Diagnostics Dashboard
Ensure your organization meets and maintains immigration standards & compliance requirements. SimpleCitizen Diagnostics provides you with the strategically-focused tools, training, & expert guidance your company needs to effectively manage a global program. Use this Diagnostics tool to asses which areas your company should focus on to proactively comply with regulatory requirements & improve the immigration life cycle.
Company Immigration Policy
1. Does your company have a written immigration policy?
Yes
No
Select Option *
2. Is the policy kept in a repository available to everyone on the Human Resources and Legal teams?
Yes
No
Select Option *
3. Is the policy applied uniformly to everyone? (can select 1 or multiple from the options below)
Yes
Yes, with exceptions for high-level employees
Yes, with exceptions based on pre-hire negotiations
Yes, with other exceptions
No, our policy is applied on a case-by-case basis
Select Option *
4. When was the last time the company policy was reviewed and updated?
Within the past 12 months
Within the past 2 years
Within the past 5 years
I don’t know
Select Option *
Centralized Communication
1. Do HR leaders have regular meetings with the recruiting team to discuss company projects and other staffing goals?
Yes, we hold weekly meetings to discuss staffing goals
Yes, we meet at least once a month to discuss staffing goals
Yes, but our meetings are irregular
No
Select Option *
2. Do you receive regular reporting on business travelers?
Yes, we receive monthly reports
Yes, we receive report when we request them
No, we do not receive reports on business travelers
Select Option *
3. Do you receive regular reporting on long-term foreign assignments (both to the U.S. and non-U.S.)?
Yes, we receive monthly reports
Yes, we receive report when we request them
No, we do not receive reports on business travelers
Select Option *
4. Is there a centralized company representative who manages all of the company’s worldwide immigration?
Yes, the responsibility for immigration falls under one person (or one reporting chain)
One person (or one reporting chain) is responsible for employees entering the U.S., but does not manage short-term business travel
Each foreign HR office handles its own immigration support
Other (please describe)
Select Option *
Recruiting and Onboarding Process
1. Do your recruiters use a tool to verify immigration eligibility when interviewing a candidate who requires immigration sponsorship?
Yes, they have a form they complete when interviewing candidates who require immigration sponsorship
Yes, they have an electronic tool that helps to detect potential immigration problems
No, but our recruiters receive training on potential immigration issues
No
Select Option *
2. At what point is your external immigration provider involved in hiring strategy?
We have regular strategy meetings with our attorney to meet our company’s staffing needs
We usually consult with our attorney after an offer has been extended
We find out about immigration problems after we have started a case with our attorney
Select Option *
3. Is it common for your company to extend an offer and find out afterwards that the candidate cannot get a work visa?
Yes, this happens often
Yes, but only rarely
No, we do not extend offers until after checking potential immigration issues
Select Option *
4. Are your offer letters to non-U.S. candidates contingent upon securing U.S. work authorization?
Yes
No
Select Option *
5. Has your company received requests for evidence (RFEs) due to “specialty occupation” problems?
Yes, this happens often (more than 25% of cases)
Sometimes (more than 10% of cases)
Only rarely (less than 10% of cases)
Almost never (less than 5%)
Select Option *
5. Does your company hire F-1 students AND is your company enrolled in E-Verify?
Yes, we hire F-1 students and our company is enrolled in E-Verify
Yes, we hire F-1 students, but our company is not enrolled in E-Verify
No, we do not hire F-1 students, but our company is enrolled in E-Verify
No, we do not hire F-1 students and our company is not enrolled in E-Verify
Select Option *
6. Do F-1 students receive help in tracking and extending their EAD cards pursuant to OPT work authorization?
Yes, our immigration provider has a process to assists in tracking their EAD expiration and in filing EAD extensions
Yes, we track their EAD expiration dates internally and provide guidance for them to file EAD extensions on their own
