Brussels listing confirms Austria’s internal border checks with four neighbours will run to 15 June 2026
Spain’s Extraordinary Regularisation Sees 130,000 Applications in First Week
Belgium Moves to Authorise Lifetime Entry Bans for Serious Offenders
Latest News
USCIS opens online I-485 filing for employment-based green-card applicants
Effective 24 April 2026, USCIS now accepts online filing of Form I-485 for certain employment-based applicants already in the U.S. The e-filing option promises quicker receipt notices and lower shipping costs but still requires careful handling of medical exams and large PDF uploads. Corporations should update green-card playbooks and test the system before rolling it out at scale.
India Adds 14 Seaports to E-Visa Entry List, Opening New Maritime Gateways
India has extended e-Visa entry to 14 more seaports, raising the total to 47 and easing crew-change and project-cargo movements. The move lets foreign nationals—including business travellers—sail directly to a wider range of Indian ports without applying for a traditional sticker visa, removing a key bottleneck for shipping, cruise and offshore-energy companies.
Dubai integrates property, retiree and 10-year Golden Visa tracks into one fast-lane system
Dubai has collapsed three separate property-based residence schemes (Golden, Retiree and Property Owner visas) into a single GDRFA-run workflow linked directly to Land Department databases. The change keeps the AED 2 million investment threshold but promises to cut processing times by half, easing corporate relocations and giving investors a smoother, one-stop path to long-term UAE residency.
EASA verdict today will decide if European carriers can return to Dubai as emirate operates on reduced flight schedule
Dubai is still on a trimmed flight roster, with foreign airlines capped at one daily rotation while Emirates and flydubai shoulder most of the load. A European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ruling due today will determine whether EU carriers can resume Dubai service or stay grounded through May, keeping air-fares high and connections scarce. Kuwait’s air-space reopening on 26 April offers limited relief, but corporates are being advised to secure Emirates seats and prepare contingency routings.
IRCC’s April processing-time update shows faster citizenship grants but soaring delays for Quebec parent sponsorship
IRCC’s 24 April service-standard dashboard shows citizenship grants down to 12 months and new PR cards averaging 46 days, but Quebec Parent-and-Grandparent sponsorship times have surged to 67 months and inside-Canada work-permit renewals sit at 227 days. The mixed performance forces employers and applicants to recalibrate timelines for permanent residence and assignments.
International Protection Bill 2026 Signed Into Law, Ushering in the Biggest Overhaul of Irish Asylum Rules in a Generation
President Catherine Connolly has signed the International Protection Bill 2026, bringing Ireland into line with the EU Migration Pact and slashing asylum processing times to six months. The law adds compulsory screening at entry points, expands accelerated procedures, and boosts deportation powers, with 220 extra case-workers funded. Employers will benefit from faster labour-market access for asylum applicants, but must update compliance policies. The move marks the most significant rewrite of Irish asylum rules since 2015 and could reshape the talent pool for sectors facing skills shortages.
Czech firms must switch to fully-digital reporting of all foreign employees from 1 April 2026
Czech legislation now requires employers to report every hiring, change or departure of a foreign national **only via approved electronic channels**. Paper submissions became invalid on 1 April 2026, and non-compliance risks fines of up to CZK 3 million and the loss of employees’ work authorisation. HR and mobility teams must integrate HRIS or data-box workflows, meet strict ‘day-one’ filing deadlines and align contract details with immigration filings—changes that significantly raise the stakes for Czech inbound assignments.
Germany Raises EU Blue Card Salary Thresholds and Launches “Work and Stay” Agency
Germany has increased the 2026 EU Blue Card salary thresholds to €50,700 (standard) and €45,934 (shortage list) and cut experience requirements for non-degree IT specialists. A new “Work and Stay Agency” promises to slash processing times by up to 30 %, while employers face tougher compliance duties and higher immigration fees. The reforms make Germany more attractive for talent but raise the administrative bar for companies.
Hong Kong International Airport Passenger Traffic Surges; Named World’s Best Airport 2026
March 2026 passenger throughput at Hong Kong International Airport jumped 24 % year-on-year to 5.68 million, and the hub was named “World’s Best Airport 2026”. Increased capacity, new technology and the third runway are improving connectivity for business travellers and expatriate moves, although short-term immigration-hall congestion is possible.
Italy softens controversial ‘repatriation-bonus’ for asylum lawyers after presidential warning
Hours before a presidential veto deadline, Italy adopted an emergency decree that rewrites its new “repatriation-bonus” scheme. Payments will now go to a wider range of professionals and are no longer conditional on a migrant actually leaving the country. The change averts a constitutional clash but leaves open questions about professional ethics and practical impact on Italy’s low return rate.
ICE reclassifies common Form I-9 mistakes as ‘substantive’ violations, raising employer liability
ICE’s 24 April 2026 fact-sheet update moves many routine Form I-9 errors into the ‘substantive’ category, eliminating the 10-day cure period and exposing employers to fines of up to $2,701 per mistake. Businesses should launch immediate I-9 audits, retrain staff, and tighten remote-verification procedures to mitigate the higher enforcement risk.
EU Entry/Exit System triggers hours-long queues for UK holidaymakers
The EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System has produced queues of up to three hours at six major European airports, causing UK passengers to miss flights. Greece has temporarily exempted British travellers, but most Schengen states insist the new checks will stay. Companies are being advised to pad itineraries, buy flexible tickets and brief staff on likely delays because the bedding-in period could last all summer.