This article is part of a recurring series highlighting recent talent mobility industry reports. If you would like the WERC editorial team to consider covering a specific industry report, email mobility@talenteverywhere.org.
The global talent mobility landscape is undergoing rapid change as U.S. employers adapt to renewed immigration scrutiny, shifting visa rules, and growing competition for international talent. Envoy Global’s 10th annual U.S. Corporate Immigration Trends 2025 report, which surveyed more than 500 human resources and global mobility professionals in a variety of industries, found that 21% of employers cited immigration challenges as a top concern. The report illustrates how organizations are responding with resilience, innovation, and strategic agility to meet the talent needs of their firm and ensure compliance.
The Evolving Corporate Immigration Landscape
In the early months of the Trump administration’s second term, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) ramped up enforcement, conducting more than 2,200 workplace audits and expanding visa vetting measures. As a result, heightened request for evidence (RFE) rates, stricter travel regulations, and the rollback of certain humanitarian work authorizations have reshaped day-to-day immigration operations for HR leaders.
Despite these challenges, 67% of employers feel well-prepared to manage compliance requirements like E-Verify, I-9 recordkeeping, site audits, and U.S. Department of Labor inspections. Sherry Neal, partner at Corporate Immigration Partners, notes that compliance confidence doesn’t always translate into full readiness. “During most internal audits, employers tend to be surprised at the number and type of I‑9 violations they have,” she says.
Strategic Shifts in Sponsorship and Retention
Employers are accelerating sponsorship timelines to improve retention and meet long-term workforce objectives. For example, in 2025, 68% began green card sponsorship within three months of hire. This is three months sooner than one-third of employers who sponsored employees for green cards in 2024.
While 58% fully cover sponsorship costs, some have introduced repayment clauses to manage risk if employees depart for another job at another company. “Any company considering a sponsorship repayment agreement should ensure that the arrangement is reviewed by both a qualified employment law attorney and a business immigration attorney,” Neal says.
Employers are expanding sponsorship programs to dependents and spouses to be more competitive, with 67% of respondents indicating that they cover all legal fees for their new hire’s spouse and dependents. Despite pressure to reduce immigration-benefit coverage, little more than half considered benefit reductions in 2025, down from 72% in 2023, signaling the importance of immigration programs to employers.
Jennifer Yeaw, senior attorney at Corporate Immigration Partners, says that rising government fees, including the USCIS’s premium processing fee, have made employers more selective. “The most frequent reason for not utilizing premium processing is the filing fee cost. … [S]ome clients have chosen to not include premium processing unless there is a specific business reason to do so,” she says. However, Yeaw says, “clients continue to hire foreign national talent, often because these candidates possess an education and/or skill set that outweighs the challenges of sponsorship.”
Alternative Models and Global Flexibility
Organizations increasingly view mobility through a global talent strategy lens rather than a compliance-only framework. For example, employers are offering more flexible options for talent, with 73% allowing employees to work remotely or on digital nomad visas. Sixty-three percent of respondents are also supporting optional practical training (OPT) and optional practical training extension for STEM students (STEM OPT) filings. This is up from 40% in 2024.
For employees unable to maintain U.S. status, relocation alternatives are expanding. Nearly half of employers (48.5%) have transferred talent outside the United States in the past year—most frequently to Canada (67%), the United Kingdom (62%), and Mexico (54%). Other top relocation picks are Germany (41%) and Australia (38%). Countries perceived as having more “immigration friendly” policies are increasingly seen as talent magnets, with 62% of respondents rating Canada’s system as more favorable than the U.S. system. Other nations with perceived immigration friendly systems included the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, France, and Ireland.
Technology and the Push for Integration
Data-driven decision-making is taking hold in modern talent mobility and immigration programs. Seventy-one percent of respondents say they use program data for compliance, while 65% use it for workforce planning and 67% use it for international employee support. One major concern cited by 27% of employers is that data is spread across multiple systems, reducing efficiency.
As a result, employers are seeking integrated, tech-forward service models that combine human expertise with automation. More than 90% of employers would prefer a single global immigration provider, but due to market fragmentation, 60% still juggle separate vendors for U.S. and international services.
Employers rate their providers highly for U.S. legal expertise. Even so, 40% considered switching providers in 2025 to access more scalable technologies, faster response times, and enhanced strategic guidance.
Budgets and Organizational Design
Companies continue to invest strategically in immigration, with many mobility teams growing from a small expert team into a team of five to nine staff members. Ninety-two percent of respondents want to expand both their in-house and provider resources. The number of employers relying on one mobility specialist has declined from 22% to 4%, signaling the greater demand for professionals in global talent mobility.
Budget structures will play a role in these investments, as just 43% have dedicated U.S. immigration budgets. For non-U.S. immigration, 32% have a centralized budget, while 10% have budgets for individual business units, and another 6% have a case-by-case system in place. Case-by-case decisions could offer increased program flexibility in a challenging regulatory landscape. Ultimately, employers will want to build cost-effective models that stay ahead of emerging immigration trends.
Global Talent Mobility Can Succeed With Flexibility
Amid evolving policies, geopolitical turbulence, and mounting visa competition, employer resilience remains the defining theme. Organizations are reframing mobility as a strategic asset by accelerating sponsorship timelines, embracing flexible workforce models, and balancing compliance and global opportunity.
2026 may be a turning point for global talent mobility, shifting away from reactive responses to policy shifts to proactive strategies that focus on human potential and business resilience. Employers that leverage data, automation, and engage in smart partnerships can position their business for global growth with top talent.