No, they are responsible for maintaining their own work authorization
Select Option *
I-9 and E-Verify Compliance
1. When was the last time an audit (internal or external) was completed on the company’s I-9s?
Within the past 12 months
Within the past 2 years
Within the past 5 years
More than 5 years ago
Select Option *
2. Is training provided to the person(s) who company I-9s?
Yes, the training is done internally
Yes, the training is done by an external vendor
No, there is no training, but our I-9 person(s) do research to figure out how to comply with I-9 requirements
No
Select Option *
3. Is the I-9 completed within the first 3 days of employment?
Yes, always
Yes, but not always
I-9s are completed, but there is not a specific timeframe
No
Select Option *
4. How are I-9 reverifications completed?
We have an automated system that notifies us when reverifications are required
Our I-9 person keeps reminders in a spreadsheet, calendar, or some other way
Our attorney notifies us when a reverification is required
We do reverify, but we don’t have a specific process for reverification
We never reverify
Select Option *
5. Does the person(s) completing I-9s make copies of the documents inspected?
Yes
No
Sometimes
Select Option *
6. Does the person(s) completing I-9s specify which documents the employee should provide?
Yes
Yes, but only if the employee asks
No, if the employees don’t know which documents to provide we have our attorney advise them
No
Select Option *
7. Is your company enrolled in E-Verify (this question is answered at the end of Segment 3)?
Yes
No
Select Option *
8. Is the Memorandum of Understanding for your company’s E-Verify enrollment maintained in a location where it can be easily found?
Yes
No
Select Option *
9. What is the company’s procedure when receiving a tentative non-confirmation (TNC)?
The employee is given a copy of the Further Action Notice
We make sure the employee returns the notice to us with an election to either contest the TNC or not
If the employee elects not to contest, the employee is terminated and we confirm Final Non-confirmation in the E-Verify system
If the employee elects to contest, we go into E-Verify to refer the case to DHS, print the Referral Date Confirmation, and provide it to the employee
By the due date listed on the Referral Date Confirmation notice, we ensure the TNC has cleared and finalize the case in the E-Verify system
Select Option *
10. Are current employees ever run through E-Verify a second time?
Yes
No
Select Option *
Evolving Government Laws and Policies
1. How do you find out about immigration law changes?
Our company has government contacts in immigration who provide updates
Our law firm provides us with updates
We subscribe to immigration newsletters
We don’t monitor changes to immigration laws
Select Option *
2. Does your company have a relationship with local federal congressional representatives?
Yes, we have a good relationship
No, but we would like to establish a relationship
No
Select Option *
3. If your company sends employees on assignments outside of the United States, how are foreign immigration laws evaluated?
We have a centralized business traveler and relocation program that involves a thorough review of the destination country’s immigration laws and a consultation with the employee prior to the assignment start date
We let our immigration attorney handle those details
Employees or local in-country HR are responsible for reviewing the destination country’s immigration laws
No one is responsible for reviewing the destination country’s immigration laws
Select Option *
Service Level Agreements
1. Do you have Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in place with your current provider?
Yes
No
Select Option *
2. How are SLAs measured and enforced?
Our immigration provider runs regular SLA reports and provides those results to us
Our company has a centralized immigration person or group that tracks SLA timeframes on each case
Employees or managers escalate any issues up their reporting chain
There is no set process for tracking SLAs
Select Option *
3. Does your company also measure internal turnaround or response times?
Yes
No
Select Option *
4. How often are SLA agreements reviewed?
Annually or semi-annually
At least once every two years
It has been more than two years
Select Option *
5. What are the repercussions for missed SLA turnaround or response times by your immigration provider?
Our immigration provider is required to explain every missed SLA, and if there is an unacceptable level of missed SLAs, we put them on notice of potential action including possibly initiating an RFP or changing providers
Our immigration provider is required to explain every missed SLA, but there is no specific threat of action on our end
Our immigration provider is asked to explain some SLAs, but only if we ask. There is no specific threat of action on our end
Our immigration provider rarely, if ever, provides an explanation for missed SLAs
Select Option *
6. How is SLA compliance measured?
We use technology to track SLA turnaround times
Our company’s immigration person or team monitors SLA turnaround times on all cases
Our company’s immigration person or team monitors complaints from employees and managers to detect SLA violations
We have no specific process for measuring SLA compliance
Select Option *
7. Are SLAs uniformly set among all offices domestically? Globally?
Yes, we have uniform SLAs for all of our offices worldwide
We have SLAs in all of our worldwide offices, but they are not uniform
We have SLAs only in our domestic offices
We only have SLAs in some of our domestic offices – or – we have SLAs in our domestic offices, but they are not uniform
Select Option *
8. How are new laws and regulations disseminated and utilized within the SLA process? Are provisions for “changed circumstances” included in the SLA process?
