Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

DXB and SHJ expect unprecedented New Year’s Eve passenger flows and are telling flyers to arrive early, use 24-hour Metro services and take advantage of off-airport bag-drop points. Extra smart-gate lanes and immigration staff are in place, but road closures around downtown Dubai could add significant transit time. Corporate mobility teams should warn travellers and build extra buffers into itineraries.

Effective 1 January 2026, the UAE is replacing its 90-day single-entry Mission Visa with a two-year, multiple-entry permit that allows stays of up to 60 days per trip and 180 days per year. The change slashes renewal cycles, links the visa to travellers’ passports for e-gate use, and gives employers a mid-range option between short visits and full residency. Detailed implementing guidelines are due in Q1 2026.

Effective 1 January 2026, Czechia’s new Act on the Stay of Foreigners is live, making the entire residence-permit process digital and introducing stricter obligations for corporate and academic sponsors. EU nationals can register on-line but will not be compelled to do so until 2027. The change promises faster processing and better data for authorities, but employers must adapt to new reporting duties.

In a one-night pilot, Luohu stayed open until 02:00 and Shenzhen Bay until 06:30 on 1 January, giving holiday travellers and freight operators extra clearance capacity. The move averted a post-fireworks crunch and provided valuable data for future 24-hour operations, with clear benefits for Hong Kong retailers, hotels and mobility planners.

Cyprus closed 2025 with 169,844 valid residence permits and an 86 % year-on-year fall in irregular arrivals, according to official statistics released on 31 December. Reduced backlogs and quicker processing give companies a more predictable talent pipeline, but sectoral quotas and pending asylum audits mean compliance vigilance is still required.

From 1 January 2026 all Polish residence-permit applications must be filed online via the MOS portal, and government fees have risen steeply (e.g., national visas €200, residence permits PLN 400–800). Employers must equip foreign staff with e-signatures and factor in higher relocation budgets, while applicants should expect early-stage portal glitches and tighter document scrutiny.

Amazon has granted a temporary remote-work waiver to employees stuck in India because U.S. visa interviews were abruptly rescheduled, relaxing its strict office-attendance rule until 2 March 2026. The move highlights growing H-1B processing backlogs and forces companies to craft contingency plans to keep mission-critical staff productive without creating tax or regulatory risk.

From 8 January 2026 first-time applicants for the UK’s Skilled Worker, Scale-up and HPI visas must prove B2-level English rather than B1. The Home Office says the tougher requirement will aid integration, but employers now face higher testing costs and potential onboarding delays. Existing visa-holders extending are exempt.

Berlin has extended temporary identity checks on all nine land borders until at least 15 March 2026, citing security and migration concerns. The move prolongs document inspections for road, rail and coach passengers and could disrupt business travel and cross-border freight. Employers should ensure mobile workers carry full ID and assignment paperwork.

A widened U.S. travel ban and a raft of consular and USCIS fee hikes took effect on 1 January 2026. Although Indians are not directly banned, higher costs and stricter scrutiny will affect Indian corporates sending staff to the United States, especially dual-nationals and frequent business travellers.

Gale-force winds and freezing rain on 30 December led to 244 flight delays and two cancellations at Zurich and Geneva—an unusually large disruption for normally punctual Swiss hubs. Mobility managers should expect residual delays into 1 January and build extra slack into itineraries.

IRCC closed the Start-Up Visa pathway to nearly all new applicants at midnight, 1 January 2026, citing unsustainable backlogs. Only entrepreneurs with 2025 commitment certificates can still apply, and no new optional work-permit requests are allowed. Firms must pivot to alternative work-authorisation strategies until a replacement pilot launches.

A presidential decree published on Jan 1 gives Chinese citizens visa-free access to Türkiye for up to 90 days per half-year, effective Jan 2. The policy is expected to boost tourism and business travel, simplify corporate rotations, and further expand bilateral trade ties.

From today, a standard ten-year Australian passport now costs A$422 after DFAT applied its annual CPI indexation. Companies that cover documentation expenses will need to adjust budgets, and travellers are urged to renew early to avoid New-Year bottlenecks. The increase keeps Australia’s passport program fully cost-recovered while funding further biometric enhancements.

The United States began enforcing Presidential Proclamation 10998 on January 1, 2026, halting most immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries. The move tightens earlier bans by removing family-based exceptions and will disrupt staffing, training and travel plans for U.S.-based multinationals that employ or serve citizens of the listed countries.