More Than Visas and Paperwork

Abstract

Organizations seeking to capitalize on global talent focus on how to bring immigrant workers into the country and continuously sponsor their employment and residency. Less focus, however, has considered immigrant working experiences post-hire. This chapter aims to bring attention to the specific early employment experiences, policies, and practices that shape the subsequent work experiences of immigrant employees. By first drawing on social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and integrated threat theory (Stephan & Stephan, 2000) to understand the relevance of the immigrant identity in workplaces, this chapter then proposes how early-work experiences can be enhanced to more effectively support immigrant employees, and what research is needed to increase our understanding of immigrant workplace socialization. The chapter concludes with recommendations for practice.