Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Belgium faces its most extensive transport stoppage in years as unions stage a coordinated 24–26 November strike. With rail, metro and airport staff participating, air and ground connectivity will be severely limited, forcing employers to delay trips, reroute cargo and activate remote-work plans.

A Fanpage.it investigation published 23 November reveals that some migrant workers paid up to €25,000 to intermediaries for Decreto Flussi visas, only to be abandoned by the sponsoring employer and risk falling into irregular status. NGOs say fewer than 15 % of quota places translate into residence permits due to employer no-shows and bureaucratic delays. The scandal is likely to spur legislative amendments and tighter corporate-due-diligence rules for Italian sponsors.

Bill C-3 has received royal assent, abolishing the long-criticised rule that prevented many Canadians born abroad from passing citizenship to their children who are also born overseas. The new law will retroactively restore citizenship to thousands and introduce a ‘substantial-connection’ test for future cases. Corporations with mobile Canadian talent will gain flexibility, while families on international assignments will face fewer travel and legal hurdles. Implementation details and application forms are expected in 2026.

Parliament has overhauled Switzerland’s immigration law, introducing annual numerical ceilings for work permits and extending mandatory biometric border checks from airports to land crossings. The change gives businesses earlier visibility but could lengthen border commutes and tighten talent supply, making early quota planning essential.

Pilots at Lufthansa began a two-day strike at 00:01 on 23 November, forcing the airline to cancel 912 flights and affecting more than 115 000 passengers. Management and union remain deadlocked over employer pension contributions, and further action cannot be ruled out. Business travellers and relocation assignees should expect continuing disruption at German hubs on 24 November and consider rail or non-strike carriers for urgent trips.

Belgium’s 24–26 November general strike will cripple trains, flights and urban transit, forcing French commuters, business travellers and logistics operators to reroute or postpone trips. Cross-border firms should activate remote-work and contingency-routing plans.

With outbound bookings surging ahead of a month-long school holiday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched the “From the UAE, We Travel” campaign. The initiative bundles passport-validity reminders, visa checks, insurance tips and upgraded 24/7 consular support into a single platform, aiming to smooth the busiest travel period in years and bolster duty-of-care for businesses.

Innsbruck Airport began live testing of the EU Entry/Exit System on 21 November, capturing biometrics from all non-EU passengers. The pilot—Austria’s third after Vienna and Salzburg—will stress-test queues during the winter ski rush. Employers should expect longer processing times and brief travellers accordingly.

Darwin International Airport reopened just hours after Cyclone Fina forced an overnight shutdown, enabling Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin to restart commercial services on 23 November 2025. Flexible re-booking policies and government road-clearance efforts limited business-travel disruption, but mobility teams are urged to update cyclone-season contingency plans.

An updated advisory stresses that Finland’s land border with Russia remains completely closed, with no reopening timeline in sight. All personal and freight traffic must route via air or sea, increasing costs and complexity for companies with cross-border operations. Mobility teams should keep contingency plans active and brief staff on alternative entry points and asylum-application rules.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan will bring three memos to Cabinet that would: 1) extend refugees’ residence requirement for citizenship from three to five years and add self-sufficiency tests; 2) tighten family-reunification criteria for both refugees and employment-permit holders; and 3) require working asylum seekers to contribute financially to their accommodation. The reforms aim to speed up decisions and align Ireland with EU and UK practices, but employers fear a knock-on effect on talent attraction.

Poland has activated the EU Entry/Exit System at 38 major crossings, ending passport stamping and ushering in biometric border control. First-time entrants will spend a few extra minutes giving fingerprints and a facial scan, but repeat travellers can use fast e-gates. The system will be fully nationwide by 4 December and starts the clock for ETIAS, with big implications for duty of care, data privacy and Schengen-area border-management debates.

USCIS has published a final rule (Nov 23) that raises nearly every immigration filing fee by roughly 2 percent starting Jan 1, 2026—the first automatic CPI adjustment mandated by the 2025 immigration funding law. Although individual increases are small, large corporate mobility programs could pay thousands more each year for EADs, parole documents, and other high-volume benefits. Companies should update 2026 budgets and communicate the new costs to transferees.

India has extended Visa-on-Arrival privileges for UAE citizens to Kochi, Calicut and Ahmedabad, raising the total eligible airports to nine. The change, effective immediately, offers 60-day double-entry stays, unlimited annual use and online pre-registration, making it easier for tourists, medical travellers and business visitors to bypass traditional visa channels. Airlines and local industries expect a boost in traffic and investment flows.

An explosive attack shut the Warsaw–Lublin rail line for 36 hours, forcing airlines and freight operators onto lengthy detours and prompting Poland to expel Russia’s last remaining consul. Authorities blame Russian agents and have tightened security along rail and border routes, meaning business travellers face longer journeys and more identity checks.