Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

A software defect has derailed Deutsche Bahn’s plan to cut over to a new digital signal box at Cologne Central Station. The hub will still close for 10 days from 14–24 November, but a second full closure is now unavoidable once the fault is fixed, disrupting up to 1,300 daily trains. Business travellers should prepare for detours, longer journey times and overcrowding.

From 14 November 2025, every offshore student-visa application will enter a three-tier queuing system that speeds decisions for providers under quota and slows them for institutions that over-enrol or breach compliance rules. The Albanese Government says the change will balance international student numbers and strengthen visa integrity; employers should see more reliable timelines for graduates coming through compliant universities.

New Interior Ministry data show 7,329 passports were issued through Cyprus’s investment-for-citizenship scheme before its 2020 closure; 373 have already been approved for revocation, with more cases pending. The update signals tougher enforcement and cements the government’s pledge to end passport-for-cash programmes, affecting investors and employers who relied on the documents for EU mobility.

China’s National Immigration Administration activated facial-recognition fast-track lanes at 12 airports and land crossings on 12 November. Eligible mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan travellers can now clear immigration in under eight seconds, with foreign frequent flyers likely to be added later. The move promises faster connections for business travellers but requires companies to update privacy disclosures.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has signed off on a “one-stop” immigration and customs checkpoint that will go live on UAE–Bahrain flights in December 2025. The scheme promises to slash airport processing times for Gulf nationals and is viewed as a stepping-stone to the long-awaited unified GCC visa. Faster clearance will directly benefit UAE-based firms whose employees shuttle around the Gulf and could reshape regional mobility policy in the next 12-18 months.

A key congressional committee voted on 12 Nov 2025 to scrap the soon-to-be-implemented visitor-visa requirement for citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia. If the bill clears the remaining hurdles, business and leisure travellers from those countries will once again enjoy visa-free entry for stays of up to 90 days, easing last-minute corporate travel and boosting Brazil’s tourism sector.

The MEA has switched on Passport Seva V2.0 across India and its foreign missions, introducing chip-enabled e-Passports, AI chat-bots, UPI payments and a single cloud platform for all applications. The reform modernises India’s travel documents, promises quicker immigration clearance and gives companies a smoother way to manage large-scale renewals for mobile staff.

UK Visas & Immigration has published new instructions urging migrants and their dependants to create a UKVI account and convert their physical residence documents into eVisas ahead of the 2025 cut-off. The guidance spells out eligibility, documentation requirements and exemptions. Employers should update right-to-work processes immediately to avoid travel and onboarding disruption.

IRCC will fast-track and uncap study-permit applications for master’s and PhD students at public universities starting 1 January 2026. The change, part of Canada’s new immigration plan, prioritises high-calibre research talent while keeping overall student numbers in check. Universities see a boost to competitiveness; employers gain a larger pool of PGWP-eligible graduates.

Pilot and cabin-crew unions have prolonged their strike at Discover Airlines, Lufthansa’s holiday subsidiary, until Sunday. Frankfurt and Munich are already seeing cancellations, and reroutings are pushing up costs and journey times for business travellers heading to leisure destinations or onward long-haul flights.

Signed on 11 November, a new UK–France pact will see French beach patrols double and new tech deployed to curb small-boat crossings. The €72 million scheme, mostly UK-funded, also sets up a real-time joint-response cell. Businesses moving people or goods through Calais should prepare for more spot checks and minor delays, but the arrangement could ultimately improve intelligence sharing once integrated with the EU’s EES.

A State Department cable dated 11 Nov 2025 instructs consular officers to deny visas if chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes or mental-health disorders could make an applicant a “public charge.” The shift broadens health-based inadmissibility beyond communicable diseases and could slow or block work and family immigration cases, forcing employers to build in added time and medical documentation.

A leaked institutional agreement shows Switzerland is prepared to grant EU citizens a C-permit—permanent residence—automatically after five years’ lawful stay. The measure would improve labour-market flexibility for some 700,000 EU nationals already in the country and remove language and integration hurdles for future arrivals. Companies should begin assessing workforce impacts, although the proposal still requires political approval and could face a referendum.

Consultancy VisaHQ says MD 115 will triage student-visa files into 1–4-week, 5–8-week and 9–12-week queues depending on each provider’s compliance with 2026 enrolment caps. Regional and under-subscribed universities will gain a recruiting edge, while over-enrolling private colleges face major slow-downs—an operational risk for employers counting on quick graduate visas.

Austria has prolonged passport checks on its Hungarian and Slovenian borders until 15 December 2025. The move preserves up to 45-minute delays for freight and commuters and requires all travellers— including EU citizens— to carry ID. Business-travel managers should budget for disruption and remind employees that rail links remain control-free.

The European Commission’s Annual Migration Management Report categorises Belgium as ‘high-risk’ for migration pressure, citing capacity-strained reception centres and large numbers of Ukrainians under temporary protection. The label unlocks extra EU funds but obliges Belgium to file an action plan to expand processing and reception capacity—developments that could slow work-permit processing for employers. Mobility stakeholders should expect longer lead-times and monitor forthcoming legislative debates.

An FAA emergency order published 12 Nov 2025 forces airlines to cut up to 10 % of flights at 40 major U.S. airports. More than a thousand flights were scrubbed on 11 Nov alone, compounding travel chaos during the federal shutdown and driving up costs for corporate travellers.

The European Commission named Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain as the first countries eligible for aid from a new EU ‘solidarity pool’ once the migration pact starts in 2026. The pool lets other states relocate migrants, contribute funds or provide operational support, while a €250-million drone tender will bolster external-border surveillance. The measures aim to relieve pressure on Italy’s reception system and tighten security at Mediterranean entry points—developments with direct ramifications for corporate mobility and supply-chain planning.

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department arrested 21 people—14 illegal workers and seven employers—during an eight-day crackdown on foreign domestic helpers breaching visa conditions. Offenders face fines up to HK$500,000 and prison terms of up to 10 years. The sweeps signal tighter enforcement of helper-visa rules and greater corporate liability for unlawful employment.