Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Facing eight days of Border Force walkouts over Christmas, the UK will station 1,200 soldiers and 1,000 civil servants at passport desks to keep key airports open. Corporates should prepare for longer queues, missed connections and rerouting costs during the holiday peak.

A nationwide failure of the ABF passport-processing system forced manual checks at Australian airports for about an hour on 30 November, delaying dozens of international flights. Although operations were restored by mid-afternoon, the incident spotlights vulnerabilities in Australia’s high-tech border infrastructure and could accelerate calls for system redundancy. Corporate travel managers should expect possible knock-on delays over the next 24 hours and review contingency plans.

The Council of the EU has authorised negotiations on a smartphone-based Digital Travel App that will let passengers pre-submit passport data before reaching Schengen borders. Czech border police intend to join an early pilot, hoping the app will ease EES-related queues at Prague Airport and land crossings. Businesses should welcome faster processing but must continue monitoring EES compliance until the new system is live.

Ireland has raised the minimum income a resident must earn to bring in non-EEA family members from €30,000 to €44,300, with higher thresholds for multiple dependants and proof of housing now compulsory. The abrupt hike squeezes mid-income foreign staff and will increase relocation budgets.

The UK will start enforcing its Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement from 25 February 2026. Visitors from 85 visa-waiver nations who fail to secure an ETA (or e-Visa) in advance will be denied boarding, and carriers face fines for non-compliance. Corporate travel programmes must embed ETA checks into booking workflows now to prevent disruptions.

More than 70 flights were cancelled and over 300 delayed on 30 November as weather and staffing issues hammered schedules at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports. Jetstar and Qantas were worst affected, creating headaches for business travellers and exposing ongoing labour-shortage vulnerabilities in Australia’s aviation sector.

New NIA statistics show foreign arrivals in Beijing are up 35 % year-on-year after China expanded its 30-day visa-waiver scheme and 240-hour transit-without-visa programme. With 60 % of visitors now entering under the relaxed rules, multinationals are seeing swifter trip approvals and lower compliance costs, while hotels and conference venues report a sharp uptick in bookings.

The Federal Council has confirmed that work-permit ceilings for third-country nationals, EU/EFTA service-providers and UK citizens will remain unchanged in 2026, maintaining 8 500 permits for non-EU talent. Business groups welcome the continuity, while political pressure to curb immigration persists. Global mobility teams should lodge applications early, as several cantons typically exhaust allocations well before year-end.

A new electronic Arrival Card—fillable via web, WeChat or Alipay—went live nationwide on 20 November, replacing China’s last paper immigration form. Early results at Shanghai Hongqiao show clearance times for foreign passengers reduced by more than half, giving companies faster, paper-free compliance and signalling Beijing’s shift to fully digital borders.

Effective 29 Nov 2025, the U.S. introduced a non-waivable US$30 fee for every I-94 issued at land borders or via the CBP One app. While air and sea arrivals remain exempt, Brazilian executives who routinely drive into the United States from Mexico or Canada must now budget the extra cost and carry proof of payment. The change adds administrative friction and highlights Washington’s push to recoup immigration-service costs.

The U.S. State Department’s 30 November alert warns that ongoing labour unrest in Belgium could trigger more flight cancellations, rail delays and street protests in December. Belgian-based employers should review duty-of-care plans and brief travellers to carry ID at all times.

Dense fog and staffing gaps triggered 40 flight cancellations and more than 500 delays at Paris-CDG and Orly on 29 November, hitting Air France, KLM, Delta and others. Average waits topped 75 minutes, rippling across European schedules and complicating year-end corporate travel. Mobility managers should allow wider connection windows, pre-authorise hotels and consider alternate hubs.