Immigration specialist Fragomen has issued new guidance to help businesses protect employees and keep operations running smoothly while instability continues in the Middle East region.
Situation in the Middle East: Immigration Considerations and Solutions for Business Continuity, gives advice for companies which are considering temporary or long-term relocation of employees – or suspending business travel to the area.
This includes recommending that employers identify all staff potentially affected, including local and foreign nationals, and check which valid visas they hold to establish options for rapid relocation if needed.
Foreign national employees should also be encouraged to register with their home country embassies, while all staff should have original passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates and other essential documents readily available.
The guidance says identifying alternative destination countries, reviewing existing immigration applications and assessing remote working arrangements in other locations are all important strategies.
It recommends developing crisis management plans that include immediate evacuation needs together with longer-term relocation and business continuity requirements.
The report can be downloaded for free here.