Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

IRCC invited 8,500 French-speaking candidates on 6 February, the largest category-based Express Entry draw on record. A CRS cut-off of 400 underscores Ottawa’s push to boost francophone immigration outside Quebec. Employers that need bilingual talent should prepare to leverage faster permanent-residence pathways.

Airports and airlines say Spain risks five-hour passport queues this summer unless the EU allows flexibility in implementing the Entry-Exit System. With only 35 % of passengers currently processed, delays already reach three hours. Industry bodies want border police authorised to suspend biometric capture and for staffing to be increased. Mobility managers should factor extra time into itineraries and watch for airport-specific contingency rules.

Cyprus now hosts over 150,000 legal third-country nationals, the Deputy Migration Minister said on 6 February. A new National Integration Strategy – featuring e-permits, language vouchers and faster skills recognition – will be tabled for Cabinet approval by November. The move signals quicker processing and clearer compliance requirements for employers transferring staff to Cyprus.

Three-hour passport-control lines at Geneva Airport this week underscore the teething problems of the EU’s new biometric Entry-Exit System. Only a third of border posts are live, yet Swiss airports are already struggling, forcing the European Commission to allow temporary suspensions of enrolment. Swiss businesses should expect longer travel times until the system stabilises.

All Top Talent Pass Scheme visa holders must now complete an online ‘Exclusive Survey’ before submitting any extension application. The survey, effective 30 January 2026, will gather data on income and settling-in outcomes. Missing the survey receipt will stall processing, so employers should add the step to their visa-tracking systems.

China’s Ministry of Commerce said on 6 February that it will draft a new policy package to enlarge duty-free quotas, enhance digital visa and payment services and otherwise encourage foreigners to spend more in China, while also boosting the export of Chinese travel-service products. For corporates, the initiative promises smoother business-travel logistics and fresh opportunities in retail, hospitality and MICE.

Fresh arrival data show the United States welcomed 11 million fewer foreign visitors in 2025, a 4.2 % year-on-year fall credited to new entry bans, higher visa fees and tougher social-media vetting. The downturn has already cost an estimated US $50 billion in visitor spending, putting pressure on airlines, hotels and the wider meetings-and-events sector. Mobility teams should prepare for longer visa lead times and consider alternative locations for large corporate gatherings.

Canada’s foreign-student headcount has fallen by almost 300,000 in two years, according to figures published 6 February. Visa caps and stricter work-rights rules are squeezing enrolments, creating talent-pipeline risks for Canadian employers and financial pressure for educational institutions.

Nine UN special rapporteurs have urged the UK and France to scrap their ‘one-in, one-out’ asylum returns scheme, warning that documented mistreatment of detainees may breach international human-rights law. The intervention heightens the risk of legal challenges and could trigger wider policy shifts affecting cross-Channel travel and corporate assignments.

Poland’s Border Guard and prosecutors have broken up a gang that used GPS-equipped weather balloons to fly 48,000 packs of Belarusian cigarettes across the border, costing the treasury PLN 2 million. Authorities say the method is part of Belarus-backed “hybrid” pressure on the EU and have linked the profits to Russia’s war effort. The case signals tougher enforcement along Poland’s eastern frontier and potential knock-on disruption for legitimate travel and cargo.

A Scandinavian Airlines A320-neo attempted to take off from a taxiway at Brussels Airport on 5 February before the crew rejected the take-off at high speed. No injuries were reported, but Belgian investigators have launched a probe that could prompt new safety directives and operational delays for business travellers using Belgium’s main hub.

Unions and staff say Australia’s immigration detention centres have become more violent and understaffed since US contractor MTC took control, triggering a government review and calls to scrap the $2 billion deal. The controversy underscores the importance for employers to monitor visa compliance and have contingency plans should workers be detained.