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Today, Thursday February 26, 2026
Senate committee clears Bill C-12 without changes, setting stage for major immigration overhaul
A Senate committee has sent Bill C-12—the federal government’s border-security and immigration integrity bill—back to the Senate without amendments. The legislation would let Cabinet suspend or cancel immigration documents and overhaul asylum eligibility, giving Ottawa unprecedented control over immigration flows. If the Senate passes the bill at third reading on February 26, only royal assent remains before it becomes law, forcing employers and applicants to prepare for a more discretionary, less predictable system.
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Today in Business Travel & Immigration
Feb 26, 2026
48-Hour Nationwide Transport Strike Set to Disrupt Business Travel Across Germany
Verdi has announced a 48-hour nationwide strike of city buses, trams and urban trains on 27–28 February, threatening severe disruption for commuters and business travellers. Long-distance rail and flights will run, but spill-over congestion is likely. Companies should activate travel-risk and remote-work contingencies.
Feb 26, 2026
Belgian Constitutional Court Halts Tougher Asylum & Family-Reunification Rules
Belgium’s top court has frozen new two-year waiting periods and higher income thresholds for family reunification, saying they likely breach EU law. The suspension forces authorities to apply the previous, more lenient rules while the European Court of Justice reviews the case. Corporations and NGOs expect faster processing for affected families and advise employers to reassess any refusals issued since last August.
Feb 26, 2026
Legal Text of Post-Brexit Gibraltar Treaty Published, Handing Spain Schengen Control at the Rock’s Port and Airport
Spain, the UK and the EU have published the 1,000-page treaty that will eliminate Gibraltar’s hard land border and place Spanish (Schengen) officers in charge of air- and sea-entry checks. Spain will be able to refuse non-EU travellers, including some Britons, while Gibraltar residents gain Schengen-wide mobility. Businesses should prepare for new document checks and the end of Gibraltar’s VAT-free status.
Feb 26, 2026
Hong Kong lets foreign talent renew work visas three months earlier
From 1 March 2026, holders of Hong Kong employment-based visas (GEP, ASMTP, STEM, QMAS, non-local graduate and second-generation schemes) can submit renewal applications up to three months before expiry instead of the previous four-week window. The change aligns these categories with the Top Talent Pass Scheme, reduces compliance risk for employers and gives assignees greater travel flexibility.
Feb 26, 2026
24-Hour Aviation Strike Grounds 300 Flights Across Italy
A 24-hour strike by airline crews and ground staff on 26 February forced roughly 300 flight cancellations nationwide, hitting Rome and Milan hardest. With 87 % worker participation, unions signalled escalating frustration over a stalled collective contract. The action foreshadows a 24-hour national rail strike starting 27 February, amplifying mobility risk for businesses.
Feb 26, 2026
DHS proposes 365-day wait and possible ‘pause’ on work permits for asylum seekers
DHS has proposed requiring asylum applicants to wait a full year – instead of 150 days – before filing for work permits, and allowing the agency to suspend new filings altogether when asylum backlogs grow. Employers that rely on asylum-based EADs could face lengthy onboarding delays and workforce gaps. The business community is expected to push back hard during the 60-day comment period.
Feb 26, 2026
UAE vaults into the world’s top-three residence-by-investment destinations
Henley & Partners’ 2026 index places the UAE joint-second globally for residence-by-investment programmes, crediting easier Golden Visa rules, tax efficiency and quick processing. The upgrade makes the Emirates a stronger competitor to European schemes and offers corporates new options for relocating executives at lower tax cost.
Feb 26, 2026
Swiss-EU ‘Bilaterals III’ ready for signature on 2 March, paving way for a new era of market access and free-movement certainty
The Federal Council announced that the comprehensive Swiss-EU ‘Bilaterals III’ package will be signed on 2 March 2026. The deal restores legal certainty for free movement, adds faster professional-qualification recognition, and re-opens Swiss access to Horizon Europe and Erasmus+. Multinationals should prepare for streamlined permit processing and new talent-mobility opportunities once the accords are ratified.
