Global Mobility News from VisaHQ
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Yesterday, Saturday December 20, 2025
Canada freezes Start-Up Visa work permit and new SUV applications, plans targeted entrepreneur pilot
IRCC has stopped issuing optional work permits for Start-Up Visa (SUV) applicants and will halt new SUV permanent-residence filings after December 31, 2025, except for those holding 2025 commitment certificates. The department will prioritise in-Canada applicants and promises a new entrepreneur pilot in 2026. The sudden freeze forces start-up founders to seek other work-permit pathways and signals Ottawa’s push to curb temporary-resident growth while modernising business immigration.
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Dec 20, 2025
Over 4,000 Trucks Stuck at Polish–Ukrainian Border as Carrier Blockade Drags On
Truck lines topping 4,000 vehicles at four Polish–Ukrainian checkpoints threaten pre-Christmas supply chains and complicate business-travel plans. The carrier protest, now in its seventh week, shows no sign of resolution, pushing companies to reroute cargo and staff via Slovakia or Hungary.
Dec 20, 2025
State Department suspends visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries under Proclamation 10998
The State Department has halted visa issuance for citizens of 39 countries under Presidential Proclamation 10998, with full bans for 19 nations and partial bans for 19 others taking effect on January 1 2026. Business, study and tourist travel from the affected states will largely stop, forcing companies to reroute talent pipelines and prompting legal challenges. Global mobility teams must identify impacted employees, accelerate travel plans and craft contingency staffing models.
Dec 20, 2025
Hundreds of Indian H-1B Workers Stranded After U.S. Consular Appointments Abruptly Cancelled
A Washington Post investigation reveals that U.S. consulates have cancelled mid-December H-1B visa-renewal appointments en masse, leaving Indian tech workers unable to return to their U.S. jobs. New social-media vetting and other Trump-era rules are blamed for the backlog, heightening business-continuity and employee-welfare risks.
Dec 20, 2025
Australia’s Net Overseas Migration Falls to Three-Year Low as Departures Surge
ABS figures released on 19 December show net overseas migration has fallen to 305,600 – the lowest in three years – as fewer temporary visa holders arrive and more migrants depart. The trend signals a deliberate policy shift toward tighter student and temporary entry controls and could intensify skills shortages for employers that rely on foreign talent. Companies should expect longer processing times, higher costs and stiffer competition for accommodation in 2026.
Dec 20, 2025
China drops fingerprints for most short-term visa applicants worldwide
Beijing has ordered Chinese embassies worldwide to waive fingerprint collection for all visa applicants whose stay in China will not exceed 180 days. The 19-December pilot, in force until end-2026, eliminates in-person visits for most tourist and business travellers, cutting processing time and cost. It caps a year of visa liberalisation and will significantly ease corporate travel planning.
Dec 20, 2025
Poland Orders All Residence-Permit Applications to Move Online and Quadruples Government Fees
A midnight regulation gives employers barely two weeks to switch all residence-permit filings to Poland’s MOS e-portal and pay fees that are up to four times higher. The move finalises the country’s migration-system digitisation and will strain 2026 mobility budgets, but promises faster processing—provided companies master new logins, e-signatures and portal glitches.
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