Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

A lawsuit filed 2 February challenges the new proclamation barring visas for nationals of 75 mostly non-European countries, claiming it is discriminatory and illegal. The outcome will determine whether tens of thousands of family, student and work visas can resume, directly affecting U.S. employers and universities that depend on global talent.

GCC ministers have green-lit a Q4 2026 pilot for a single “GCC Grand Tours” tourist visa covering the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. The multiple-entry e-visa will cost about US$100-150, allow 30-90-day stays and use unified biometric gates, slashing paperwork for business and leisure travellers and supporting the region’s diversification drive.

The Albanese government’s long-trailed migration reset starts today. Higher English thresholds, limited on-shore visa switching and stricter employer-sponsorship audits aim to curb ‘visa hopping’ and ease pressure on housing and infrastructure—changes that employers and education providers must factor into recruitment and enrolment strategies immediately.

The EU has pushed back the full roll-out of its Entry/Exit System from April to September 2026 after trials showed severe queuing risks. The move gives airports, ports and Eurotunnel terminals more time to expand biometric-check capacity, averting a potential summer holiday crunch for UK travellers. Companies should still expect intermittent delays during the transition and start preparing staff communications now.

Canada’s 2026-28 Immigration Levels Plan, revealed 2 February 2026, trims permanent-resident targets to 380,000 a year and slashes new temporary worker and student permits. The goal is to shrink the temporary-resident share of the population below 5 percent while shifting resources to permanent pathways for talent already in Canada. Universities and low-wage employers face the biggest adjustments, but priority lanes for graduate students and in-country workers aim to preserve high-skill inflows.

Paris airports confirm that Parafe e-gates will stay closed to non-EU residents— including thousands of British and US citizens—until at least the summer because of slow IT work on the new EU Entry/Exit System. Business travellers should prepare for longer queues and repeated biometric checks.

From 2 February 2026, passengers arriving in India can bring goods worth ₹75,000 (≈ US$900) duty-free, while foreign tourists may import up to ₹25,000. The Baggage Rules 2026 replace the 2016 framework, lift jewellery allowances and maintain exclusions for alcohol, tobacco and electronics. The change eases customs formalities and lowers import costs for returning residents, expatriates and business travellers.

China has activated an automated ‘fast-track’ clearance lane at the Youyi Guan border gate with Vietnam, cutting inspection times for each truck to 15 seconds and, for the first time, allowing foreign drivers to use the e-gate system. The move eases pre-Lunar-New-Year congestion and showcases Beijing’s wider Smart-Port ambitions.

Effective 1 February 2026, Brazil has extended the validity of its visitor visa for Angolan citizens from two to five years. Each stay is still capped at 90 days, with a 180-day annual limit, but travellers and employers gain longer planning horizons and fewer consular renewals. The change, framed as reciprocity and a CPLP test case, promises cost savings for mobility programmes in energy, shipping and education while strengthening Brazil–Angola ties.

A 32-year-old Somalia-born visa-holder was arrested in Melbourne today for repeatedly breaching court-ordered curfews and disabling his ankle tracker. The AFP’s quick resort to criminal charges underscores the federal government’s tougher post-detention compliance stance and highlights the need for employers to monitor sponsored staff obligations carefully.

New data from Finland’s Immigration Service show total immigration applications fell 8 % in 2025—the first annual decline since the pandemic. Work-based permits dropped 25 % and student permits 4 %, signaling potential talent-pipeline issues for employers. Migri still approved 80 % of cases but warns of longer processing times as stricter residence-rules bed in. Companies should plan for tighter compliance, higher salary thresholds and possible delays when assigning staff to Finland.

Spain’s government has approved a royal decree that will regularise about 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers from April 2026. Beneficiaries will receive one-year residence permits convertible to standard categories, giving them full labour-market access. The move is expected to ease skills shortages and expand Spain’s tax base, although it faces opposition from conservative parties. Employers should prepare to integrate newly regularised talent and monitor processing timelines.

Dublin Airport expects almost 400,000 passengers over the St Brigid’s Day long weekend, straining facilities already operating above their formal 32 million-passenger cap. The mini-peak will test new security scanners and fast-track lanes and could influence Government plans to abolish the cap permanently. For airlines and corporate travellers the weekend offers higher capacity but also weather-related disruption risks.

A 2 February bulletin lists 26 strikes affecting Italian aviation, rail and urban transport in February 2026. Key flashpoints include a Trenord walk-out on 2 February, a national aviation strike on 16 February and a 24-hour FS Group rail stoppage on 27-28 February. Companies should expect flight and train cancellations, longer airport transfer times and potential knock-on effects during the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Brussels has shifted the deadline for full EES implementation from April to September 2026 after data from Paris and other hubs showed processing times up 70 %. The reprieve gives French authorities longer to fix kiosks and adapt Parafe gates, but extends months of patchwork procedures that slow business travel.

Poland imposed a 30-mile restricted airspace zone over Podlaskie province in the early hours of 2 February after a third consecutive night of contraband-laden balloons crossed from Belarus. The closure forces business-aviation traffic to detour and underscores how hybrid tactics on NATO’s eastern flank are now disrupting corporate travel and just-in-time logistics. Firms are advised to monitor NOTAMs and prepare alternative routings.

India’s Budget 2026 slashes TCS on foreign tour packages, education and medical remittances to 2 percent, and doubles the individual overseas investment limit in Indian equities to 10 percent. The moves cut travel cash-flow burdens and open fresh channels for diaspora investment.

The 8th Abu Dhabi Dialogue concluded in Dubai with a joint plan to digitise labour-mobility governance across the Asia-GCC corridor. Key measures include AI-driven skills-matching, electronic worker credentials and smarter labour-inspection systems—changes that will speed up UAE hiring processes while raising protection standards for migrant workers.