Frequently Asked Questions

We have 17 offices in 10 countries, including the U.S, U.K, India, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Singapore, and Nigeria. However, we can manage employee relocations (almost) anywhere in the world. Talk to us and if we can’t help, we will know someone who will!

We work across all industry sectors. These include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, automotive, hospitality and leisure, gaming, and more.

A complete, start to finish, customisable range of global mobility services to keep your company one step ahead.

Our wide range of services fall into the following categories: pre-assignment, departure, destination, settling-in, on-assignment, post-assignment and consultancy services. Our goal is to ensure your employee’s have a seamless transition, and to support the global mobility / HR team, who are in turn able to focus on everything else.

We do provide services for both corporate and individual relocations and strive to ensure all our clients receive the same amount of care and attention.

Our BTR Bespoke provides ‘white glove’ services to clients who wish to receive more features of the services we offer. C-suite, executives, or high-net worth individuals have specific needs, and we aim to ensure these are met.

We provide services both in-house and alongside partners internationally who can assist and take care of your employees. The partners we onboard are required to have a base set of certifications and accreditations to ensure they meet the highest industry standards.

We have over 40 years experience managing international relocations and have expanded our services over time to be able to meet the demands of our clients. We typically achieve customer satisfaction scores of 96% through a combination of personalised service, professionalism, technology-driven innovation and continuous improvement processes.

We ensure your employees are aware of the document requirements, timescales and details needed on the applications before submitting these. In case of any issues during this process, they may check with their point of contact at BTR to clarify any concerns or doubts.

The visa process can be complex. Being aware of individual country entry requirements and key dependencies up-front is important. This will avoid delays and rejections.

We’ll always ensure your employees are aware of these challenges, and provide support to help them through this process if required.

Timescales can vary significantly depending on which country employees are relocating from and to and the type of visa required. However, for short term visas it can take between 5 and 15 days, for long-term visas it can range from 1 to 3 months, and for immigrant visas it can range between 6 months to several years.

We do assist with family visas and dependant permits.

Through our experience in relocating thousands of families abroad each year we leverage our expertise, technology and global partner networks to manage legal compliance. Our digital platform Equus auto-generates country specific checklists. Our dedicated relocation consultants obtain and check immigration documentation to ensure its valid and correct. We use immigration partners to keep up to date with international relocation laws and local partners at destination who can flag potential issues or non-compliance.

We provide international moving services, we work with our parent company, Writer, and partners across the globe to provide these services.

We manage the entire end-to-end process of each household move. Along with our vast network of partners, we take various measures to ensure everything in the home is safely packed and arrives at the destination safely and promptly. We work with partners all over the world to provide exactly what is required for each relocation

We do offer travel support for employees and their families. We partner with a global travel provider who can book flights, hotels rooms, transport Creating a package that suites your budget and their needs.

We use a platform called “Equus” software to assist employees during their relocation. For example, through the Equus portal employees are able to manage their utilities, access payment plans for their tenancy, and more.

All our clients benefit from the Equus platform that’s included within our relocation service. Equus provides a streamlined, digital approach to workforce mobility, offering features such as:

• Real-time tracking – Monitor the progress of employee relocations, including document submissions, approvals, and logistical updates.
• Dashboard visibility – A centralised dashboard gives HR and mobility teams up-to-date insights into each relocation case.
• Automated notifications – Receive alerts when actions are required or milestones are reached.
• Vendor coordination – Track third-party services (like immigration, or temporary housing) within the platform.

This helps companies improve efficiency, reduce delays, and enhance communication throughout the relocation process.

Yes, Equus integrates with HR systems to streamline workforce mobility and relocation management. The platform is designed to connect with various HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems) and HR software, ensuring seamless data flow and reducing manual entry.

Specific integration capabilities of Equus:

• HRIS integration – Syncs with systems like Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, UKG, BambooHR, and others for employee data, job details, and relocation approvals.
• Single sign-on (SSO) – Supports Okta, Microsoft Azure AD, and other identity providers for secure access.
• Payroll and finance systems – Links with accounting tools (e.g., ADP, Ceridian) for cost tracking and reimbursement automation.

Yes, we offer a variety of out-of-hours support for employees for urgent or time sensitive relocation needs. These include:

1. 24/7 emergency assistance – help with crises like medical issues, lost documents, or housing emergencies.
2. Dedicated relocation consultants – we’ll assign a point of contact available outside standard business hours to help assignees.
3. Local partner networks – access to our selected in-country partners at any time.
4. Digital platforms– self-service tools (like Equus) with real-time updates for out-of-hours queries.

In the event one of your assignees faces legal issues in the new country, we will consult with our local legal partners, their global mobility / HR team, and your assignee to help resolve their issues. The safety and well-being of your assignees is our priority.

