Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Early data show Switzerland’s phased EES deployment is adding under a minute per passenger at Basel and Geneva. Zurich will follow in mid-November. Companies should brief non-EU staff on the initial biometric enrolment and monitor Schengen-stay limits via new tech tools.

Prague Airport’s winter 2025/2026 schedule went live on 26 October with 15 new destinations and 12 first-time carriers, lifting seat capacity by 12 percent. The expansion strengthens links to the Middle East, North Africa and secondary European markets, giving business travellers and expatriates more nonstop options but raising the need for earlier bookings on peak dates.

CAAC launched the 2025/26 winter-spring timetable on 26 October, lifting weekly flights to 119,500 and boosting international frequencies by 10.8 %. Major hubs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou regain over half of China’s overseas traffic, while new routes to India, Oman, Argentina and others deepen global reach. The expanded lift dovetails with China’s broader visa-free push and offers corporates faster, cheaper options for moving people and goods.

Effective 26 October 2025, the UAE extended full consular services—emergency assistance, evacuation, and fast-track return documents—to long-term Golden Visa residents travelling abroad. The upgrade narrows the gap between expatriate privileges and Emirati citizenship, bolstering the UAE’s appeal as a headquarters and talent hub. Businesses should integrate the new hotline and documentation process into travel-risk plans.

Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 2 reopened on 26 October 2025 with self-service immigration, DigiYatra e-gates and reallocated domestic flights. The move eases congestion at India’s busiest hub, shortens connections for business travellers and supports the rollout of the national e-Arrival Card.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told business leaders on 26 October 2025 that the 2026 budget will introduce a consolidated, skills-based immigration stream aimed at scientists and tech workers. The plan would tie occupational caps to labour-market data, preserve temporary-resident limits and require provinces to link immigration to housing supply. Employers will gain faster work-permit ‘vouchers’ but must prepare for new compliance rules. The announcement positions Canada to capitalise on tougher U.S. visa policies.

CBP finalized a rule on Oct 26 mandating that virtually every non-citizen be photographed when entering and leaving the United States. The measure, aimed at tightening identity checks and reducing visa overstays, will take effect in late December and covers travelers at all air, sea and land ports. Businesses must prepare foreign employees for the new procedure, while privacy groups are gearing up for legal challenges.

Hurricane-force winds on 25 October forced German airports to cancel scores of flights and prompted Deutsche Bahn to run an emergency timetable. The disruption highlights the need for robust, multi-modal contingency planning for business travellers and assignees.

Beginning December 26, 2025, CBP will photograph every departing non-citizen, completing the U.S. biometric entry-exit system. The rule removes age-based exemptions and covers all airports, seaports and land borders. While DHS says the move tightens security and tracks overstays, companies must prepare foreign workers for longer inspections and address privacy concerns.

Two weeks into the EU’s new biometric border regime, Düsseldorf is experiencing hour-long waits and Frankfurt warns of delays as it prepares to switch on EES on 29 October. The early bottlenecks underline the importance for companies to brief non-EU travellers and monitor 90/180-day compliance.

A visa-amnesty programme running 25 Oct – 30 Dec 2025 lets visa overstayers in the UAE legalise their status or leave without penalties. ICP has extended service-centre hours and enabled 24/7 online filing, while foreign missions have mobilised support desks. Employers now have a last chance to clean up sponsorship records before stricter enforcement in 2026.

Brazil’s Federal Police published its COP 30 security plan on 25 October, detailing extra immigration booths, biometric e-gates and 1,200 officers that will handle the expected 50,000 foreign visitors to Belém. Corporations should pre-clear traveller data 72 hours in advance and expect heavier screening of luggage and equipment.

Federal caps, higher proof-of-funds and narrower PGWP rules slashed new study-permit arrivals by almost 60 % in 2025, IRCC data show. The drop hits university finances, local economies and employer talent pipelines, signalling that companies can no longer rely on Canada’s international-student channel for quick skill acquisition.

From 26 October 2025 Milan Bergamo Airport operates its biggest winter schedule ever, with 107 destinations, 18 airlines and 5 % more seats than last year. Ryanair bases 22 aircraft and Wizz Air adds five new routes, expanding business-travel connectivity and seasonal leisure options. The enlarged network, supported by recent infrastructure upgrades and biometric border trials, strengthens Bergamo’s role as a cost-efficient northern Italian hub.

Italy opened the pre-filling phase for 164,850 non-EU work permits under the 2026–2028 *Decreto Flussi* on 23 October. Employers have until 7 December to prepare applications for four January–February click days. The expanded quota—part of a three-year plan totalling nearly half a million permits—aims to fill chronic labour shortages while preserving strict controls on irregular migration.

Decree 12.657/2025, publicised on 23 Oct 2025, lets business-visitor (VIVIS) holders perform short-term technical assistance and technology-transfer work under a contract with a Brazilian entity, removing the old requirement for a temporary work visa. Paid employment remains barred, but the change slashes lead times for corporate assignments and aligns Brazil with mobility norms in other G20 economies.

Spain’s Democratic Memory Law, which let descendants of Civil-War and Franco-era exiles reclaim nationality, stopped accepting new applications at 23:59 on 22 October 2025. Existing applicants with a confirmed appointment can still file documents, but no new cases may be opened. The closure removes a popular fast-track citizenship route for Latin-American talent and prompts calls for a permanent ancestry scheme.

Shanghai police will offer a fully paperless port e-visa to all accredited China International Import Expo participants, expanding eligibility beyond local hosts and allowing exhibitors to convert on-arrival passes into short-term residence permits. The measure promises sub-two-minute clearance and underscores China’s push to streamline business travel for major trade events.

A 22 October USCIS update confirms that the $100,000 H-1B fee applies only to petitions requiring consular processing; extensions, amendments, employer changes and in-country status changes are exempt. The clarification lets universities and companies move existing foreign talent internally without incurring six-figure costs, but still makes hiring directly from abroad far more expensive.