Hiring Temporary Workers in the United States

There are many visa categories, some of which permit work on a temporary basis for non-U.S. citizens. An effective human resource director knows which visas are most helpful in which situations and how readily available the visas are from various countries. Most multinational firms will have a relationship with a law firm that manages the intricacies of the visa process, but HR is usually involved and an HR manager should have a general sense of what options are available for the hire of temporary workers.

In this assignment, consider how various visa regulations apply in the different scenarios below. The scenarios are mostly fictional and are provided to illustrate the principles in Unit 2. Please address the questions or topics of concern in each scenario in a one-page paper; your completed assignment should be a minimum of three pages. Also address the following points as they apply to all three scenarios:

• Given what you know about the shortage of labor and skilled talent, consider how the laws and regulations limit or encourage cross-border employment.
• What recommendations would you make to change, eliminate, or retain the current regulations?

Scenario 1

A small museum in the United States has just acquired a thirteenth-century painting from the Song Dynasty by a famous artist, Liang Kai. You may be interested in reading about him. He was known informally as Madman Liang. Your challenge is to get someone to restore the work to its original splendor. Research has located five people skilled enough to do this work properly. They all live in China and have families. What visa would be appropriate to hire one of these experts? The restoration project may take from one to three years. Indicate what, if any, additional information you would need to choose the best option.

Scenario 2

Your company has offices in the United States, France, and India. Recently a business decision was made to expand marketing to Indian Americans and French Americans. The marketing department wants to bring two senior people from your affiliate offices in France and India to the United States to help develop and implement this new effort. Select the one or more visa options for these temporary assignments and indicate what additional information you would need to choose the best option.

Scenario 3

It is clear that your company wants to expand its Latin American operations over the next ten years. It has adopted a long-term strategy of recruiting MBA students in the United States who are citizens of the Latin American countries where the company has a presence. The goal is to hire 100 students over the next two summers to work at your head office in a management training capacity. When the students graduate, they will be sent home to assume first-level management roles in your affiliate offices. How would you need to structure the employment relationship with the students in order to comply with the student visa regulations?

Compile your responses from all three scenarios. The responses for the scenarios should be brief, concise, and clear. Refer to the Hiring Temporary Workers in the United States Scoring Guide to ensure you have met all of the requirements of the assignment, and then submit it in the assignment area.