Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

The UK’s ETA scheme is now fully live: every non-visa national must secure the £16 digital permit before travel. Airlines will refuse boarding to anyone without an ETA and carriers face fines from 25 February. Corporate travel systems therefore need automated checks, and staff must understand that an ETA does not give permission to work.

From 1 January 2026 all Polish temporary-stay permits must be lodged online via the MOS e-portal; paper filings are no longer accepted. At the same time the government quadrupled application fees (PLN 400 for local hires, PLN 800 for posted workers) and raised visa tariffs. The shift promises faster processing but requires employers to overhaul workflows, obtain e-signatures and budget for higher costs.

Dubai Airports listed 17 Flydubai flights to Iranian cities as cancelled on 9 January and other regional airlines quickly followed suit. The move, linked to protests and an internet blackout in Iran, disrupts a vital short-haul corridor for UAE businesses and expatriates, forcing corporates to reroute staff and review travel-risk plans.

A new ordinance effective 1 January 2026 abolishes Brazil’s country-specific humanitarian visas and replaces them with a single, crisis-driven framework. Consulates have paused issuances until an eligibility list is published, creating short-term uncertainty for NGOs and employers that relocate at-risk talent. New applications will require a sponsorship letter from a federally accredited NGO.

The Interior Ministry has activated a fully digital immigration workflow covering every major Czech permit and visa category. Employers can now file, pay and track cases through a secure on-line “Foreigner Account”, cutting processing times while tightening compliance. Mobility teams should prepare staff for e-ID activation and on-line document uploads.

Sweeping amendments to Finland’s Aliens Act took effect on 8 January 2026, lengthening the standard residency period for a permanent residence permit from four to six years and adding mandatory language-skill and work-history requirements. Fast-track options remain after four years but demand higher income, education or language proficiency. The changes force companies to revisit assignment timelines and support budgets, while migrants nearing the four-year mark must reassess their plans.

On 12 January Italy will open its immigration portal for 88,000 seasonal-work permits. The first-come, first-served “click-day” is part of the 2026-28 Flow Decree and covers agriculture and tourism jobs. Employers must have fully pre-filled applications ready or risk losing out within minutes. Faster 30-day processing and the possibility to convert to long-term status increase the scheme’s attractiveness for businesses facing labour shortages.

Home Affairs has moved India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan to Evidence Level 3, requiring much stricter financial and academic proof for student-visa applicants. The shift is aimed at curbing document fraud but is likely to lengthen processing times and could dent first-semester enrolments. Corporations that fund study pathways for staff or dependants should expect delays and higher compliance costs.

Storm Goretti cancelled scores of flights, closed runways and halted rail lines, stranding thousands of travellers and forcing companies to activate emergency travel and remote-working plans. Residual delays will continue into the weekend, highlighting the need for robust weather-disruption protocols.

IRCC has announced it will keep the Parents and Grandparents Program closed to new sponsorship applications for all of 2026 and will process only 10,000 existing files. Families are being steered toward the super visa, which allows five-year stays but not permanent residence. The freeze affects family-reunification plans and could influence employers’ talent-mobility strategies.

From 25 February 2026 Swiss citizens must secure a £16 Electronic Travel Authorisation before travelling to the UK. The digital permit, valid for two years, introduces strict overstay penalties and shifts compliance checks to airlines. Swiss firms should embed ETA checks into pre-trip workflows and warn employees about the new three-day lead time.

Judge Indira Talwani said DHS broke federal rule-making law when it tried to end seven family-reunification parole programs without notice. Her injunction keeps 10,000-12,000 Latin-American parolees—and their work permits—valid past the planned January 14 cut-off, averting major workforce disruption for U.S. employers. The administration is expected to appeal, leaving companies and families in limbo.

Storm “Elli” forced Deutsche Bahn to suspend all long-distance trains in northern Germany on 9 January, stranding travellers and triggering a rush for alternative transport and hotel rooms. The incident highlights the vulnerability of Germany’s mobility infrastructure to extreme weather and the need for robust corporate contingency planning.

Storm Goretti knocked out power to 380,000 homes, forced SNCF to halt all Paris-Normandy rail traffic, and closed several northern ports on 9 January. Business travellers and freight operators face 24- to 48-hour delays, prompting companies to activate remote-work and rerouting plans. The incident highlights the vulnerability of France’s transport spine and the importance of weather-contingency strategies.

Poland has prolonged EU temporary-protection status for Ukrainian refugees until 4 March 2026 and unveiled an integration strategy centred on language training, skills audits and a public data dashboard. The decision protects employers’ existing Ukrainian workforce and offers new recruitment opportunities, but companies must prepare for tighter social-benefit rules and eventual transitions to standard residence permits.

Bangladesh has suspended visa services at its New Delhi high commission and other Indian posts, citing security worries linked to recent communal unrest. The pause stalls business-travel and work-permit processing, forcing Indian and Bangladeshi firms to seek costly third-country workarounds. The incident shows how bilateral tensions can ripple into day-to-day mobility and supply chains.

Emirates warns that from 25 February 2026 passengers departing the UAE for the UK must hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation or a compatible UK e-Visa. Without it, they will be refused boarding. The advisory forces UAE corporates and travel managers to build digital UK border checks into trip workflows.

Austria has renewed passport checks on its Slovak, Czech, Hungarian and Slovenian borders until 15 June 2026. The move, aimed at curbing irregular migration, is already causing queues of up to 45 minutes and extra document scrutiny for business travellers and freight drivers. Companies should adjust itineraries and ensure cross-border staff carry the new Frontier-Worker Permit plus supporting papers.

A code-orange snow alert prompted Brussels Airport to cancel 40 flights and impose slower turnaround procedures on 9 January. The disruption stranded travellers, squeezed cargo capacity and created knock-on immigration risks for re-routed passengers—issues that corporate mobility teams must build into winter contingency plans.