Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

A presidential order closing federal offices has forced the entire U.S. Mission in India to suspend routine consular services from 24–26 December. Visa applicants—including H-1B workers and students—must reschedule interviews, likely extending already-long wait times and disrupting holiday travel plans.

Finland has scrapped paper naturalisation forms and now requires all citizenship applications to be filed online. At the same time, the residence period has been lengthened from five to six years and language and income tests have been tightened. The reform promises faster processing but will delay some assignees’ paths to an EU passport.

Immigration officials expect 11.52 million passenger movements during the Christmas and New Year holidays, with land crossings dominating the flows. Extra staff, temporary counters and 700+ e-Channels will be deployed, while travellers are urged to avoid peak days and use the Easy Boundary website to plan routes. The forecast is a key test of Hong Kong’s upgraded border technology and staffing model.

All U.S. diplomatic missions in India are closed 24–26 December under a federal holiday order, suspending routine visa and passport services and adding to already heavy appointment backlogs. Corporate travellers and HR teams must reschedule interviews and adjust onboarding timelines, while emergency services remain limited.

Hong Kong has completed its city-wide deployment of contactless e-Channel lanes. All residents aged seven or above and most foreign electronic-passport holders can now clear immigration with a QR code and facial recognition in under 20 seconds, boosting hourly throughput by 30 percent. The upgrade puts Hong Kong in the front rank of fully digital border-control hubs.

Canada will close its Start-Up Visa to new applicants on 31 December 2025 and replace it with a leaner entrepreneur pilot in 2026 aimed at faster processing and sector targeting. Companies relying on the SUV to relocate founders must pivot quickly, while existing applicants get a final six-month window to file. The shift signals Ottawa’s push to clear backlogs and restore credibility in business immigration.

The EU’s new Entry/Exit System crashed at Prague Airport on 19 December, forcing manual checks and creating queues of up to three hours for non-EU passengers. Airport authorities will hire extra staff and add kiosks, but ACI warns EES glitches are increasing processing times across Europe. Global-mobility teams should build extra travel buffers and remind assignees of the system’s automatic overstay calculations.

The UK FCDO on 24 December tightened its guidance for Poland after Russian strikes triggered a Polish air-defence alert. British nationals are urged to avoid non-essential travel near the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders and to stay vigilant in major cities. The advisory has immediate implications for corporate duty-of-care and travel-risk programmes.

The United States has barred entry to five European figures—including French ex-commissioner Thierry Breton—over alleged ‘censorship’ activities. President Emmanuel Macron called the decision an attack on Europe’s regulatory autonomy and hinted at retaliatory steps. The bans could disrupt official and corporate travel plans between France and the U.S., forcing mobility teams to review visa strategies.

• A 43-year-old British national has had his Australian visa cancelled after being charged with displaying a banned Nazi symbol and encouraging violence against Jews. • Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke used discretionary powers to place the man in immigration detention for removal, citing “public-interest” grounds. • The case signals a tougher post-Bondi stance on antisemitism and is a warning to employers that sponsored or visiting staff can be deported for online hate speech.

Hong Kong has opened its roads—on a strictly limited basis—to Guangdong-registered private cars. A 100-vehicle-a-day pilot launched on 23 December allows selected drivers to enter the SAR for up to three days, potentially transforming cross-border business trips and retail spending. Authorities will review traffic and safety data before considering an expansion in 2026.

A D.C. federal judge ruled that President Trump’s executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on every new H-1B petition is within presidential authority, dismissing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s lawsuit. The decision drastically raises the cost of hiring skilled foreign workers, forcing companies to revisit 2026 workforce plans and consider alternative mobility strategies.

From 8 January 2026, foreigners will need six years in Finland, two years of work and proven Finnish/Swedish skills to secure permanent residence. Employers must plan for longer permit cycles and consider fast-tracking staff who qualify under current rules.

Madrid has frozen the national minimum wage at €1,184 until end-2026, postponing a 2026 update. Because Spanish work and digital-nomad visas are calculated as a multiple of the SMI, the move temporarily holds visa-income thresholds steady, giving employers and applicants cost certainty. HR teams should use the window to finalise filings but plan for a potential retroactive hike later in 2026.