Feb 26, 2026
Italy Confirms Roll-out of End-to-End Digital Visa Platform
Rome has set Q2 2026 for the launch of a unified e-visa portal, allowing both Schengen and national visa applicants to file, pay and track cases online. Biometric data will still be captured in person, but most paperwork disappears, signalling faster, more transparent processing for businesses relocating staff to Italy.
Feb 26, 2026
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to lift injunction on ending TPS for Syrians
The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to scrap a lower-court order that currently prevents DHS from ending Temporary Protected Status for Syrians. A ruling in the government’s favor would strip legal status and work authorization from about 6,100 people, forcing affected U.S. employers to find immediate staffing alternatives or sponsor other visas.
Feb 26, 2026
Budget watchdog forecasts zero population growth as temporary visa cuts bite
A new Parliamentary Budget Officer report says Canada’s population will likely stay flat in 2026 as Ottawa slashes new temporary work and study visas. The non-permanent resident population is forecast to plunge by 385,000, negating the arrival of 380,000 new permanent residents. Employers that depend on temporary foreign workers and international students face an immediate talent squeeze, while economists warn of ripple effects on housing and consumer demand.
Feb 26, 2026
UK Electronic Travel Authorisation Now Mandatory—German Travellers Must Apply Before Boarding
The UK has switched on its ETA system for all non-visa visitors from 25 February. Germans heading to Britain for meetings or assignments must now secure digital travel authorisation in advance or risk being denied boarding, adding cost and lead-time to cross-Channel travel.
Feb 26, 2026
Poland scrambles jets and briefly shuts two eastern airports amid new Russian barrage on Ukraine
Rzeszów-Jasionka and Lublin airports were shut for several hours on 26 February while Poland scrambled fighters in response to Russian strikes on Ukraine. Flights were delayed or diverted but operations later resumed. The episode highlights the need for robust contingency planning for travel and logistics in south-eastern Poland.
Feb 26, 2026
UK completes switch to fully digital eVisas for Indian applicants
Effective 25 February 2026, the UK has stopped issuing physical visa stickers to Indian nationals; all permissions are now delivered as digital eVisas accessible via a UKVI online account. The reform speeds up passport return, simplifies employer checks and is a milestone in the UK’s push for a fully digital border.
Feb 26, 2026
UK makes Electronic Travel Authorisation mandatory—and dual British-UAE nationals face new hurdles
From 25 February, all visa-exempt travellers—including Emiratis—must hold a UK ETA, but dual British-UAE nationals face an added requirement to travel on a British passport or a pricey Certificate of Entitlement. Employers should expect longer lead times and potential cost increases for UK-bound travel.
Feb 26, 2026
Australia locks-in higher salary thresholds for employer-sponsored visas from 1 July 2026
The Core and Specialist Skills Income Thresholds – the salary floors that underpin Australia’s key employer-sponsored visas – will automatically rise on 1 July 2026 to AUD 79,499 and AUD 146,717 respectively. The change affects all new Subclass 482 and 186 nominations lodged on or after that date, forcing employers to reassess budgets and timing for overseas hires.
Feb 26, 2026
Belgium Raises 2026 Minimum Salary Thresholds for Foreign Workers & Single Permits
Wallonia, Brussels and—soon—Flanders have issued higher minimum-salary thresholds that foreign workers must earn to secure Belgian work or single permits in 2026. Failure to comply could see applications rejected or employers fined, so multinational HR teams should update offer letters and budgets immediately.
Feb 26, 2026
Brazil widens 30-day visa-free entry to eight additional countries
Effective 24 February 2026, citizens of China, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and the Bahamas can enter Brazil visa-free for stays of up to 30 days. The policy is reciprocal only for China and unilateral for the others, and it is expected to boost visitor numbers and conference travel. Companies should adjust travel-compliance guidelines, as the waiver does not cover work authorisations.
Feb 26, 2026
Shanghai Reports 20 % Jump in Inbound Arrivals as New Visa-Free Rules Take Hold
Inbound arrivals to Shanghai are up 20.9 % year-on-year, with 452,000 foreigners—nearly two-thirds of total entries—using the city’s visa-free channels in the first eight weeks of 2026. New online arrival cards, expanded transit waivers and the inclusion of Canada and the UK in China’s 30-day visa-free list are driving the surge, signalling a rapid normalisation of business travel to the Yangtze River Delta.
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