Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

On 18 January, Heathrow and Gatwick recorded 150 delays and cancellations, disrupting thousands of passengers and many corporate itineraries. Airlines blame controller shortages and winter slot constraints; regulators remind carriers of their compensation obligations, while mobility managers advise travellers to allow wider schedule buffers.

Random German passport checks, heavy snow and lane closures turned Austria’s key A12 motorway into a 90-minute crawl on 17 January, disrupting holiday traffic and freight flows between Bavaria, Tyrol and northern Italy. The gridlock led to missed flights at Innsbruck Airport and cost overruns for logistics operators. Businesses should expect weekend delays to continue and plan alternate routings or buffer time.

From 8 January 2026 all first-time Skilled Worker, Scale-up and High Potential Individual applicants must demonstrate English at B2 level and pay higher visa fees; settlement eligibility is pushed from five to six years. Employers face higher compliance costs and longer lead times, while universities warn of declining overseas enrolments.

IRCC announced it will not add or remove any programs from the Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility list in 2026. The move offers certainty to international students and the employers who depend on PGWP holders for early-career talent, ensuring Canada remains a competitive study-abroad destination.

The State Department has ordered U.S. consulates worldwide to stop issuing immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries beginning 21 January 2026. While temporary visas remain available, screening will be far stricter. The move will upend corporate green-card pipelines and create new travel-risk considerations for foreign employees from the affected nations.

Belgium’s regions have published higher minimum salaries for 2026 work permits and EU Blue Cards, increasing wages by roughly 6–7 %. Applications that quote 2025 figures will be rejected, so employers must update contracts, payroll models and budgets immediately. The jump raises mobility costs but may steer firms toward alternative permit categories.

Cyprus has equipped border officers with 2,300 SIS-enabled tablets that slash passport- and vehicle-check times from five minutes to 30 seconds, a €4 million upgrade co-financed by the EU. The move improves passenger throughput, trims airline schedules and strengthens the island’s case for joining the Schengen Area.

Freezing rain left runways, rail catenaries and highways coated in ice, forcing Prague Airport to meter arrivals and shutting dozens of rail services. Corporates with staff in Czechia triggered mobility contingency plans, rerouting travellers, rescheduling immigration appointments and activating remote-work protocols. The event underscores the need for integrated weather-related mobility risk management.

India’s DGCA has fined IndiGo ₹22.2 crore and demanded a ₹50-crore guarantee after a probe blamed the carrier’s December schedule collapse on poor planning and FDTL breaches. The unprecedented penalty raises the cost of operational failure and signals tougher enforcement of crew-fatigue rules, with direct implications for corporate travel continuity.

Poland has prolonged temporary document checks on its borders with Germany and Lithuania until 4 April 2026, citing continued pressure from irregular migration routes. Business travellers and freight operators should plan for short delays and carry passports or IDs, while companies may need to adjust schedules for cross-border staff movements.