Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

USCIS has fixed 4–19 March 2026 as the electronic registration window for the FY 2027 H-1B cap and confirmed the jump in the per-registrant fee from US $10 to US $215. Registrations will feed into the first wage-weighted, beneficiary-centric lottery, meaning employers of higher-paid specialists enjoy better odds. Companies should budget for higher costs, validate wage-level data early and brief hiring managers on changed selection dynamics.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has confirmed that a 5,000 m² border-procedure terminal will open at Vienna Airport on 12 June 2026. The facility will process manifestly unfounded asylum claims entirely air-side, allowing quick refusals and deportations under the EU Migration Pact. Business-travel stakeholders should expect tighter document checks but potentially faster handling thanks to all authorities being co-located.

A French industry task-force warned the European Commission that forcing full biometric enrolment of non-EU travellers from 10 April could create five-hour queues at Paris airports. France is seeking flexibility to cap or suspend Entry-Exit System (EES) checks during peak periods, urging companies and travellers to prepare for disruption.

The 2026 Budget Law hikes Italy’s flat tax for “new residents” to €300k, trims the IRPEF middle bracket, and adjusts social-security bands. Mobility teams must recalculate assignment costs and re-assess which inbound talent profiles should opt for the flat tax versus impatriati relief.

Effective 21 January 2026, the U.S. State Department has stopped issuing immigrant visas to applicants from 75 “high public-charge risk” countries, according to a 5 February alert. The move freezes green-card processing abroad and forces employers to rethink transfer strategies for affected talent, potentially relying on temporary visas and in-country adjustment instead.

Italy will suspend all Schengen-visa processing worldwide from 12-18 February to upgrade its VIS-IT database. No applications, biometrics or visa issuances will be possible, creating significant risk for travellers with late-February itineraries. Mobility teams should file urgently, build extra lead-time into travel plans and budget for post-shutdown delays.