Being told you are relocating internationally for work marks the beginning of a process that involves more parties, decisions, and timelines than most employees anticipate at the outset. Visa applications, household goods shipments, school searches, tax briefings, and temporary accommodation can all be running in parallel, coordinated by different specialists, and governed by a policy your employer has designed in advance.

This guide sets out what that process typically looks like: who is responsible for each element, what the employee’s role involves at each stage, and how the coordination is managed. Organisations working with a relocation management company (RMC) use a platform such as MOVEPLUS™ to centralise move data and give both HR teams and relocating employees clear visibility of their progress from the point of assignment confirmation through to arrival and settlement.

The specifics of any individual relocation will depend on your employer’s policy, the destination country, and your assignment type. What follows is a structured walkthrough of the standard components. If you are still deciding whether to accept the assignment, our guide on should you accept an international assignment? covers the questions worth raising before you say yes.

How corporate relocation programmes are structured

A corporate relocation programme operates across three layers: the employer, the relocation management company, and the specialist service providers.

The employer sets the policy. This defines what the programme covers, what budget parameters apply, which assignment types are eligible for which benefits, and what compliance obligations the organisation is managing. The policy is the framework within which everything else operates.

The relocation management company (RMC) coordinates the process. The RMC works between the employer and the supplier partners, managing timelines, tracking documentation, and ensuring each element of the move is activated in the right sequence. For relocating employees, a dedicated Relocation Advocate is the primary point of contact, coordinating the providers and keeping the move on track.

The specialist providers deliver their respective areas of service. An immigration specialist handles visa and work permit applications and advises on immigration compliance. A tax adviser manages the employee’s tax position in the home and host country and oversees any tax equalisation or protection arrangements. A household goods provider manages packing, shipping, customs, and delivery of the employee’s possessions. A destination services provider supports practical settling-in activities: temporary accommodation, area orientation, school search, and registration requirements.

Each of these parties operates within their defined scope. The RMC‘s role is to ensure they are coordinated and that the employee and employer both have clear sight of where the process stands at any point.

For HR Directors and Global Mobility Managers looking for the programme-level counterpart to this guide, our complete corporate guide covers assignment structuring, legal and visa compliance, tax obligations, logistics coordination, and repatriation planning in full detail: How to move employees from one country to another: the complete corporate guide.

MOVEPLUS™ platform centralises move data across all of these parties in one platform, giving HR teams and relocating employees a single reference point for timelines, documentation, and entitlement status throughout the move.

Understanding your relocation package: What it typically covers

A relocation package is your employer’s defined commitment of support for your move. The scope varies significantly depending on your policy tier, your role, and whether you are on a short-term or long-term assignment. At a broad level, most managed relocation packages for international moves include some combination of the following.

Immigration and visa support. The employer sponsors the visa application, the immigration lawyer manages the legal process, and the cost is covered by the employer.

Household goods shipping. A defined allowance or a full-service shipment of your household contents, coordinated by the household goods provider.

Temporary accommodation. Serviced accommodation in the destination city for a defined period while permanent housing is arranged.

Cost-of-living adjustment. Where the cost of living in the destination city is materially higher than the home location, an adjustment may be applied to maintain purchasing power parity. AIRINC publishes quarterly cost-of-living data used by many organisations to calibrate these adjustments.

School search support. For employees relocating with children, a school search service coordinated through the destination services provider. Some packages include school placement fees.

Spousal and partner support. Career transition support or a defined allowance for partner employment assistance.

Tax advisory services. A tax adviser briefing on your tax position in both home and host country, and oversight of any tax equalisation arrangement. For a detailed guide on how expatriate tax compliance works across jurisdictions, see our expatriate tax compliance guide and expat tax: what it is and what you are likely to pay.

What your package covers specifically will be confirmed by your employer’s mobility team. The MOVEPLUS™ platform records your package entitlements and shows which services have been activated, giving you a clear record of what is in place throughout your move.

For a plain-language guide to what your relocation policy typically covers and what questions to ask, see our relocation policy guide for employees and HR and for a full breakdown of how relocation policy types are structured from the programme design perspective, see our guide on types of relocation policies.

