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2024 Reflections & 2025 Predictions with Audrey Lustgarten

Dec 13, 2024 | Immigration Updates

The transcript version of our weekly podcast

By Laura Bloniarz

In this week’s episode of my podcast, I had the pleasure of wrapping up the year with Audrey Lustgarten, Managing Partner for WR Global. Audrey joined me on The Business Immigration Benchmark to discuss key themes that emerged from our 2024 surveys and shared insights on what lies ahead for global mobility professionals in 2025.

We covered some of the most pressing priorities and challenges in the field, from compliance and cost management to enhancing efficiency. If you’re navigating the complexities of immigration and mobility, this episode is packed with strategies to help you stay ahead in an evolving landscape.

Watch or listen on Spotify or YouTube, or check out this quick 5-minute read where I recap the key takeaways from our conversation!

🔑 Key Takeaways:

1. Compliance Challenges in 2024:

Short-Term Assignments: Audrey highlighted the ongoing struggles companies face in managing short-term assignments, particularly ensuring proper visas and having robust systems to track employees’ movements. She noted the importance of avoiding manual tracking to mitigate the risk of noncompliance.

Long-Term Assignments: For long-term assignments, proper record-keeping remains critical, especially with the uptick in government audits. Companies must ensure they have thorough documentation to avoid penalties and compliance anxieties.

U.S. Immigration Specifics: The labor market test process continues to be a challenge, with delays impacting status maintenance for foreign nationals. Additionally, the aftermath of pandemic-related changes to the I-9 process means many companies are still working to clean up their compliance records—a trend expected to continue into 2025.

2. Cost Management and Budgeting:

Audrey noted that 2024 saw widespread layoffs and tighter budgets, requiring global mobility leaders to do more with fewer resources. Leveraging external counsel for support and exploring technology solutions for efficiency were recurring strategies among her clients. She also emphasized the importance of planning ahead to avoid costly emergency measures, such as expedited processing or international relocations.

3. Efficiency through Technology:

Audrey shared success stories of clients integrating case management systems with recruitment platforms to reduce manual tasks and eliminate inefficiencies. She highlighted the importance of data integrity and training HR teams to ensure accurate data flows between systems—a crucial step in streamlining global mobility processes.

đź”” Looking Ahead to 2025

Compliance is expected to tighten further, with increased government scrutiny and audits globally. Audrey recommends ensuring robust data systems and clear communication protocols for responding to policy changes—especially in the fast-evolving U.S. immigration landscape. Proactive planning and collaboration with providers will be essential to navigate what promises to be a challenging yet pivotal year for global mobility.

đź’­ My Parting Thoughts

As we wrap up 2024, Audrey’s insights remind us that preparedness and adaptability are key in the ever-changing world of global mobility. Whether you’re tackling compliance issues, optimizing costs, or streamlining processes, there are opportunities to strengthen your program and support your teams.

If you have insights or strategies you’d like to share, feel free to DM me on LinkedIn or join me on the podcast in 2025! Let’s tackle the new year together.

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