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Yesterday, Sunday January 11, 2026
Brazil Pauses Humanitarian Visas as New Single-Framework Takes Effect
Inter-ministerial Ordinance 60/2025, effective 1 January 2026, abolishes Brazil’s country-by-country humanitarian visa schemes and replaces them with a single, crisis-driven framework. Until the first eligibility list is published, consulates have suspended new humanitarian-visa issuances, creating short-term uncertainty for NGOs, employers and applicants. A new NGO sponsorship letter is now mandatory, raising immediate compliance tasks for corporate mobility teams.
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Today in Business Travel & Immigration
Jan 11, 2026
Belgian rail unions call five-day strike for 26–30 January, threatening commuter and cross-border services
Belgium’s main rail unions have announced a national strike for 26–30 January over proposed labour reforms. With only ‘service-minimum’ trains likely to run, the walk-out threatens commuter flows, cross-border business travel and the start dates of many corporate assignments, prompting companies to arrange alternative transport and to reassess visa-processing timelines.
Jan 11, 2026
France makes 45-minute civic-knowledge test mandatory for most multi-year residence cards
From 1 January 2026, most applicants for France’s multi-year residence card must pass a new 45-minute civics test. The Interior Ministry says the change promotes integration; employers warn it adds four-to-six weeks to onboarding timelines and requires fresh budget for exam logistics.
Jan 11, 2026
Temporary protection for one million Ukrainians in Poland extended to 4 March 2026
Warsaw has prolonged EU temporary-protection status for Ukrainians until 4 March 2026, safeguarding legal stay, labour-market access and benefits for about one million refugees. Attention now shifts from emergency aid to integration, with new National Integration Centres and a data dashboard designed to match skills with regional demand. The move removes immediate compliance risk for employers and offers new tools to tap Ukrainian talent.
Jan 11, 2026
Emirates Issues ‘No ETA, No Boarding’ Alert Ahead of UK Enforcement
Emirates’ 10 January alert signals zero tolerance for passengers lacking a UK ETA once enforcement begins on 25 February. Carriers face fines, so corporate travellers transiting through Dubai must secure an ETA before ticketing to avoid being off-loaded at the gate.
Jan 11, 2026
Emirates warns UAE passengers: No UK ETA, no boarding from 25 February
From 25 February 2026, travellers flying from the UAE to the UK must hold an approved Electronic Travel Authorisation or risk being off-loaded, Emirates has warned. The mandate forces companies to embed ETA checks into trip-approval workflows to avoid costly disruptions ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/ae/emirates-tells-uae-travellers-no-uk-electronic-travel-authorisation-no-boarding-from-25-february/)).
Jan 11, 2026
Minimum salaries for Red-White-Red and EU Blue Cards jump in 2026
Austria’s 2026 salary floors are now €3,465 per month for Red-White-Red Cards and €55,678 per year for EU Blue Cards. Renewals and pending filings must meet the new figures, forcing multinationals to revisit budgets and payroll calculations.
Jan 11, 2026
Heavy snow forces Brussels Airport to cancel 40 flights and trigger code-orange winter plan
A snowstorm on 9–10 January forced Brussels Airport to cancel 40 flights and operate under a code-orange winter plan. The disruption created knock-on immigration and cargo-capacity issues just as many assignees and executives were returning to Belgium, underlining the need for real-time itinerary tracking and proactive visa-compliance checks.
Jan 11, 2026
Czech Interior Ministry flips the switch on fully-digital immigration platform
The Foreigners Information System (FIS) went live on 1 January, bringing end-to-end online processing to all Czech immigration categories. Employers can now submit, pay for and track applications through a secure portal, cutting lead times by up to 40 percent but adding new digital-compliance duties.
Jan 11, 2026
Dresden Czech Consulate freezes ordinary employee-card and business-visa appointments
The Czech Consulate in Dresden stopped taking regular employee-card and business-visa applications as of 10 January, reserving its limited capacity for talent-scheme cases. Companies must reroute filings to other missions, adding time and cost, and may need contingency plans for Q1 project starts.
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