Rippling

Overview

Rippling provides comprehensive support for both visa sponsorship and employee relocation through its integrated global workforce platform, which includes two distinct but related services: Rippling Employer of Record (EOR) and Rippling Global Payroll. The level and nature of support differ depending on whether a company is using Rippling's EOR to act as the legal employer or managing its own international legal entities with Rippling's payroll software. For companies without a legal entity in a target country, Rippling's EOR service can directly sponsor immigration visas in many countries. This service is backed by top-tier immigration advisors and allows businesses to hire international talent without establishing a local subsidiary. In this model, Rippling becomes the legal employer of record, handling the complexities of the visa application process on behalf of the client company.

Key Features

For companies that already have their own legal entities in foreign countries, Rippling Global Payroll provides a suite of administrative tools to manage immigration and relocation processes. While the company itself remains the legal visa sponsor, Rippling's platform streamlines the administrative burden. It features an 'App Studio' that can be used to build custom applications for tracking critical immigration details, such as visa types, expiration dates, citizenship status, and dependent information. The platform also automates the collection of country-specific documentation required for right-to-work verification during the employee onboarding process, ensuring compliance with local regulations. This centralized system for document management and status tracking provides HR teams with clear visibility into their global workforce's immigration status alongside their payroll and HR data.

Technical Specifications

The platform's global capabilities are extensive. It supports payroll processing in over 50 currencies, with automated currency conversions and local tax filings. In certain 'premium' countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, Rippling utilizes its own native payroll engines, which allow for faster gross-to-net calculations and expedited payroll processing timelines.

How It Works

Employee relocation, whether domestic or international, is also managed within the unified Rippling platform. When an employee's address is updated to a new work location, the system automatically triggers a series of adjustments to ensure compliance. It recalculates payroll to account for new local tax laws, updates tax filings, and adjusts statutory benefits eligibility based on the requirements of the new jurisdiction. For an employee moving to a country where the company uses Rippling's EOR service, Rippling manages the entire transition, including obtaining local tax IDs and enrolling the employee in mandatory benefits like health insurance and paid time off (PTO). This automation minimizes the manual administrative work and potential for compliance errors that often accompany employee moves.

Use Cases

Limitations and Requirements

However, there are important legal considerations and limitations to be aware of, particularly with the EOR service. The use of an EOR is subject to jurisdictional regulations; for example, in Germany, an employee can only be managed via an EOR for a maximum of 18 months. Companies using an EOR also cede a degree of direct legal control over their employees compared to managing them through a self-owned entity. Rippling's platform includes automated compliance checks to help mitigate these risks.

Comparison to Alternatives

Summary

In conclusion, Rippling offers robust, integrated solutions for managing visa sponsorship and employee relocation. The choice between its EOR and Global Payroll services depends on a company's international corporate structure. The EOR service provides a direct path to visa sponsorship for companies without local entities, while the Global Payroll platform equips companies that have their own entities with powerful administrative and compliance tools. The platform's ability to automatically adjust payroll, taxes, and benefits upon relocation simplifies the management of a mobile global workforce. Businesses should, however, conduct due diligence on the specific visa sponsorship availability and EOR regulations in their target countries.