Upon arrival in a new destination as part of an area orientation and home finding, we assign a vetted professional from BTR, or one of our partners, who will meet with an employee and their family. We can also provide airport pickups and hire cars if required. The local area expert will brief the employee on their new location, take them around the local area and provide guidance on how to stay safe and what to do in any emergency. We provide 24/7 contact details of who to contact in an emergency.

The price of our offerings depends on the needs of our clients (driven by location, time, scope and individual requirements). We strive to ensure the same quality of service is provided to each client, with the difference only being the deliverables and features of the service itself.

Our clients and their employees have unique needs, which is why BTR ensures every relocation package delivered is customised and tailored to those needs. No two relocations are the same, and the services we provide will depend on the level of support they need.

We operate an open book policy to our fees. Our team of consultants will discuss the quote with you, to discuss the proposal and advise of any foreseeable costs so you are aware of potential fees going forward.

To measure the success and ROI of your global mobility programme, we recommend sending your assignees a satisfaction survey. It also becomes important to know how many of the transferred assignees stay in the company after their assignment is complete.

We do offer shipping and storage services, which are provided via our vast network of moving partners across the globe. We work with origin and destination partners to ensure the needs of your assignees are met from start to finish.

Through our experience and expertise, we ensure your assignees are presented with the most suitable housing options available on the market. Taking the assignees needs into account, we look for homes that are in the right area, at the right price range.

During the settling-in phase, we help your assignees set up their utilities, register with local authorities, open bank accounts, assist with GP registration, and much more. Speak with one of our consultants for more information.

We do provide this service, and we put forward recommendations based on the assignee’s needs. We work with our local partners to find the most suitable rental accommodations that also meets the budget requirements.

We help assignees acclimatise to their new country by providing services search as language and cultural training, familiarisation with the local areas and the best areas to visit, as well as support for their families to ensure the transition is seamless for all involved.

Every country is unique, and through our vast network of partners internationally, we are able to provide a high level of cultural training along with language support for that each destination that we service.

BTR does assist in finding the most appropriate school for the children of assignees, by first consulting with the assignees as to what type of school they’re looking for. School services available can include, private education, entry into state funded schooling and tutor case learning.

We recommend a combination of intercultural awareness training and language training for assignees and their family. This support helps employees and their families adjust to a new culture and environment, minimising culture shock and ensuring a smooth transition. Cultural briefings can be arranged prior to departure and cover everything from local customs, business etiquette and social norms. Language training helps all family members to quickly become proficient in the local language enabling them to be prepared for schooling, socialising, shopping and daily routines.

Immigration and tax compliance can be complex so we work with specialists who are qualified in providing the necessary advice and guidance depending on the location in question. These industry experts are regulated by national and local laws and have all the necessary certifications to be able to provide the compliant information required.

Tax equalisation is a policy used by companies to ensure that assignees on international assignments pay a similar amount of tax as they would if they were working in their home country. This helps prevent employees from being financially advantaged or disadvantaged due to differing tax regimes between countries.

Working with the company’s preferred tax provider, they will review the following elements of the tax equalisation to be taken:

1. Hypothetical tax calculation: The tax provider/company calculates the amount of tax the assignee would pay in their home country. This is known as the hypothetical tax liability.
2. Adjustment: The assignee’s pay is adjusted by deducting this hypothetical tax liability. Any necessary allowances for the assignment are added to determine the net assignment pay.
3. Reconciliation: At the end of the year, the company reconciles the actual taxes paid with the hypothetical tax liability to ensure the assignee’s net pay remains consistent.

Yes. We will refer you to one of our tax specialist partners who will be able to advise accordingly.

Policy and allowances are the foundation of any relocation programme and it vital that the policies deliver the assistance and support required by their employees while returning the investment and maintain the strategic focus of the business.

Our relocation experts can provide guidance and recommendations on a variety of relocation policy and allowances components to ensure the final documentation is in line with the employee and business needs.

Yes. Our relocation experts can provide this support. We have designed and implemented numerous relocation policies to help organisations provide equitable relocation offerings for their employees.

Aligning your relocation policies with your business objectives is really important. A well-crafted strategy is essential to attract top-talent, enhance workforce flexibility, and support cross-border business. Take a look at our blog on how to ‘Craft your winning mobility strategy’ for more information.

Every client, and each of their employees, are unique so there’s no simple answer to this question. We work with each of our clients to understand their requirements and then advise on the relocation package that best meets their budget and service needs.

To answer this, we first need to understand what cost of living adjustments are. Based on a standard list of goods and services, each country will have an associate cost for this “basket of products”.

When an employee is relocating internationally, the home and host locations goods and services cost are analysed and, if the host country is more expensive than the home, an allowance is provided to the employee so they are no worse off than they would be in the home location. This allowance is typically the net amount between the two locations.

Yes. Housing and relocation allowances can be provided by our team to best match your requirements and budget.