Government institutions play a key role in international recruiting as they define the length of the immigration process, which is often the #1 pain point when it comes to national vs. international hiring. Therefore, we are more than happy to announce our partnership and the technical integration with the Business Immigration Service in Berlin. This will allow us to significantly accelerate the immigration process and make it easier for everyone involved!
The Business Immigration Service in Berlin was started in 2013 to provide a central point of contact for companies relocating international employees to Berlin. In the past two years, more than 1.500 companies registered for the service and processed residence permits through them - instead of the traditional way through the foreigners office (LEA). Missing documents and incomplete forms resulted in processing delays and waiting times of more than three months and starting days were delayed. To prevent further delays in the process, the BIS started looking for potential partners to streamline the process and serve as a filter for incomplete applications.
This was the status quo when our partnership discussions started. We had been processing applications through the BIS and knew about the challenges, so we were more than happy to be considered. The whole process from there went really smooth - and extremely fast. The general perception of everything related to the German government is usually that it's rather slow, but the BIS has proven to be quite the contrary!
The cooperation is a big step towards our mission: Building bridges between countries and making it easier for talent to come to Germany.
Three months after the initial discussions the decision was made and the cooperation started on May 1st, despite COVID-19. We were selected as one of three partners and we've been able to process applications and get appointments within as little as two days, which is a great advantage for our clients.
We believe that this is the way to go for every government institution: A digital approach can help all stakeholders to save time, make processes more efficient and better serve the purpose of the institution. Especially in immigration, finding ways to improve efficiency is extremely important, as German companies need international talent now and in the future - a trend that will only increase.
We want to express our gratitude again and are excited for the way forward!
Here's a quick summary how companies benefit from our cooperation:
- Waiting times for appointments < one week
- Preferred processing of application
- Additional check of applications and direct contact with processing authority through Localyze
