Why are we running the pilot?
The university’s International Mobility Team and colleagues from across the organisation are working together as part of the International Mobility Project with three key objectives in mind:
- Improve Imperial's in-house International Mobility function
- Increase awareness and appreciation of the risks of overseas working and the need to request permission in advance
- Undertake an up-to-date risk assessment for the current overseas workforce to provide required support and resolution of potential liabilities for individuals and/or the university
The delivery of these objectives will be supported by an increased, long-term investment by Imperial in resourcing the IMT, in addition to industry-leading software to facilitate a high-quality, efficient service.
Visit the International Mobility Project webpage for more information.
Who are the International Mobility Team?
The International Mobility Team – formerly known as the Overseas Working Group – is responsible for managing the legal and regulatory risks of overseas working for the university. They review and assess overseas working requests for all members of staff and work with departments to facilitate legally compliant overseas working arrangements. The IMT consists of the university's in-house international mobility experts – Lewis Turner (International Mobility Manager) and Alex Haydon (International Mobility Co-ordinator) – alongside the Heads of Compliance and Payroll & Pensions.
The team can be contacted at international-mobility-team@imperial.ac.uk.
What does the pilot involve?
The next phase of the pilot is scheduled to run during the 2024 Autumn Term.
The project team will work closely with the Business School and School of Public Health to pilot the International Mobility Framework. The framework outlines how new overseas working requests are assessed by the IMT. The pilot period will allow the IMT to test an updated online request form using new, industry-leading software that will support them in delivering an improved service to users. Risk profiles for the current overseas workforce will also be generated. The pilot will also evaluate how staff and senior leaders are engaged and communicated with about the new system.
The lessons learned as part of the pilot will help to support and shape a university-wide rollout, currently planned for early 2025.