Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

A State Department spokesperson confirmed that non-immigrant visa interview wait times have ballooned to as much as 12 months worldwide after new social-media screening rules took effect, forcing U.S. companies to halt overseas trips for foreign talent and rewrite project timelines.

SNCTA launched a 72-hour strike on 20 December, forcing Montpellier, Nîmes and Perpignan airports to suspend commercial flights and triggering mass cancellations at Lyon. The walk-out, over roster reforms, hits business travellers during the peak pre-Christmas period and highlights persistent labour-relations volatility in France’s aviation sector.

India has indefinitely closed its visa application centre in Chittagong after protests linked to political unrest. The move halts processing of roughly 1,400 daily visas, disrupting Bangladeshi medical, business and leisure travel to India and complicating Indian corporate mobility into the port city. Companies should expect a multi-week interruption and shift applications to Dhaka or defer travel.

New NIA statistics show foreign entries rose 27 % in the past year, with more than half of the growth driven by China’s 10-day visa-free transit programme. The policy, in effect since December 2024, now covers 55 countries and 65 ports and is helping multinationals schedule longer, multi-city China trips without a visa.

A system crash of the EU’s Entry/Exit System left non-EU passengers in three-hour passport lines at Prague Airport on 19 December, causing missed connections and flight delays. With the biometric programme becoming mandatory across Schengen in April 2026, airlines and ACI Europe warn Czech authorities that further glitches could force airports to suspend the rollout over the holiday peak. Businesses should add 90 minutes to normal airport arrival times and review itineraries that connect via Prague.

ACI Europe warns that the EU Entry/Exit System is adding up to 55 minutes to border processing at Helsinki-Vantaa. Finavia urges non-EU passengers to arrive three hours early and is installing overflow biometric zones ahead of the Lapland charter rush. Business-travel programmes must build in longer connection buffers and brief UK staff on one-time biometric registration requirements.

From 1 January 2026 Brazil will require e-Visas for travellers from the US, Canada, Australia, Mexico, France, Argentina and two dozen other countries and will introduce a dual-VAT regime plus new local tourist taxes. The combined measures will lengthen pre-trip lead times and raise on-the-ground costs by an estimated 8-10 %. Corporate travel and mobility teams need to adjust budgets, itineraries and visa-processing workflows now to avoid compliance gaps.

Rome has prolonged passport checks on the Italian–Slovenian land frontier until 18 June 2026, citing security and migration pressures. The move means continued random inspections on road and rail traffic, with potential delays for freight and cross-border commuters. Corporates should ensure travellers carry full ID and plan for further renewals.

Reuters reports that President Trump will use a $170 billion budget windfall to expand workplace raids, detention beds and data-driven immigrant tracking in 2026, even as public backlash grows and business leaders warn of economic fallout.

Thick winter fog blanketed Delhi and other northern airports on 21 December, cancelling 110+ flights and delaying hundreds more. IndiGo and Air India activated passenger advisories and flexible re-booking schemes, while Delhi airport ran low-visibility procedures. The disruption highlights the need for flexible travel planning and alternative routing for business travellers during India’s fog season.

Effective 17 December, applicants for Finland’s P-EU permanent-residence permit need six years of legal stay and an A2-level language certificate. The change forces companies to extend assignment timelines, invest in language training and fast-track staff who have already passed the previous four-year threshold.

Finland’s overhauled Citizenship Act went live on 17 December, making online filing mandatory and extending the residence requirement to six years. Higher income and language thresholds mean employers must adjust talent-retention plans and help assignees navigate a fully digital process.

The Aliens and Immigration Service arrested 31 undocumented third-country nationals during coordinated raids in all four southern districts on 21 December. The action brings 2025 repatriations to 11,500—already exceeding last year’s total—and highlights Cyprus’s tougher stance on illegal employment and overstays, with significant compliance implications for employers and mobility managers.