Legal and administrative advice
Legal and administrative support aims to make it easier to deal with the requirements to start and run a business. Migrant entrepreneurs have no previous experience with the bureaucracy and legal/administrative requirements, as they are not often acquainted with the regulatory and administrative system of the place where they set up the business.
Therefore, migrant entrepreneurs need support with many business-related requirements, such as: business registration and how to obtain a license; labor law; tax regulations and declaration; social security obligations. Legal and administrative support is critical as many migrant entrepreneurs have difficulties in meeting the administrative and legal requirements of the country of migration.
Legal and administrative support should be provided through the combination of group training and personalized advice. On one hand, group training should provide an overview of the regulatory and administrative system and illustrate the main steps to start and run a business. On the other hand, it should include ad-hoc and personalized support to tackle individual needs and issues.
In some European Countries there are some particularly successful initiatives. In this regard we can make an example out of CNA World, a helpdesk service established in many Italian cities by the Italian National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises (CNA). The service aims to offer personal and tailor-made legal and regulatory advice to migrants on both migrant-related problems (e.g., how to renew the residence permit) and business-related issues.
TIPS
- To find this kind of information, first check which national institution can help you with these issues (for example CNA in Italy)
- Contact local agencies and NGOs to take suggestions about which way to follow