Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Tehran will re-impose visa requirements on Indian nationals from 22 November 2025 after reports of job-fraud and kidnapping. India has issued a travel advisory and warned recruiters against exploiting the now-cancelled waiver. Businesses must reroute travellers and reassess project timelines that depended on visa-free entry.

Border-control procedures for travellers to Italy are changing: biometric registration under the EU Entry/Exit System is already being piloted, and the separate ETIAS authorisation for visa-exempt nationals will follow in late 2026. Italian consulates have also tightened document rules and insist on in-person biometric capture for national-visa applicants. Business-travel planners should build in extra lead time and update traveller briefings now.

Internal Liberal Party documents reveal live discussions about capping international-student enrolments and trimming skilled-visa places. The plan aims to relieve housing and infrastructure strains but is opposed by universities and industry. Although still in flux, the debate signals a likely tightening of visa settings in coming years.

Dublin has launched an urgent review of its immigration legislation after the UK announced the toughest asylum reforms in decades. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan warned that an open border could divert rejected migrants into Ireland, prompting consideration of visa tweaks and faster inadmissibility decisions. Companies operating on both sides of the border face potential compliance changes, while communities fear renewed friction if controls tighten.

An explosive device destroyed part of the Warsaw–Lublin railway overnight on 16-17 November, temporarily cutting a major corridor for passenger traffic and freight headed to Ukraine. Polish officials blame Russian-directed saboteurs, have launched a high-priority criminal probe, and are reinforcing security along key rail arteries. Companies should brace for inspections and possible rerouting delays.

The U.S. will give World Cup ticket-holders priority for non-immigrant visa interviews, adding 400 consular officers and aiming to keep average wait times under 60 days. The move could unlock $30 billion in visitor spending and ease travel for 5–10 million foreign fans and business travelers.

Home Affairs has revoked the work visa of South African engineer Matthew Gruter after his participation in a Neo-Nazi rally. He was detained on 18 November and is expected to be deported. The incident highlights the government’s readiness to cancel visas on character grounds and serves as a compliance warning for sponsors.

The opposition Coalition has postponed setting a numerical migration cap, opting to release only policy ‘principles’ this Christmas while economic modelling continues. The party is considering targeted cuts to student and low-wage visas, greater enforcement and a revamped skilled-occupation list, balancing pressure from its conservative flank with warnings from business about workforce shortages.

IRCC statistics indicate Canada could finish 2025 with roughly 202,900 foreign-worker admissions—45 per cent below the official target. New federal caps, higher wage thresholds and a moratorium on certain LMIAs are behind the slowdown. Employers face an even tighter talent market and may need to pivot to intra-company transfers or provincial nominee routes.

Ireland’s Justice Minister told UK counterparts he is prepared to change Irish asylum law if London’s new crackdown diverts migrants across the open Northern Ireland border. With 80 % of irregular arrivals already transiting Great Britain, Dublin may tighten inadmissibility rules in its forthcoming International Protection Bill. Companies should brace for procedural changes and potential new carrier responsibilities.

• Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a ‘temporary protection’ regime, longer settlement waits and a single-stage appeals process. • Articles 3 and 8 of the ECHR will be re-interpreted to narrow human-rights challenges; visa bans threatened for non-compliant return countries. • Businesses sponsoring or employing refugees face shorter visa durations, stricter compliance and potential skills-pipeline disruption.

All Czech embassies and consulates were closed on 17 November for the national Freedom and Democracy Day, halting visa and consular processing worldwide. The closure affects filing deadlines, appointment availability and even cargo customs clearance, with knock-on delays expected through the week. Mobility managers should adjust project timelines, pre-lodge documents and brief travellers that services will resume on 18 November.

Poland has reopened the Bobrowniki and Kuźnica border crossings with Belarus and simultaneously activated the EU Entry/Exit biometric control system. The change restores a vital road link for passenger and freight traffic, introduces faster but stricter identity checks, and is expected to revive local economies while tightening Schengen-area security.

From 1 Dec 2025, Austria will issue a dedicated ‘Grenzgänger’ permit allowing non-EU residents of neighbouring countries to commute to Austrian jobs without relocating. The tightly scoped title gives border-district employers new access to talent while keeping labour-market tests in place.

Reuters reports that Italy has extended migrant detention to 18 months and is pressing ahead with plans to process sea-arrivals in centres being built in Albania. The measures form part of a broader EU trend toward tougher asylum rules but could increase operational risk for employers who rely on foreign labour and for logistics operators near key ports.

EU interior ministers approved an overhaul of the visa-free suspension mechanism on 17 Nov 2025. Lower thresholds and longer suspension periods mean Austria must be ready to re-impose visas on short notice if a partner country breaches EU rules, impacting corporate travel planning.

• From 17 November 2025, Zurich Airport requires all non-EU/​EFTA short-stay visitors to complete a biometric enrolment under the EU Entry/Exit System. • First-time registration adds up to an hour at passport control; subsequent trips are quicker but strictly time-stamped. • Corporate travel teams must adjust itineraries, warn travellers of longer queues and tighten Schengen-day tracking, as over-stays will trigger automatic alerts. • The change completes Switzerland’s national roll-out of EES ahead of full EU implementation by April 2026.

EU ministers formally adopted tougher rules that allow the Union to suspend visa-free travel more quickly and for longer periods. The lower thresholds and broader grounds mean Czech travellers to currently exempt countries could face sudden visa requirements, compelling corporates to tighten compliance monitoring and contingency planning.

From 14 November, offshore student-visa files are triaged under a new three-tier system that rewards providers staying within their National Planning Level quotas. Fast-track status now depends on institutional compliance rather than application date, forcing universities and colleges to manage enrolments more carefully.