Navigating the Future of Global Mobility: Insights from Pradeep P Setlur of Capgemini
Atal & Mahaprasad
13th March
In an evolving landscape of global talent mobility, corporate immigration strategies are being reshaped by technology, geopolitical shifts, and changing business models. In this exclusive interview with LegalBridge, Pradeep P Setlur, Vice President for Global Mobility and Immigration at Capgemini, shares valuable insights from his more than two decades of experience in the field. As a seasoned leader overseeing Global Mobility and Immigration function and operations across the Americas region, Pradeep offers a unique perspective on how global companies are adapting to increasingly complex immigration regulations while leveraging technology to streamline processes.
A Career Spanning the Evolution of Global Mobility
With over 22 years of experience in HR, Setlur has focused his expertise on talent mobility, talent management, and global immigration. His journey includes 17 years at IBM before joining Capgemini six years ago, where he now manages global mobility strategy and operations for the Americas region, covering the United States, Canada, and six Latin American countries.
"I was extremely interested in focusing on and developing strategies for global talent mobility," Setlur explains. "The weightage of this particular domain is so important. We need people who have domain knowledge and subject matter expertise to run the programs, stitch the programs, put the right policies, understand the business aspects, and create a framework which enables business."
At Capgemini, Setlur leads a distributed team spanning nearshore, onshore, and offshore locations, with a unique operating model that keeps 90% of immigration and mobility operations in-house for the Americas region.
"We have subject matter experts, domain experts, and paralegal legal teams within Capgemini, and we manage this end-to-end," he notes. "However, we do partner with vendor partners like immigration law firms and relocation agencies for processes we can't manage in-house. It's a hybrid model."
The Dual Evolution of Global Mobility: Easier Processes, Tougher Regulations
According to Setlur, the global mobility landscape has transformed dramatically over the past decade, with two competing trends reshaping the field.
On one hand, processing and administrative aspects have become significantly easier thanks to technology advancements. "Ten years ago, documentation, internal processing, case management, and employee help desk support were different," Setlur observes. "Now with AI and technology, there's a lot of ease in doing things. From a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the hardest, I think we've moved from about 4.5 to between 7.5 and 8.5 in terms of process efficiency."
On the other hand, government regulations and compliance requirements have become increasingly restrictive. "More and more governments and countries are becoming closed in terms of allowing people to work. The nationalist view is coming up, and countries want to ensure they're not opening up too much because they're concerned about impacts on the local workforce," Setlur explains.
This tightening regulatory environment has made business immigration more challenging across the globe. "Ten years ago, it might have been an 8 out of 10 in terms of ease of doing business, but now it's probably a 5 out of 10 because government regulations are tightening up. There's a higher focus on audits, compliance, and visa denials."
Shifting Focus from Volume to Strategic Skills
The COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant turning point for global mobility strategies, according to Setlur. As remote work became normalized overnight, companies had to rethink their approach to international assignments.
"The pandemic triggered an obvious change in the business model," he notes. "Professional services organizations got used to saying, 'This is what clients are comfortable with,' and started looking at enabling the workforce more as skill-based rather than anything else."
This represents a fundamental shift from earlier practices. "Ten or fifteen years ago, some companies leveraged mobility as more of a cost arbitrage. But those days are gone. Now it's more skill-based, focused on enabling careers and providing opportunities for employees."
While the volume of international moves may be changing, Setlur emphasizes that global mobility remains critical. "Migration is something which I don't see ever going away. It's just that we have to evolve based on changing market conditions, post-pandemic adjustments, and economic models that determine what makes sense across onshore, nearshore, and offshore operations."
Technology as a Competitive Advantage
As a technology and business transformation company, Capgemini has embraced technological solutions for its own mobility operations. Setlur describes how the company began its technology journey five or six years ago by evaluating SaaS-based offerings in the marketplace.
"We're probably the leading business and technology transformation company in this space that has actually invested in technology for mobility and immigration," he states. "We were early adopters. Today, 85-90% of our immigration and mobility processes are enabled from a technology standpoint."
Rather than developing solutions in-house, Capgemini chose to partner with SaaS providers who have specialized products in Immigration and Mobility domain . "We didn't get into doing our own development because it doesn't make business sense. The technology cannot be static – it has to evolve and keep pace with regulations. If policies change or forms change, the technology needs to adapt quickly."
Setlur emphasizes that the goal is to simplify what should be straightforward processes. "Filing a visa or making international moves is not rocket science. We want to make it as easy as possible, reaching 10 out of 10 on the ease-of-doing scale."
Talent Challenges in Global Mobility
One concerning trend Setlur identifies is the growing scarcity of skilled professionals in mobility and immigration. "Earlier, we used to have a lot of people focused on careers in mobility and immigration – far more than now. Over the last few years, people have said, 'It's becoming so tough with all these restrictions; we don't see growth or a way forward,' and they're looking at doing something else."
For those interested in building a career in global mobility, Setlur offers three key pieces of advice:
Knowledge sharing and mentorship: "Those of us who have seen this industry grow and gained expertise need to talk about the importance of this domain, especially to people starting off who haven't figured out which HR domain to focus on."
Career pathing for existing talent: "Companies should ensure they provide the right career growth plans for existing team members so they know they're invested in and their hard work is recognized."
Business alignment: "In this role, it's also very important to be close to the business. You need to be a subject matter expert in your function, but also work closely with business teams and leadership to understand the pulse of the business and how it operates."
Looking Ahead: Balancing Technology and Compliance
As immigration regulations continue to tighten globally, Setlur believes technology will play an increasingly vital role in helping companies navigate compliance requirements efficiently. "From a processing standpoint, it's becoming easier as technology is deployed. That will continue. But the regulatory side is going the other way, and I think that will continue as well because of what's happening in the world today."
For mobility professionals and the technology companies serving them, this presents both challenges and opportunities. "It's going to be very complex," Setlur concludes. "From a regulation standpoint, nothing is going to get easier. So it's going to be equally important for technology companies to keep abreast of what's changing and how to make processes easier."
This article is part of LegalBridge's ongoing series featuring immigration law practitioners who bring unique perspectives to the field. Follow us for more insights from legal professionals shaping the future of immigration law.
We invite law firms, corporate leaders, and immigration professionals to join us in these discussions. Your unique perspectives and experiences can help shape the future of immigration law and policy.
If you're an immigration law firm or Leader of In house Global Mobility, interested in sharing your insights and being featured in our next interview, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us to be part of this important conversation about the future of global mobility.
