Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

SWISS cancelled a fresh batch of 12 flights on 11 January 2026 as sub-zero temperatures forced intensive de-icing at Zürich Airport, adding to nearly a hundred weather-related cancellations this month. Passengers face 90-minute average delays and are being rebooked or refunded, while business travellers are urged to build extra slack into itineraries. Continued freezing conditions mean more disruption is possible over the next few days.

Jobbatical’s 11 January bulletin confirms that 2026 ushers in tougher English tests for work-visa applicants, mandatory ETAs for all visa-free visitors from 25 February, and a longer ten-year path to ILR. Employers should pre-test language skills, build ETA prompts into booking tools and rethink retention strategies.

Australia has moved India to Evidence Level 3—its highest risk tier—under the student-visa framework, requiring far more documentation and likely lengthening processing times. The change threatens July 2026 enrolments, could raise rejection rates and may hit Australian institutions financially while complicating mobility planning for Indian employers sending staff for study-linked assignments.

IRCC will keep the Parents and Grandparents Program closed throughout 2026, limiting processing to 10,000 existing files and steering families toward the Super Visa. The freeze aims to reduce backlogs and meet lower immigration targets, but it complicates family-reunification plans and could affect talent attraction for Canadian employers.

Storm Elli forced Deutsche Bahn to stop all long-distance trains in northern Germany, while icy roads caused at least three deaths. The shutdown stranded passengers, disrupted supply chains and triggered a federal civil-protection response. Companies should expect knock-on effects on freight and commuter mobility into next week.

Deutsche Bahn has restarted about 75 % of long-distance services after Storm Elli forced a blanket shutdown across northern Germany. Key lines are open, but speed limits, closed branches and rolling-stock shortages will cause delays for several days, impacting business itineraries and expatriate moves. Companies should build extra buffer time, consider air alternatives and track DB’s refund policies.

Effective 8 January 2026, Australia has re-classified India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan as Evidence Level 3 – the highest-risk bracket – under its Simplified Student Visa Framework. Applicants from these countries now face tougher documentation checks and longer processing times, a change that could delay enrolments and corporate graduate programmes. Universities and mobility managers are being urged to add lead-time buffers and upgrade due-diligence on financial and academic evidence.

Effective 11 January 2026, Austria has raised the net-income floor for its “Residence Permit – Without Gainful Employment” by about 4 %. Self-funded expatriates now need at least €1,274 a month after deductions. Corporate assignees are mostly unaffected, but retirees, digital nomads and career-break dependants risk falling short at renewal. Mobility teams should verify household budgets and consider filing applications before any mid-year indexation.

New Appendix Skilled Worker guidance bars employers from counting any salary that a migrant later reimburses to the sponsor and prohibits passing on sponsor-licence costs to staff. Non-compliance risks licence revocation, making an urgent policy review essential.