Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

IRCC has raised multiple immigration fees, effective 1 December 2025. Costs are up for inadmissibility-related applications and International Experience Canada work-permit processing. Online applicants who paid before the deadline are exempt, but paper applicants may have to pay the difference. Employers and travellers should budget for the higher costs and file electronically to avoid delays.

Ireland has released a gentler timeline for raising employment-permit salary thresholds, with the first increase deferred to March 2026 and full implementation stretched to 2030. Companies get more time to plan, but must review budgets to stay ahead of future uplifts.

Regional offices began enforcing Poland’s new executive rules for employing foreigners on 4 December, obliging companies to meet stricter documentation standards and higher fees. The regulations also clarify work-permit exemptions and allow provinces to ban foreign hiring in specific occupations.

Catalonia’s main employers’ group says Spain must attract roughly 140,000 immigrant workers a year to prevent a major labour shortfall. Foment del Treball is lobbying for a national pact that would expand visa routes, speed processing and recognise foreign qualifications, arguing the economy “needs immigration like air to breathe.” The push signals growing private-sector pressure for immigration reform that would directly benefit global-mobility programmes.