Assignment types and what they mean for your support

The support structure, package design, and compliance approach for your relocation are shaped significantly by your assignment type. The two primary categories are short-term assignments and long-term assignments.

Short-term assignments (STAs):

They typically run for less than 12 months. They are often used for project-based work, skills transfer, or business need in a destination market. The compliance approach for STAs differs from long-term assignments because the employee is generally expected to return to the home country, which affects how tax residency, social security, and host-country payroll are managed. The immigration route may also differ, with some jurisdictions offering business visitor frameworks or project-specific permits for shorter periods.

Short-term assignments are increasingly used strategically as well as operationally. For more on how organisations use STAs to retain talent, see our guide on redefining talent retention through flexible short-term international work.

Long-term assignments (LTAs)

They run for 12 months or more. These involve a more comprehensive relocation package, a full visa and work authorisation process, and typically a more structured tax and social security treatment. The employee is considered to be genuinely based in the host country for the duration.

Some organisations also use commuter assignments, extended business travel arrangements, and permanent transfers, each of which carries its own compliance considerations. Your mobility team will confirm your assignment classification before the process begins.

For a comprehensive overview of how long-term assignments are structured and what they involve for the employee, see our guide on everything you need to know about long-term assignments.

MOVEPLUS™ Platform tracks both STA and LTA moves with the same level of data visibility, ensuring the right milestones and documentation requirements are flagged at the right point regardless of assignment length.

Your visa and work authorisation as a sponsored employee

Working legally in another country requires the appropriate visa or work authorisation for that jurisdiction. As a company-sponsored employee, your employer initiates the process, but the legal management is handled by an immigration lawyer acting on behalf of the sponsoring organisation. For a detailed guide to what employer-sponsored visa applications involve from the employee’s perspective, see our guide on understanding your work visa as a sponsored employee.

The typical sequence runs as follows. Once your assignment is confirmed, the immigration lawyer assesses the correct visa category for your role, destination country, and assignment duration. The employer confirms the sponsorship and provides supporting documentation. The employee supplies personal documentation at specific stages: passport details, employment history, educational qualifications, and any country-specific requirements. The application is submitted, and a timeline is provided based on current processing conditions in the destination country. 

For destination-specific breakdowns of the visa categories available, see our work permit guides for Germany, the Netherlands, France, the UAE, Japan, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, Singapore and the UK Skilled Worker visa.

Processing timelines vary considerably. Some jurisdictions operate premium or priority processing for corporate applicants. Others have fixed statutory timelines. Your immigration lawyer will advise on what applies in your specific case. Under no circumstances should you travel to take up employment in the destination country before the appropriate authorisation is confirmed.

The MOVEPLUS™ platform tracks your visa status, document submission milestones, and renewal dates. Both you and your mobility team have visibility of where the application stands, which removes the need for manual status chasing between parties.

Relocating with dependants: What your family’s move involves

If you are relocating with a spouse or partner and children, each family member requires their own immigration documentation. Dependent visas are processed in parallel with, but separately from, the primary work visa. The immigration lawyer manages dependent applications as part of the overall case, but documentation requirements apply to each individual.

Dependent visa eligibility varies by country. In some jurisdictions, a spouse or partner holding a dependent visa is permitted to work; in others, they are not. In some destinations, a civil partnership carries the same legal standing as marriage for immigration purposes; in others, only married couples qualify. Your immigration lawyer will confirm the applicable rules for your destination before you begin the process. For a full breakdown of how dependent visa applications work and what rights family members hold across jurisdictions, see our guide on what happens to your dependent’s visa when you relocate for work.

For families relocating with children, school search is one of the most practically significant elements of the move. Most managed relocation packages include access to a school search service through the destination services provider, covering local international schools, curriculum options, and placement timelines. Some packages also cover enrolment fees; others provide an allowance. For a broader look at how corporate programmes structure the full family relocation, see our guide on moving abroad with your family.

