You have found the right person. The skills match, the interviews went well and they want the job. There is one complication: they live in another country.
For specialist roles this is increasingly normal. The pool of people who can do a niche job well is small, and it rarely sits neatly within commuting distance of your office. Sooner or later most growing businesses face the same decision: do we move this person to us, or do we employ them where they are?
The answer has real consequences for cost, start date, compliance and whether the hire works out. This article sets out the options, the questions that decide between them, and the point in the process at which you should be asking those questions. It is well before the offer.
Why this decision gets made too late
In most hiring processes, location is treated as a detail to sort out once the candidate says yes. The search runs, the shortlist is interviewed and the preferred candidate emerges. Only then does someone ask whether they can actually work here, and how.
By that point the options have narrowed. A visa process that takes months collides with a project that starts in weeks. A candidate who assumed they would work remotely discovers the hiring manager expected them in the office. A relocation package nobody budgeted for has to be approved in a hurry. Good hires are lost at this stage, not because anyone was unreasonable, but because the question was asked too late.
The fix is simple: decide what the role genuinely needs, and what you are prepared to offer, before you start looking.
The options
Relocation with visa sponsorship
If the person does not have the right to work in your country, relocating them usually means sponsorship. In the UK, for example, the main route for skilled workers requires the employer to hold a sponsor licence and the role to meet eligibility rules on skill level and salary. Other countries have their own equivalents. These systems work, but they add cost, paperwork and, above all, time. The hire cannot start in the role until permission is granted.
Relocation where the right to work already exists
Some candidates can already work in your country, through citizenship, settled status or a family route. That removes the immigration question but not the practical one. Moving a household takes time and money, and the person’s partner, children and housing all become part of the decision. A candidate who is enthusiastic in interview can still turn the offer down when the move becomes real.
Employing them where they live
If the work can be done remotely, the alternative is to leave the person where they are and employ them there. That means complying with local employment law, running payroll and tax correctly, and offering benefits that make sense in that country. If you do not have a local entity, an Employer of Record can employ the person on your behalf while you manage their work. Our guide to making your first hire in a new country compares that route with setting up an entity or using a contractor.
Remote first, relocation later
A hybrid path is to employ the person remotely now and move them once the paperwork, the family timetable or the business case catches up. This gets them working quickly and lets both sides test the relationship before committing to a move. It works best when the point at which relocation happens is agreed up front, not left vague.
Engaging them as a contractor
For genuinely project-based work with a defined end, a contractor arrangement can be appropriate. For an ongoing role that looks like employment, it is a risk: many countries look at the substance of the relationship, not the label, and misclassification can be costly. It also tends to produce weaker commitment from someone you want to keep.
The options compared
The table below summarises when each route tends to fit and what to watch for.
| Route | Tends to fit when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Relocate with sponsorship | The role needs someone on site and the person lacks the right to work locally | Licences, eligibility rules and processing time; the hire cannot start until the visa is granted |
| Relocate, right to work already held | The person can already work in your country, or has a partner or family route | Moving costs and a longer notice-plus-move period; the person’s family circumstances |
| Employ them where they live | The work can be done remotely and the person wants to stay put | Local employment law, payroll, tax and benefits in their country; time zones and working hours |
| Remote first, relocate later | You need them soon but want them on site eventually | Two sets of arrangements over time; a clear, agreed point at which the move happens |
| Contractor in their country | Genuinely project-based work with a defined end | Misclassification if the role looks like employment; weaker commitment from the person |
The questions that decide it
Does the role genuinely need someone on site?
Be honest. Some roles do: hands-on work with equipment, client sites that require presence, or a team that is still forming and needs people together. Many specialist roles do not, and insisting on relocation narrows the pool to people willing and able to move, which for a scarce skill can be a very small number.
When do you need them working?
