Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Effective 1 December, Poland has increased declaration and work-permit fees up to four-fold and has removed Georgia from the list of nationalities eligible for the fast-track “oświadczenie” procedure. Employers must show proof of the new payments and submit stricter documentation, or applications will be rejected. The changes will raise mobility budgets and force companies that rely on Georgian workers to seek alternatives.

IndiGo’s crew-scheduling crisis forced the cancellation of 500-plus flights on 5 December, crippling domestic connectivity and stranding thousands. Corporates face soaring spot fares, hotel costs and itinerary rewrites until operations stabilise mid-December.

Capago says the France-Visas website will be completely offline for two four-hour windows on 3 and 9 December, blocking all new files, payments and appointment bookings. The outage coincides with the year-end travel and student rush, raising the risk of backlogs that could spill into January. Corporates are urged to reschedule biometrics proactively and extend project timelines.

Cyprus’ parliament has repealed the legal clause that allowed the Cabinet to grant ‘golden passports’ in exceptional cases, fully shutting the door on investor-citizenship shortcuts. Future naturalisations must follow ordinary residence rules, aligning Cyprus with EU demands and signalling a tougher, transparency-driven stance on mobility.

During President Putin’s Delhi summit, India scrapped the ₹2,500 fee on 30-day e-tourist and group visas for Russian citizens. The move is designed to revive sagging Russian arrivals and signals a possible wider shift toward targeted fee waivers. Business travellers are not covered, so corporates must continue standard visa processes.

More than 30 cancellations and over 700 delays on 5 December disrupted schedules at Australia’s five busiest airports. Jetstar was hardest hit, but Qantas, QantasLink and Virgin services also slipped. The cascading delays coincide with the start of the peak summer period, creating headaches for corporate travel managers and highlighting the need for flexible tickets and real-time monitoring.

China has opened the final section of the Nanning–Pingxiang high-speed railway, cutting travel from Guangxi’s capital to the Vietnam border to just 75 minutes and positioning Pingxiang as a key hub for China-ASEAN trade and tourism. The line promises faster executive travel, new weekend tour products and logistics efficiencies that could lift regional trade by up to 8 percent.

The Federal Council has adopted the EU’s tougher visa-suspension mechanism, lowering the migration threshold and adding new security triggers that allow Switzerland to re-introduce visa requirements for specific nationalities on short notice. The change, effective 17 December 2025, could affect business visitors from currently visa-exempt countries and requires mobility teams to watch for sudden policy shifts.

Cyprus and the International Organization for Migration have signed a CHF 1.05 million agreement to create the island’s first Assisted Voluntary Returns Hub. The 40-bed centre—fully funded by Switzerland—will offer counselling, health checks and travel logistics to vulnerable migrants who opt to return home. The facility, expected to open by mid-2026, is central to Cyprus’ strategy of coupling strict border controls with humane return options and could affect employers with third-country national staff.

São Paulo/Guarulhos completed the first stage of its border-modernisation programme, installing 42 new SITA biometric e-Gates. The upgrade cuts clearance times, frees Federal Police officers for risk profiling and expands the list of nationalities eligible for automated entry—good news for companies moving staff through Brazil’s main hub.

A new report finds the UK’s shift to digital-only ‘eVisas’ is causing widespread stress and practical problems for migrants and their employers. Technical glitches and poor digital literacy leave people unable to prove their status, risking job loss or travel disruption. Businesses should review compliance processes and prepare back-up documentation.

The Trump administration will shortly issue a proclamation widening the current travel ban to cover more than 30 countries, suspending most visas for their nationals. The change—prompted by a recent security incident—will disrupt business travel and could affect existing assignees if they need to renew visas abroad.

Germany’s top court has ordered the government to issue an immediate decision on a relocation visa for an Afghan judge and his family, overriding a freeze on the programme. The Interior Ministry says it will comply “soon,” signalling possible movement for roughly 2 000 other stranded Afghans. The decision illustrates how judicial intervention can up-end political migration slow-downs, creating sudden mobility opportunities.

To stabilise air services, the Civil Aviation Ministry froze newly tightened night-duty limits for pilots—solely for IndiGo—and the DGCA redeployed its own inspectors to fly for the airline. The exceptional relief runs to 10 February 2026 and aims to end mass cancellations but raises fresh questions about pilot fatigue and regulatory consistency.