Yes, our immigration provider makes us aware of changed circumstances so that we can update relevant SLAs
Yes, our company tracks changed circumstances and updates our SLAs accordingly
We do not make changes to SLAs due to changed circumstances
Select Option *
Global (Non-U.S.) Employees
1. Your company’s outbound (non-U.S.) employees are managed
Centrally
Regionally
Locally
Select Option *
2. How is information regarding new projects disseminated internally?
Hiring needs for new projects are discussed collaboratively among the business unit, recruiting and mobility
Hiring needs for new projects are usually run through the business, and mobility is pulled in to assist as candidates are identified
Select Option *
3. Does your company have a tool for determining work permit processing timelines and requirements relative to the job duties and country traveled to?
Yes, we have a tool that enables us to review requirements and timelines for all countries in which our company operates
Our immigration provider gives us requirements and timelines when we request them or when we start a new case
Someone in our company will do research to determine requirements and timelines when the need to send an employee to another country arises
Select Option *
4. Do you hold regular meetings with business units to convey recent trends and/or changes within certain countries immigration laws? If so, how is this information conveyed?
Yes, we proactively notify business units regarding immigration law changes or trends that may affect their hiring needs
Yes, we notify business units regarding immigration law changes or trends, but usually only after we have started to have problems with some of our cases
No, we don’t communicate immigration law changes or trends to individual business units
Select Option *
5. Do you currently track the immigration status of foreign employees (case status, expiry dates, status type, etc.)?
Yes, we have access to a technology tool that tracks the immigration status of our employees
Yes, our immigration provider tracks the immigration status of our employees and provides us with regular updates
No, we rely exclusively on our immigration provider to track the immigration status of our employees
Select Option *
6. Do you currently have a centralized document repository for employees? (i.e., copies of work authorizations, etc.). If so, how is such documentation stored? How is it sent? Are certain means of communication prohibited with this type of info?
Yes, and all employee documents and information are uploaded, downloaded, and otherwise contained within the database (i.e., employee documents and information is never sent by email)
Yes, but employee documents and information are sometimes sent back and forth by email
No, we do not have a central document repository for employees. Documents and information are exchanged by email
Select Option *
7. Do you have a global business traveler program that allows you to know where employees are traveling, what activities they are doing, and under whose supervision they are doing such activities?
Yes, we have a program that centralizes information about our company’s global business travelers at any given point in time
Yes, but it is not centralized. Individual regions or business units monitor their own global business travelers
No, each employee and/or their manager is responsible for their own global business travelers
Select Option *
8. Are you able to monitor the location of employees in case of an emergency or sudden changes in immigration laws that could affect the employee?
Yes, our company or our immigration provider actively monitors changing immigration laws and policies relative to locations of our visa employees
Yes, we receive news alerts or other updates on changing immigration laws and policies, but not necessarily in connection with a potential impact to our visa employees
No, we usually don’t find out about changes in immigration laws and policies until it has already impacted our visa employee(s) and they contact us to help fix the problem
Select Option *
Case Management System – Data Privacy
1. How are your visa employee’s private documents and information stored?
Our company or immigration provider stores them in an encrypted file server
Our company or immigration provider keeps hardcopies in physical files
Our company or immigration provider keeps them in computer files and/or spreadsheets
I don’t know
Select Option *
2. How are your visa employee’s documents sent to and from your current immigration provider?
They are uploaded and downloaded through a secure electronic file management database
They are sent by email
They are mailed in hard-copy format
Select Option *
3. How do users access their immigration files?
Through a multi-factor authentication database that stores their information and documents
They request whatever they need from our immigration provider (or we request it on their behalf)
Our employees don’t access their immigration files
Select Option *
4. If your visa employee’s documents are stored in an electronic file management database, do you have access to review the database’s security protocols?
