Global Mobility News from VisaHQ
Select country
Nov 14, 2025
Belgium Leads Mid-November Strike Wave Set to Disrupt European Travel
Belgium’s unions will stage a three-day national strike from 24–26 November, closing large parts of the country’s rail network and severely reducing operations at Brussels and Charleroi airports. The stoppage, protesting austerity measures in the 2026 budget, is expected to cost hundreds of millions of euros and disrupt passenger and cargo movements across Europe. Airlines—including Air Canada—have begun offering free rebooking windows, and corporate travel managers are urging staff to reroute or postpone trips.
Related
News List
Nov 14, 2025
India Re-opens 30-Day Short-Term Tourist Visas from 15 November
India will restart issuing 30-day single-entry tourist visas on 15 November, ending a 19-month suspension. Long-term e-tourist visas remain frozen. The change should boost inbound leisure and MICE demand but requires careful planning because only one entry is permitted and land checkpoints are excluded.
Nov 14, 2025
China extends unilateral visa-free entry to end-2026 and adds Sweden
China has prolonged its 30-day unilateral visa-free entry scheme for nationals of 45 countries until 31 Dec 2026 and has added Sweden to the roster. The move locks in planning certainty for business travel and short assignments over the next year, although longer or work-related stays still require full visas.
Nov 14, 2025
New forecast: Spain must add 2.4 million foreign workers in the next decade to keep pensions afloat
Think-tank projections show Spain must bring in about 2.4 million foreign workers over ten years to counter rapid ageing and safeguard its pension system. Analysts urge streamlined visas and qualification recognition, signalling a likely expansion of pathways for skilled migrants.
Nov 14, 2025
Hong Kong grants visa-free airport transit to Nepalese nationals
Effective 15 Nov 2025, Nepalese nationals in direct air transit through Hong Kong can remain in the airport without a visa. The move cuts costs and processing time for travellers and airlines, and signals Hong Kong’s intent to deepen Belt-and-Road connectivity.
Nov 14, 2025
Iberia adds Fortaleza and Recife, lifting Brazil capacity 25 % in 2026
Iberia will launch Madrid–Recife and Madrid–Fortaleza services and boost Rio frequencies to daily, adding 72 000 seats and lifting its Brazil capacity 25 % in H1 2026. The new routes use fuel-efficient A321XLRs, shorten door-to-door travel times for business travellers bound for Brazil’s northeast, and intensify competition in a market already seeing double-digit international traffic growth.
Nov 14, 2025
Poland to Reopen Two Belarus Border Crossings on 17 November
Warsaw has issued a regulation to reopen the Kuźnica Białostocka and Bobrowniki road crossings with Belarus on 17 November, easing a two-month trade bottleneck but keeping restrictions on Belarusian trucks. The phased restart should cut detours for Polish hauliers and business travellers, yet tighter document and vehicle checks will remain in force. Companies are urged to review routing plans and stay alert to potential ad-hoc closures.
Nov 14, 2025
GCC launches “one-stop” checkpoint; UAE & Bahrain to start pilot in December
The GCC approved a single-checkpoint clearance system and selected the UAE and Bahrain for a December 2025 pilot. Travellers will undergo all border formalities only once, streamlining regional air travel and shaving valuable minutes off business trips. Companies should prepare updated travel guidance for employees who shuttle around the Gulf.
Nov 14, 2025
Austria to Launch Frontier-Worker Permit on 1 December
From 1 December, Austria will accept applications for a Frontier-Worker Permit that lets non-EU nationals who **live in a bordering country** but work in Austria commute legally without relocating. The permit requires a strict labour-market test and applies only to districts directly on the frontier. Employers gain a faster way to staff regional skills shortages, but quotas and AMS scrutiny mean careful preparation is essential.
Nov 14, 2025
UK Home Secretary plans Danish-style crackdown on illegal migration
Shabana Mahmood will outline Danish-style asylum and deportation reforms next week, aiming to cut small-boat arrivals and speed removals. The plan would tighten human-rights tests, restrict family reunification, and make refugee status temporary—changes that could also lengthen the wait for settlement for legal migrants. Businesses should expect faster removals and stricter compliance rules if the measures pass.
