Global Services
We provide offerings to satisfy your unique needs, whether selling a home in the U.S., managing a cross-country household goods move, or helping employees to get settled into their new homes in Europe. Our global experience means that you can count on seamless international relocation, no matter what’s next.
Departure Services
From the initial policy consulting call through the move itself, there are a lot of moving pieces associated with an employee relocation. Whether an intra-country/domestic or international relocation, lump sum or complete VIP services package, Sirva is expertly positioned to offer the best departure services available during an international relocation in every region around the world.
Destination Services
Setting your employees up for success upon arrival at their new locations will be key to successfully meeting your company’s goals. Sirva's global network and expansive resources allow us to help clients achieve these goals. Our destination services help employees and their families settle in and prosper in their new homes.
Visa and Immigration
Sirva's global team of experienced international relocation specialists are expertly equipped to manage inbound and outbound global immigration services. With Sirva's Immigration team, the focus is on providing a smooth customer experience that enhances the international relocation process, not just achieving a successful application.
Employee Counseling
For your employees, our service delivery model is focused on end-to-end coordination of international relocation services through a single relocation professional. We provide relocation consultants for domestic/intra-country moves and global assignment consultants for international relocation.
These consultants are your employees’ resource for all communication and services relating to their move. International relocation consultants also coordinate the delivery of all authorized services. Regardless of the service being delivered (temporary housing, moving services, etc.), the employee can rely on the consultant as their one call solution to address any concerns.
VIP Services
Sirva offers VIP services for our clients who seeking an enhanced service for their employees, such as their own personal relocation assistants, in-home cleaning services, personalized family assistance, and other tailored and luxury enhancements.
Related Services
Interested in learning more about our global services?
We would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Visa & Immigration Update: Hong Kong Recognises Same-Sex Partnerships in Dependant Visa Applications
Background & Highlights
Following our previous blog on the review of Hong Kong’s dependent visa policy regarding same-sex relationships, a new policy has been officially adopted. The Hong Kong Immigration Department has announced that the region will – for the first time - recognise overseas same-sex partnerships when granting dependant visas. Effective September 19, 2018, a person who has entered one of the following scenarios (that is legally recognised by the local authorities of the place of celebration) will be eligible to apply for a dependant visa or entry permit into Hong Kong with an eligible employed partner/sponsor:
- A same-sex civil partnership
- A same-sex civil union
- A same-sex civil marriage
- An opposite-sex civil partnership
- An opposite-sex civil union
In the cases above, an applicant will be able to stay in Hong Kong for a period up to one year or in line with the employed partner’s limit of stay.
The usual eligibility criteria of the policy apply, including:
- reasonable proof of a genuine relationship between the applicant and sponsor
- no known record that is detrimental to the applicant
- ability of the employed partner/sponsor to support the dependant's standard of living, well above the subsistence level, in a suitable accommodation
Moving Forward: What to Expect
The Immigration Department will process all new and outstanding applications according to the revised policy. Any permissions that were granted during the policy’s interim review period will remain valid. Going forward, applicants may apply for further extensions (to remain in Hong Kong as dependants) before the expiry of their current permitted limit of stay; extensions will be processed according to the revised policy.
Changing Immigration Laws: Challenges & Opportunities
In a general sense, immigration laws vary greatly and continue to evolve across the globe, which is why compliance is quickly becoming one of the most significant challenges in the world of mobility. Often, human resource and talent mobility professionals simply don’t know what they need to know – and quickly find that they have failed to submit a piece of important documentation, that they were unaware of a deadline, or missed the finer points of a region’s compliance laws altogether. The resulting delays or denials of visas end up costing their companies valuable time, resources and talent.
Challenges:
The recent changes to immigration policy in Hong Kong will, likewise, require HR and mobility professionals to pay close attention to compliance. Partnering with a knowledgeable relocation management company (RMC) can be very helpful in this regard, as RMCs are uniquely positioned to provide global expertise; valuable guidance when reviewing the eligibility of candidates and their dependants for work authorizations and visas; and up-to-date, extensive knowledge of evolving immigration requirements from country to country.
Opportunities:
While the recent change to Hong Kong’s visa policy doesn’t mean Hong Kong will recognise same-sex marriage, the new policy has the potential to provide some interesting opportunities. For individuals that are part of a same-sex relationship and are currently working in or considering a career opportunity in Hong Kong, the new policy will provide greater career flexibility and more opportunities. As for Hong Kong itself, this change may set the city apart from other strong Asian regions – such as Singapore, mainland China and Japan – in attracting global talent.
For more information on this topic, please reach out to our SIRVA Immigration Specialists in Hong Kong: _SIR-HK-VISA@sirva.com