Yes, we have direct access to the company that stores our visa employee’s information and documents
Yes, we have access to the company that stores our visa employee’s information and documents through our immigration provide
No, we do not have access to the company that stores our visa employee’s information and documents
N/A
Select Option *
5. If your visa employee’s documents are stored in an electronic file management database, is the database compliant with data security laws and standards such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ISO 27001?
Yes, it is compliant
I don’t know
No
N/A
Select Option *
File Retention Compliance
1. Where are public access files kept?
Company headquarters
Employee’s worksite
My attorney keeps these for us
We don’t keep public access files
We keep these with employee records
Select Option *
2. How do you maintain your I-9s?
We use an outside vendor
We have an internal resource(s) who maintains our I-9s electronically
We have an internal resource(s) who maintains physical copies of our I-9s
We do I-9s, but there’s no specific process
We don’t maintain I-9s
Select Option *
3. Do you purge old documents you are no longer required to maintain?
Yes, we regularly discard records we are no longer required to maintain
Yes, but I cannot remember the last time this was done
No
Select Option *
Site Visits Plan
1. Has someone at the company received training on what to do when a government agent visits?
Yes, an immigration attorney or other expert has provided training
Yes, someone at the company has studied the issue and knows what to do
No
Select Option *
2. Does your company have a written plan for immigration agent visits?
Yes, we developed this plan with an immigration attorney and a copy has been provided to the person who signs immigration forms, and a copy has been provided to the reception desk
Yes, but the plan has not been distributed
No, but some of our HR people have dealt with this before
No
Select Option *
3. Does your company have a California office(s)?
Yes
No
Select Option *
4. Does the California office have a policy around the new California bill that fines companies for granting workplace access to immigration agents?
Yes, we developed this plan with an immigration attorney and a copy has been provided to the highest level HR person in that office(s), and a copy has been provided to the reception desk
Yes, but the plan has not been distributed
No, but some of the office’s HR people have reviewed it
No
Select Option *
Reporting
1. Does your company get regular reports on visa employees (status, expiration dates, active cases, etc.)?
Yes, we get monthly reports
Yes, we get reports whenever we request them from our immigration provider
No, we usually don’t get reports
Select Option *
2. Does your company get analytic reports on the company’s worldwide immigration?
Yes, we get monthly reports
Yes, we get these reports when we request them from our immigration provider
No, we don’t get these reports
Select Option *
3. Does someone in your company have access to the case management system to run reports as needed?
Yes, we can run reports on our own
No, we do not have access or we have not been shown how to run our own reports
Select Option *
4. Does your company conduct a satisfaction survey with employees to get feedback on the immigration provider?
Yes, we do this regularly (at least once a year)
Yes, we have done this, but it has been more than a year since the last one
No, we do not conduct immigration satisfaction surveys
Select Option *
5. How do you track the expiration dates of visa employees working with an EAD card?
We have our immigration provider track all EAD expiration dates, even on cases where they didn’t prepare and file the case
Our company tracks EAD expiration dates internally
Our immigration provider tracks EAD expiration dates for cases they file, and our company tracks EAD expiration dates on cases not filed by the immigration provider
Employees and/or their managers are responsible for tracking their own EAD expiration dates
Select Option *
Cost Analysis
1. Has your company done an analysis with HR business partners and department heads to determine optimal policies for:
A. When to start the green card process?
Yes
No
Select Option *
B. Whether to pay the immigration costs for family members?
Yes
No
Select Option *
C. When to pay for travel visa renewals?
Yes
No
Select Option *
D. When to file cases with premium processing?
Yes
No
Select Option *
E. When to pay for relocation costs and which costs should be covered?
Yes
No
Select Option *
F. Whether to pay for the whole green card process, or just parts required by law?
Yes
No
Select Option *
G. Whether to require candidates to sign claw back agreements prior to offer in order to recoup costs for early separation?
Yes
No
Select Option *
2. Do you get regular (at least once a year) analytic reports on immigration costs?
Yes
No, we don’t get these reports
Select Option *
3. Do you tie employee performance reviews to employer-provided immigration benefits?
Yes, an employee’s performance review is a factor we use in determining whether to incur immigration-related costs
Yes, but we only withhold immigration-related costs if an employee is in a period of probation
No, we don’t factor employee performance into decisions on incurring immigration-related costs
Select Option *
