Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

The EU and Mercosur signed their trade and partnership agreements on 17 January. Beyond tariffs, the pact creates priority 30-day visa processing, longer allowable stays and multi-entry visas for business visitors and intra-company transferees, potentially easing Brazil-Europe assignments from late 2026.

A draft bill released on 16 January would allow Finland to withdraw a non-EU student’s residence permit if the student receives basic social assistance from Kela. Automated data sharing between the social-security agency and the immigration authority would flag cases for immediate revocation, marking a major escalation in post-arrival compliance checks. Universities and employers fear the measure could deter talent, while officials say it simply upholds the self-support requirement.

From 19 January 2026, permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao as young as seven will be able to use each other’s automated immigration channels, down from the current age of 11. Authorities expect shorter queues, smoother family travel and greater capacity ahead of rising cross-boundary traffic. Companies should note the faster processing for employees’ dependants and visiting delegates.

From 16 January 2026 Chinese passport holders can enter the Philippines visa-free for up to 14 days via Manila or Cebu. The one-year pilot aims to revive a market that is still far below pre-pandemic levels and should ease short-notice business travel, but remains non-extendable and non-convertible. Mobility teams must update travel policies and ensure travelers carry proof of onward transport.

Warsaw has begun building the €2.5 billion East Shield defensive barrier along the frontiers with Russia and Belarus. While existing legal crossings stay open, freight and passenger flows will be channelled through fewer gates with much tighter screening—something mobility and supply-chain managers must plan for over the next three years.

IRCC has announced that no new courses will be added to—or removed from—the list of programmes that make graduates eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit during 2026. The move gives international students and Canadian employers much-needed predictability after months of uncertainty and allows schools to finalise recruitment plans.

Latest State Department figures highlight dramatic differences in US visa-interview backlogs across Indian consulates. Mumbai can process work-visa interviews in about a month, while New Delhi’s visitor-visa queue stretches up to eight months. Companies are redirecting assignees to faster posts and absorbing extra domestic travel costs.

Brussels, Wallonia and—imminently—Flanders have raised the minimum salaries foreign workers must earn to qualify for Work Permit B, Single Permit or EU Blue Card status from 1 January 2026. The increases—about 6 %—could make junior assignments more expensive and trigger permit refusals if outdated figures appear in paperwork.

A shortage of air-traffic controllers in Sydney on 16 January led Airservices Australia to throttle runway capacity, cancelling 50+ flights nationwide. The disruption strands thousands of passengers, complicates corporate relocations and highlights chronic staffing gaps that could recur throughout 2026. Mobility managers should build time buffers and contingency routings into travel plans.

A heavy winter storm shut down departures and arrivals at New York-area airports and Chicago O’Hare on Jan 17, canceling or delaying more than 2,000 flights. Business travelers should expect residual delays through the holiday weekend and build flexibility into itineraries.

• The Labour Ministry has released the regional and sectoral breakdown of 40,075 seasonal-work visas for 2026, giving employers the green light to recruit. • The quotas are part of a three-year plan that will admit nearly 165,000 non-EU workers in 2026 alone. • New features include a 1,500-visa reserve for nationals of countries that recently signed migration-co-operation deals and priority for employers with anti-exploitation protocols. • HR teams must prepare applications quickly; past quotas sold out within minutes.

Engineering works have closed the Brighton Main Line south of East Croydon until the end of Sunday 18 January, severing the fastest rail link to Gatwick Airport. All Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Western services are suspended, with replacement buses and diversions adding up to 60 minutes to journeys. The outage could affect over 100,000 air passengers and will recur on eight further weekends through May. Businesses should build longer connection times and check that employees with mobility needs can board rail-replacement coaches.