Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Hermes Airports announced on 1 December that passenger traffic at Larnaca and Pafos airports has surpassed 13 million in 2025—a historic high that signals Cyprus’s post-pandemic recovery and growing air-connectivity ambitions. Stronger route networks, diversified source markets and rising tourism revenue underline the rebound, while expanded infrastructure and e-gate upgrades position the island for Schengen membership talks.

TSA will introduce a US$45 “Confirm.ID” fee on February 1, 2026 for passengers who show up at airport security without a REAL ID-compliant credential. Travelers must pre-pay online or face on-site delays; the pass lasts 10 days and is non-refundable. The higher-than-expected fee pushes employers and mobility managers to verify that U.S. domestic travelers—especially relocated staff and dependents—secure compliant IDs well before departure.

The EU has green-lit development of a voluntary Digital Travel App that will allow passport data and biometrics to be uploaded before departure. Czech Border Police have volunteered Prague Airport as one of the first test sites, hoping to relieve EES queues in Terminal 1. The pilot, expected in early 2026, could shave minutes off each border crossing and reshape corporate travel compliance.

More than 120 PCS-represented Border Force Maritime officers staged a 12-hour strike on 1 December, leaving the UK’s coastal patrol fleet at reduced readiness and causing minor cargo delays. The industrial action, rooted in a six-year dispute over specialist sea-duty allowances, could escalate during the Christmas travel peak if talks fail. Businesses moving staff or goods by ferry should monitor developments and build contingency time into schedules.

IRCC’s 1 Dec 2025 briefing lists multiple permanent-residence pathways that will go live in 2026, including an accelerated transition for 33,000 in-Canada workers, a fast-track for U.S. H-1B talent, and sector-specific routes for construction, agriculture and refugees. Employers should inventory eligible staff now, as quotas are expected to fill rapidly.

Capago has confirmed two four-hour shutdowns of the France-Visas portal on 3 and 9 December. Even short outages could cascade into appointment backlogs during the peak holiday period, putting Algerian tourist, student and work-permit travel at risk. Companies with North-African mobility pipelines should file early and keep contingency plans ready.

Effective 1 December 2025, Georgia has been removed from Poland’s simplified employer-declaration visa programme. Georgian nationals must now apply for standard work visas, while existing holders may stay only until current documents expire. The move lengthens lead times for hiring from Georgia and highlights Poland’s tighter alignment with EU migration policies.

The GCC will start real-world trials this month of a “one-stop” airport process on UAE–Bahrain flights, allowing Gulf citizens to clear all border formalities only once, at departure. The pilot is a critical milestone toward a Schengen-style regional travel zone and should cut door-to-door times for business travellers by up to 40 minutes. If successful, the model will expand to other routes and underpin the planned unified GCC tourist visa.

New USCIS data analysed by NFAP show Indian IT companies secured only 4,573 new H-1B approvals in FY 2025—a 10-year low and 37 % drop year-on-year. The fall reflects U.S. tech firms’ AI hiring spree, offshore delivery expansion by Indian vendors and quota pressure that favours renewals over new visas. Businesses may need to rethink assignment planning and explore alternative routes such as L-1s or Canadian postings.

Russia has introduced visa-free entry of up to 30 days for most Chinese citizens, mirroring Beijing’s September concession to Russians. The waiver, effective immediately until September 2026, should boost leisure and short-term business travel but excludes labor migrants and long-term students. Companies with China–Russia operations can expect faster executive trips but must still secure work permits for assignees.

From 1 December 2025, non-EU citizens who live in a neighbouring EU country can apply for Austria’s new Residence Permit – Cross-Border Commuter, valid for up to two years. The route simplifies hiring for employers in Austria’s border districts and should ease chronic skills shortages, but labour-market tests and compliance checks remain. Companies should review commuter populations and prepare documentation for possible inspections.

From 9 December 2025, Ireland will convert its tobacco ‘guideline’ allowances into strict legal limits. Travellers bringing more than 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars or 1 kg of rolling tobacco from another EU state face automatic seizure and possible prosecution. The move responds to a spike in smuggling convictions and signals tougher border compliance that business travellers must heed.

The Federal Council has decided to keep Switzerland’s 2026 work-permit quotas at their current levels: 8 500 authorisations for highly-skilled professionals from outside the EU/EFTA and unchanged envelopes for EU service-providers and UK nationals. The move provides HR and mobility teams with welcome planning certainty but competition for cantonal sub-quotas will remain intense. Companies should prepare complete applications early and watch the 2026 election cycle, where immigration caps are likely to resurface.

Over one million descendants of Spanish exiles have applied for citizenship under the Democratic Memory Law, while another 1.3 million are still waiting for consular appointments. The backlog is straining Spain’s 178 consulates, especially in Latin America, and threatens to delay passports and other services for years. Corporate mobility programmes that depend on Spanish passports for EU access should anticipate prolonged timelines and monitor government measures to relieve the bottleneck.

The Czech MFA shut down its controversial Visapoint system on 30 November and launched a new, captcha-protected visa-appointment platform on 1 December 2025. While early users reported minor glitches, the portal randomises queue numbers and is expected to reduce bot-driven booking abuse. Employers sponsoring foreign hires must adjust workflows immediately.

New Home Office data show a 26 % year-on-year fall in refugees resettled through UN channels, with just 7,271 people admitted to September 2025. NGOs warn the decline, coupled with the suspension of family-reunion visas, is shrinking safe pathways and driving irregular migration. Employers that recruit from refugee-talent initiatives may face a tighter pipeline and should monitor forthcoming details of the government’s promised new legal routes.

Sixteen Chinese airlines have removed roughly one in four China–Japan flights for December after Beijing issued a travel warning, slashing 900 flights and about 212,000 seats. The reductions are rippling through Japan’s tourism and retail sectors and will tighten seat availability for business travellers. Mobility teams should budget for higher fares and consider alternate routings.