Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

The Greek Embassy has reopened all Schengen Visa Application Centres in India, effective 12 February 2026, restoring normal 15-day processing. Appointments are now mandatory and incomplete files will be refused on submission. The move removes a critical bottleneck for Indian leisure and business travellers and is expected to boost outbound demand to Greece this spring.

Brazil has scrapped short-stay visa requirements for Chinese citizens, effective immediately. The reciprocal policy is expected to revive Chinese visitor numbers, spur new air routes and simplify executive travel, but does not change work-visa rules for stays longer than 90 days.

China moved an unprecedented 352.999 million people on 20 February, smashing all previous one-day mobility records. The surge reflects restored confidence, a longer public holiday and a strong rebound in both leisure and corporate travel. Businesses should prepare for sustained transport congestion and higher travel costs as volumes remain elevated through the end of the Spring Festival season.

A rare February blizzard dumped 20 cm of snow on Vienna, forcing Vienna International Airport to halt all flights for much of 21 February. More than 230 arrivals were diverted or cancelled, hundreds of departures scrapped, and highways and power grids were also hit. The shutdown highlights supply-chain vulnerabilities and will create multi-day knock-on delays for business travellers and cargo operators.

With just three days to go before a new border rule is enforced, the Liberal Democrats have asked the Home Secretary to pause changes that will stop dual British citizens boarding transport to the UK unless they hold a current UK passport or costly Certificate of Entitlement. Critics say the rollout has been poorly communicated and is already disrupting family and business travel. The dispute highlights the practical risks for employers and travellers as the UK accelerates its Digital Borders programme.

Brussels Airport has told passengers to assume that almost all departures will be cancelled on 12 March due to a nationwide labour strike. Airlines are already waiving change fees, and corporate travel managers are re-routing staff via neighbouring hubs. The disruption, coming weeks before Easter, could affect thousands of passengers and significant cargo volumes, making advance re-booking essential.

Effective 17 February, China has granted 30-day visa-free entry to holders of ordinary UK and Canadian passports. The policy, formally highlighted on 22 February, enhances business travel and signals Beijing’s intent to reboot ties with key middle powers.

A Kathimerini report reveals that unlicensed labour brokers now outnumber licensed agencies in Cyprus, charging excessive fees and siphoning wages from migrant workers. The practice threatens compliant recruiters, undermines the island’s tourism brand and poses due-diligence risks for multinational employers.

Chinese rail ridership has reached 258 million halfway through the 2026 Spring Festival travel season, with more than 2,200 extra trains deployed. High-speed links are running full as both leisure and business travellers favour rail over air on many domestic routes, signalling a robust recovery of corporate mobility.

From 5 March 2026 Poland will abolish its special law for Ukrainian refugees and place them under the EU’s standard temporary-protection system. Ukrainians who live, work and attend school in Poland keep their rights, but registration and reporting obligations tighten. Employers must make sure workers obtain the new residence annotations in time. The move reduces administrative chaos, aligns Poland with forthcoming EU rules and signals a shift from crisis response to long-term integration.

The Interior Ministry has announced plans to reduce Germany’s employment ban for asylum seekers from six to three months, unlocking the potential of roughly 120,000 people to fill labour shortages. The draft law suspends certain labour-market tests for bottleneck occupations and introduces a digital pre-approval system, signalling a pragmatic shift in migration policy that could benefit employers across sectors.

DHS reversed its plan to suspend TSA PreCheck amid the agency’s partial shutdown, citing industry pressure, but Global Entry remains on hold. Business-travel stakeholders welcome the reprieve yet warn of longer customs lines for international travellers and urge contingency plans until Congress passes a funding bill.

After laboratory confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease, Cyprus has banned all animal movements nationwide, sealed access to infected farms and set up police-backed control zones. The quarantine does not target people, but it disrupts supply chains handling livestock, leather goods and feed, creating new compliance hurdles for relocation and logistics providers.

A major snowstorm hitting the U.S. East Coast has led Emirates and Etihad to cancel and reschedule numerous UAE-US flights, with Air India also suspending services. The move affects business travellers, cargo flows and tight winter seat inventories. Passengers are advised to rebook or seek alternative routings.

From 25 February 2026, Australians who are also British or Irish citizens must present a British or Irish passport (or Certificate of Entitlement) to board flights, ferries or trains to the UK. The last-minute rush for documents has left many travellers—and their employers—scrambling, with industry leaders calling on London to delay the rollout. Mobility managers should urgently identify affected staff and arrange compliant passports to avoid trip cancellations.

From 25 February 2026, Brazilians must secure a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation online before travel. The shift to a fully digital border ends passport stamps and could catch unprepared travellers and employers off guard.