Spousal and partner employment support is increasingly included in structured relocation programmes. This typically takes the form of career transition coaching, CV and application support, or a defined allowance for professional development. FEM benchmarking data indicates that assignee retention is materially affected by partner satisfaction in the host location, which has driven more organisations to formalise this support within their standard policy. For a full breakdown of what structured partner support involves and why it matters for assignment outcomes, see our guide on supporting your employee’s spouse: career and life continuity after a corporate relocation.

The MOVEPLUS™ platform holds documentation and milestone records for all family members within the same move record, giving the mobility team and the employee visibility of the full family relocation in one place.

Moving your household goods internationally

The physical movement of your household is coordinated by a household goods provider appointed by your employer or RMC. The process is more structured and longer in timeline than a domestic move, and the steps are worth understanding in advance.

The process typically begins with a pre-move survey: a representative of the household goods provider visits the property to assess the volume of goods to be shipped and confirms what is covered under the policy. This forms the basis of the packing and shipping plan. For a full breakdown of how international household goods moves work — from pre-move survey to customs clearance and delivery, see our guide on moving household goods internationally.

Goods are professionally packed and loaded. The shipping method depends on volume and the employer’s policy: air freight for smaller volumes or urgent items, sea freight for larger consignments. Sea freight timelines vary by route and can range from several weeks to over two months for longer distances.

Customs documentation is required at both the origin and destination. The household goods provider manages the customs submission, but the employee may be required to provide specific documents such as a visa confirmation, a signed inventory, or a customs declaration form depending on the destination country’s requirements. Delays at customs are not uncommon and should be factored into accommodation planning.

Delivery and unpacking at the destination are coordinated by the local household goods partner. Most managed services include debris removal after unpacking.

Your policy will define what is included: whether you receive a full container, shared container space, or a weight or volume allowance. Items of high value, antiques, and certain categories of goods may require separate insurance arrangements or may be excluded from standard coverage. Your household goods provider will advise on this at the pre-move survey stage.

The settling-in period and what comes next

Arrival in the destination country marks the beginning of the settling-in phase, typically the most practically intensive period of a relocation. Temporary accommodation provides a base while permanent housing is arranged. The destination services provider supports area orientation, helping you understand the neighbourhood options, commute routes, and local infrastructure relevant to your situation.

Practical registration requirements vary significantly by country. Some destinations require foreign nationals to register with a local authority within a defined period of arrival. Bank account opening, obtaining a local identification number, and registering for healthcare may each involve specific documentation and appointments. The destination services provider coordinates these activities and advises on what applies in your specific location. For a structured, phase-by-phase checklist covering everything employees and families need to work through before and after the move, see our corporate relocation checklist.

The quality of the settling-in period is often where a well-designed relocation programme is most apparent to the relocating employee. Data from the EY Mobility Reimagined survey consistently identifies the settling-in experience as a primary driver of assignee satisfaction and, by extension, the likelihood of a successful assignment completion. For more on how organisations can support work-life balance throughout the assignment, see our guide on promoting work-life balance for expatriates.

The human dimensions of relocation, cultural adjustment, family integration, and longer-term wellbeing, are covered in the companion pillar to this guide. These factors are increasingly central to how organisations design their mobility programmes and are worth understanding alongside the practical process. The human dimensions of relocation include cultural adjustment, family integration, and longer-term wellbeing are covered in our guide on expat mental health during international assignments.

A structured process, made visible

International employee relocation is a multi-party, multi-stage process governed by your employer’s mobility policy and shaped by the compliance requirements of the destination country. Understanding the structure, the parties involved, and the sequencing of each element helps relocating employees navigate the process with greater confidence and clarity. For employees and organisations planning for the return journey, see our guide on repatriation: what returning employees need to know and what organisations need to provide.

For relocating employees, MOVEPLUS™ coordinates every element of the move through our relocation service coordination offering from visa and immigration to household goods, destination services, and settling-in support for you and your family, all managed through a single dedicated Advocate.

For HR and mobility teams designing or reviewing their relocation programme, our consultancy services team works with organisations to build the frameworks, policy structures, and operational infrastructure that support consistent, compliant assignment delivery.

Get in touch to find out how MovePlus can support your next relocation