Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

The UAE’s ICP has launched “Fast Track,” a free mobile app that lets visitors complete immigration formalities before departure and clear Smart Gates in under 90 seconds. The move will ease airport congestion and give employers a quicker, more predictable arrival process for assignees.

Dublin Airport handled 36.43 m passengers in 2025, breaking its own record and the 32 m planning cap that is before the courts. The surge cements Dublin’s role as a transfer hub but revives uncertainty over future slot availability and infrastructure expansion. Mobility teams should monitor the legal outcome and allow extra buffer time for peak-season travel.

From 19 January 2026, Hong Kong and Macao will lower the minimum age for using each other’s automated immigration gates from 11 to 7 and add new self-service enrolment points for eligible non-permanent residents. The change will speed up family travel, support cross-border commuting within the Greater Bay Area, and reduce peak-hour congestion. Companies should update mobility guidance for staff and dependants.

The State Department has exempted athletes, coaches, and essential staff from the new Trump-era visa ban, ensuring that international competitors can still enter the United States for major events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. The decision prevents roster disruptions and protects billions in sports-business revenue but does not extend to spectators or media.

Starting 16 January 2026, Chinese nationals can enter the Philippines without a visa for up to 14 days via Manila or Cebu. The one-year pilot aims to revive Chinese arrivals, boost trade links and stimulate flight capacity on China-Philippines routes—but the stay is non-extendable and non-convertible, so business travellers must plan carefully.

Rome has confirmed how the 40,075 seasonal-work visas for 2026 will be split among employer groups and regions. The move gives agribusiness and tourism companies clarity on recruitment timelines and underscores the importance of flawless e-filing ahead of February’s remaining click-days.

From 8 January 2026, all first-time Skilled Worker, Scale-Up and HPI visa applicants must meet the tougher B2 English standard, and sponsors now pay 32 % more in Immigration Skills Charge. Employers must update recruitment processes immediately or risk refusals and compliance penalties.

Interior Ministry figures show only 1,370 irregular migrants reached Spain in the first half of January 2026—60 % fewer than a year ago. Maritime arrivals to the Canary Islands plunged 78 %, while land crossings at Ceuta and Melilla rose. The shift eases pressure on island reception centres but may redirect processing bottlenecks to the mainland.

Freezing rain on 12–13 January shut down large parts of Czechia’s air, rail and road networks, diverting flights, cancelling trains and triggering emergency visa-extension requests. Mobility managers had to adjust Schengen stay calculations and reroute cargo, underlining the value of robust winter contingency plans for business travellers and expatriates.

Newly synchronised online portals from GDRFA Dubai and the federal ICP now show real-time visa validity data, allowing residents, visitors and HR teams to track expiry dates instantly and set automated alerts.

On 16 January 2026, New Delhi told all Indian nationals in Iran to depart immediately, citing an unspecified but serious security risk. The move affects about 9,000 citizens, including port workers, oil-sector staff, and religious pilgrims, and obliges employers to trigger evacuation protocols.

Cyprus, which holds the EU Council Presidency until 30 June 2026, has made implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact and the ProtectEU security strategy its core objectives. The agenda will tighten border-screening rules, harmonise biometric data collection, and could lengthen lead-times for EU work and travel permits, but may also create new mobility corridors through return-and-readmission deals. Business-travel stakeholders should monitor developments at the forthcoming JHA Council in Nicosia, where ministers will tackle the most contentious files.

A shortage of air-traffic controllers in Sydney on 16 January forced Airservices Australia to ration runway capacity, cancelling more than 50 flights and delaying scores nationwide. Airlines and industry groups condemned the chronic understaffing, warning that continued disruptions pose major challenges for business travellers and corporate relocation schedules.

Farmers protesting the EU–Mercosur trade deal have blocked access to Brussels Airport’s Brucargo complex since 15 January, allowing trucks through only intermittently. The action is delaying cargo flights, forcing freight diversions and adding millions of euros in supply-chain costs. Mobility and relocation managers should anticipate shipment delays and road congestion around the airport until at least Saturday morning.