Nov 14, 2025
Australia activates Ministerial Direction 115, overhauling offshore student-visa queue
Ministerial Direction 115 took effect today, reshuffling offshore Subclass 500 student-visa priorities. Providers that keep enrolments within their 2026 planning caps will see faster approvals, while over-quota institutions move to the slow lane. The rule aims to curb surging net migration, relieve housing stress and drive growth to regional campuses—issues critical for employers sponsoring dependants and graduate hires.
Nov 14, 2025
Former Immigration Minister Warns Bill C-12 Could Tarnish Canada’s Refugee Brand
Lloyd Axworthy says proposed Bill C-12, which would curtail some asylum claims and allow broad cancellation of immigration documents, risks eroding Canada’s long-held reputation for welcoming refugees. The debate signals tighter compliance rules for employers moving talent and could lengthen processing times if litigation rises.
Nov 14, 2025
Home Office to curb ‘pull factors’ and speed deportations, Sky News reports
Sky News says Shabana Mahmood’s Monday statement will propose a longer ten-year route to settlement, sector-based visa caps and sanctions on countries that stall deportations—measures that could raise sponsorship costs and planning complexity for UK employers.
Nov 13, 2025
French Parliament Weighs Sharp Increases to Visa and Residency-Card Fees
A clause in France’s 2026 budget bill would raise most immigration stamp-taxes by €100-€200 from 1 January 2026. Companies fear added costs and last-minute filing rushes, while the government says the hikes will fund digital services.
Nov 13, 2025
German Work-Visa Benchmark Shows 6–12 Week Processing; AI Pilot Cuts Some Cases to 15 Days
A new Jobbatical benchmark shows most German work permits are now issued in six to twelve weeks, thanks to additional consular staff and e-file transfers, while an AI triage pilot is clearing simple cases in just 15 days. Employers that submit complete digital dossiers and hold trusted-employer status stand to gain the most, but seasonal backlogs and family-visa delays persist.
Nov 13, 2025
New State Department Cable Lets Consular Officers Deny Visas Over Obesity, Cancer or Diabetes
A newly leaked State Department cable instructs consular officers to consider obesity and other chronic illnesses as grounds for visa refusal under the ‘public-charge’ test. The policy, effective immediately, affects all non-immigrant and immigrant categories and could bar applicants who might incur high U.S. healthcare costs. Employers should brace for tougher medical RFEs and advise transferees to document private insurance.
Nov 13, 2025
U.S. Government Reopens After 43-Day Shutdown, Restoring Visa, Passport and Border Operations
President Trump signed a stop-gap funding bill late on Nov 12, ending a 43-day federal shutdown. Consular posts, USCIS and border agencies have restarted operations, but backlogs in visa interviews, passport printing and Global Entry enrollments could take weeks to resolve. Business travelers should expect continued flight caps at major airports and potential delays in onboarding foreign hires.
Nov 13, 2025
Switzerland Stops Issuing Multi-Entry Schengen Visas to Most Russian Citizens
Swiss missions abroad have been told to stop issuing multi-entry Schengen visas to most Russian nationals, effective immediately. Russian travellers will now need a new single-entry visa for every journey, increasing processing times and costs for companies that send staff through Swiss airports. The measure aligns Switzerland with the EU’s latest sanctions package and narrows the travel channels available to Russians.
Nov 13, 2025
Czechia joins Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in vowing to sue Brussels over migrant-quota plan
Interior ministers from Czechia, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia announced on 13 November that they will jointly challenge the EU’s new migrant-quota system in court, arguing that mandatory relocation would overwhelm their already stretched reception capacities. The move could delay other parts of the EU migration pact and lengthen corporate-visa processing for assignees heading to Czechia.
Nov 13, 2025
Spain’s immigration appointment system branded ‘digital chaos’ as grey-market scalping spreads
A government advisory report says Spain’s online system for immigration and asylum appointments is so dysfunctional that a lucrative grey market has emerged. Bots snap up slots, which intermediaries then sell to migrants and expats for hefty fees, causing permit delays that jeopardise legal status and employment. The CES calls for urgent reforms to prevent ‘technological borders’ from undermining orderly migration and business mobility.
Show More News