If the answer is “next month”, sponsorship-based relocation is unlikely to deliver. Add notice period, any immigration process and the move itself, and the realistic start date for a relocated hire is often months away. Employing someone where they live can be arranged far faster, which is why it is often the only workable option for urgent or bid-driven hires.
What does the candidate actually want?
Ask early, and ask directly. Some specialists are keen to move and see relocation as part of the appeal. Others would never uproot their family and will only consider a remote role. Discovering this at offer stage wastes everyone’s time. It belongs in the first conversation, alongside salary expectations and notice period.
What will it really cost?
Relocation costs are more than a removal van: sponsorship and licence fees where they apply, temporary accommodation, travel, often a relocation allowance and sometimes support for a partner or schooling. Remote employment has its own costs, including local employer contributions and benefits, and compliance support. Compare the two honestly rather than assuming remote is always cheaper or relocation always better.
What is the risk if it goes wrong?
A relocated hire who leaves after six months is expensive for both sides, and personally disruptive for them. A remote hire who never quite integrates is a different kind of failure. Think about which risk you are better placed to manage, and what support each route needs to succeed.
Making it work once they start
Whichever route you choose, the person is joining from a different starting point to a local hire, and onboarding should reflect that.
- Relocated hires are managing a new job and a new country at the same time. Practical help in the first weeks, from banking and housing to simply knowing who to ask, makes a disproportionate difference to whether they settle.
- Remote hires abroad miss the informal learning of an office. Scheduled introductions, a named buddy, written context about how the team works and agreed core hours across time zones all need to be deliberate.
- Both benefit from having employment, payroll and benefits settled before day one, so their first experience of the business is the work rather than an administrative problem.
Our article on the first 90 days covers onboarding in more depth.
A sensible sequence for your next international hire
- Before the search starts, decide whether the role needs someone on site, and agree what the business is willing to offer: relocation, remote employment or both.
- Build that into the brief so candidates know from the outset.
- In the first conversation with each candidate, confirm where they are, their right to work and whether they would move.
- For anyone needing sponsorship, check the current official rules and realistic timelines before you shortlist them for an urgent role.
- Price both routes for your preferred candidate before making the offer.
- Put the arrangement, including any relocation package and timings, in writing in the offer.
- Have employment and payroll in place before the start date, wherever the person will be working.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hire someone abroad without relocating them?
Usually, yes. If the work can be done remotely, you can employ the person in the country where they live, either through your own local entity or through an Employer of Record that employs them on your behalf under local law. You stay in charge of their day-to-day work while employment, payroll, tax and local compliance are handled correctly.
Does an Employer of Record solve visa and right-to-work problems?
Not on its own. An Employer of Record employs people in countries where they already have the right to work. If you want someone to move to a country where they do not, they still need the appropriate visa or permit, and the rules for that sit with the destination country’s immigration system.
How long does relocating an international hire take?
Longer than most hiring plans allow. Add the person’s notice period, any visa or sponsorship process, the time to find housing and schools, and the move itself. For sponsored hires, the business may also need its own licence or registration in place before it can start. Plan in months, not weeks, and check current official guidance for the country concerned.
Is it cheaper to hire remotely than to relocate someone?
Often, because remote employment avoids moving costs, sponsorship fees and relocation packages. But cost is rarely the deciding factor. The better question is whether the role genuinely needs someone in the room, and whether the person will be as effective and committed working at a distance.
What should a relocation package include?
It depends on seniority and distance, but typically some combination of moving costs, temporary accommodation, help with visas and paperwork, and support with schools or a partner’s job search. Agree it in writing before the offer is accepted, including what happens to any repayment clause if the person leaves early.
Decide early, hire well
The best specialist for a role will not always live nearby. Businesses that decide in advance how they will employ people elsewhere, and say so from the first conversation, widen their pool, shorten their timelines and lose fewer good candidates at the last hurdle.
If you are hiring a specialist who lives in another country, or want to employ someone abroad without setting up an entity, get in touch. You can find more practical guides on our Insights page.