Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Parliament voted on 7 December 2025 to abolish the automatic right to a state-funded lawyer in deportation detention and to let the government, not the Bundesrat, declare ‘safe’ countries of origin. Supporters say the move will accelerate removals; critics call it a blow to due-process rights and expect court challenges. Mobility teams must prepare for faster deportations and broader use of ‘safe-country’ rejections.

IndiGo cancelled another 400-plus flights on 7 December, taking week-long disruptions past 2,500 services. The government has capped fares, ordered refunds within 24 hours and the DGCA has issued a show-cause notice to airline leadership. The meltdown underscores India’s limited aviation capacity and forces corporates to build greater travel contingency into mobility plans.

Dubai has introduced a Golden Visa category for individuals who make significant, verifiable donations to approved humanitarian or endowment projects. Successful nominees receive a 10-year renewable residence permit without a local sponsor, covering spouse and children. The measure gives companies a fresh talent-retention tool and enhances Dubai’s profile as a global philanthropy centre.

Cyprus police have rolled out rugged tablets that connect directly to Interpol and SIS databases, accelerating roadside and airport identity checks. The move is a key technical requirement for the island’s bid to join the Schengen area by 2026 and should speed up border formalities for travellers, though document spot-checks will become more frequent during the transition.

USCIS has launched a dedicated Vetting Center in Atlanta to perform enhanced, centralized security checks on all immigration benefits. The move will likely lengthen processing times but is intended to detect fraud and national-security risks earlier, raising the compliance bar for U.S. employers that sponsor foreign talent.

The Home Office will require all visa-exempt visitors to hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation from 25 February 2026. The £16 digital permit must be obtained before travel, allowing carriers to refuse boarding to passengers without prior clearance. Businesses will need new compliance processes, but officials say the scheme will speed up arrivals and strengthen security.

Effective 1 December 2025, Poland raised the filing fee for *oświadczenie* work declarations from PLN 100 to PLN 400 and removed Georgia from the list of nationalities eligible for the simplified hiring route. The change, confirmed by labour offices on 7 December, will raise recruitment costs and force employers who rely on Georgian staff to use the slower work-permit process. Companies must adjust budgets and hiring timelines immediately.

Cyprus has amended its Refugee Act so the government can strip refugee or subsidiary-protection status from people convicted of, or suspected of, serious crimes. The change aligns with EU law and supports the island’s Schengen ambitions but raises due-process concerns for NGOs and creates new compliance obligations for companies employing protection beneficiaries.

Rome has formally published the 2026-2028 ‘Flow Decree’, allocating nearly half-a-million new work-visa slots over three years. Seasonal agriculture and tourism receive the biggest share, but quotas for non-seasonal and self-employed workers also rise. Employers must pre-fill applications by 7 December for four January/February “click days”, making early planning essential for HR and mobility teams.

Official data released 7 December 2025 show only 17,489 Chancenkarte job-search visas and 838 ‘experience-pillar’ permits were issued since mid-2024, far below government targets. Greens and business groups say the low uptake reflects poor promotion and bureaucratic hurdles, exacerbating Germany’s skills shortage and complicating corporate recruitment.

On 6 December India and Russia signed agreements that (1) create a vetted programme to send tens of thousands of Indian workers to Russian industries and (2) establish joint measures against human-smuggling and battlefield recruitment. The framework offers employers a compliant hiring route and could ease Russia’s labour shortage while safeguarding Indian migrants’ rights.

Holiday-season demand collided with lingering aircraft shortages on 7 December 2025, producing 588 delays and 21 cancellations at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast airports. Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia were the hardest hit. Business travellers should expect continued knock-on effects early in the week and review contingency plans.

Belgium will launch a smartphone-based identity card in 2026, eliminating the need for expatriates and business travellers to collect a physical residence card at a commune. The digital credential will be accepted by police and, eventually, at Schengen airports and rail terminals, cutting onboarding times and simplifying day-to-day life for mobile employees.

Brazil’s busiest international gateway switched on 42 biometric e-Gates on 6 December, cutting immigration processing times by about 40 %. The lanes free Federal Police officers for higher-value inspections and herald broader national investment in biometric border controls. For employers the upgrade means more reliable connections, easier compliance with queue-time policies and a stronger case for routing corporate traffic through São Paulo.

The Cypriot parliament has eliminated the Cabinet’s residual power to grant citizenship to investors, closing the final loophole in the suspended ‘golden-passport’ programme. Existing investor passports stay valid but face audits, while future high-net-worth applicants must use standard residence or talent-based routes, reshaping mobility options and real-estate strategies.

Effective 7 December 2025, Spain has increased the minimum monthly income for its Digital Nomad Visa to €2,763, reflecting the latest rise in the national minimum wage. The higher threshold also scales up the amounts required for spouses and children. Employers sponsoring remote staff must update salary certificates immediately, while existing applicants whose files are already submitted are unaffected. The move seeks to protect local wage levels yet keep Spain attractive to high-skill, high-income talent.

From 1 January 2026 Finns and resident foreigners will no longer be able to use handwritten or printed proxies to collect passports or ID cards. Only holders, legal guardians or e-authorised representatives will be served. The move closes a security gap, forces expatriates to switch to digital mandates and foreshadows broader paper-free immigration procedures.

On 7 December 2025 HKIA opened a Near-Boundary Polling Station inside Terminal 2 that lets pre-registered departing and arriving passengers, as well as on-duty airport staff, vote without leaving the air-side zone. The measure eliminates a key pain-point for frequent business travellers and showcases Hong Kong’s push toward seamless mobility and civic inclusion.

In a 7 December update, the Department of Justice warned that Ireland’s asylum accommodation stock is almost exhausted and that single applicants may face delays in receiving shelter. The crunch could complicate year-end corporate moves and business travel, as new arrivals struggle to secure an address and immigration appointments. Employers are urged to plan contingency housing and monitor further government measures.