travel and work authorizations, secured and maintained with in-house and partner immigration expertise.
• Adherence to the strictest levels of data privacy protection and security by regularly conducting internal and external audits with accredited firms and in accordance with established data privacy frameworks.
• Earning and maintaining a variety of global accreditations and certifications, including the ISO 27001, a CyberVadis score of 900/1000, SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 and the Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• A technology platform designed to ensure that all data is handled securely and in compliance with relevant regulations, such as GDPR, the U.S. and EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
• Supply chain monitoring and risk management through Descartes Visual Compliance.
• State-of-the-art security measures to protect sensitive information, including encryption, access controls, and regular internal and external security audits.

See more information on our security and compliance.

Some possible challenges to be prepare for include:

• Rapidly changing and complex geopolitical, economic and regulatory environments
• Tax and legal compliance
• Possible supply chain disruptions that could impact or delay a move
• Struggles due to cultural or language differences
• Insufficient supply or availability of suitable or affordable housing or school placements in highly desirable locations
• Employee reluctance to relocate because of their home ownership or family status in the origin location (i.e., inability for spouse or partner to work in the new location, caregiving responsibilities in home location, school-aged children, etc.), or high cost of living in new location
• The inability of an employee and / or their family members to adapt to life in the new location.

Effective planning and expert guidance can help mitigate and address these challenges.

How international corporate relocation services are priced will depend on many different factors, including things like:

• Size of program / annual move volume
• Organizational priorities (speed, employee experience, cost containment, etc.)
• Relocation benefits offered to employees and families
• Most common home and host locations (rural, urban, etc.)
• Service delivery model (fully outsourced, blend of internal and external providers, use of preferred providers, etc.)
• Employee demographics (homeowners, renters, family size)
• Types of assignments (short-term, long-term, hybrid, permanent or one-way transfers, rotational or project-based)
• Mode(s) of transport and typical sizes of household goods shipments (air, sea, road and rail)

To better understand international corporate relocation pricing models, keep in mind that your overall spend is likely coming from three places:

1. The fees you pay to your outsourced relocation service partner.

This is your ‘cost of outsourcing’ and may include a management or initiation fee, a licensing fee, a technology fee, implementation costs, and any funding or interest paid as appropriate.

2. The direct costs from additional suppliers.

These might include estate agents or solicitors, removals companies, temporary housing firms, destination service providers, language and cultural training providers or companies that offer any other types of professional services included in your policy.

3. Internal program costs.

These costs might include things like tax gross ups, lump sums, internal staff, technology (in house), and other allowances or benefits, such as the coverage of school fees, transportation for home leave / visits, etc.

While some fees can be fixed, others may fluctuate based on market conditions, such as the cost of fuel, immigration application and processing fees and any environmental or geopolitical conditions that could impact the supply chain.