Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Border Czar Tom Homan said ICE would start withdrawing agents from Minneapolis, but President Trump immediately reversed the plan, vowing to keep the 3,000-person immigration surge in place. The mixed messages prolong uncertainty for employers, foreign workers and business travelers in Minnesota, who face continued checkpoints, protests and potential work-stoppages.

Downing Street has floated a compromise that would let annual Youth Mobility quotas rise or fall jointly with the EU, removing a key obstacle to a UK–EU work-study exchange deal. If finalised, the scheme would let 18- to 30-year-olds work in each other’s countries without sponsorship for up to two years, easing post-Brexit skills shortages. Business and higher-education leaders say it would cut red tape and widen the talent pool, although a start date before 2027 still looks optimistic.

USCIS will accept H-1B cap registrations from 4–19 March 2026 and will apply a wage-weighted lottery plus a new US $100,000 petition fee. Indian employers must reassess salaries and budgets as the cost of sponsoring talent for the United States skyrockets.

Barcelona will open a dedicated one-stop hub next week to implement Spain’s new immigration amnesty, aiming to process at least 24,000 local applicants quickly. The taskforce brings municipal, national-government and NGO staff under one roof, reducing red tape and easing labour shortages in hospitality and services. Global-mobility teams should prepare workers’ documentation early, as demand is expected to be intense.

Official 2025 figures show first-time work-permit applications down 25 percent and student-permit applications down 4 percent, with overall immigration to Finland falling amid a weak economy. Corporates will face tighter talent supply just as higher fees and stricter residence rules arrive in 2026.

IRCC will introduce prescription and supplemental-care co-payments for IFHP beneficiaries from 1 May 2026. Basic doctor and hospital services remain fully covered. The change aims to curb spiralling programme costs but could raise out-of-pocket expenses for refugee and humanitarian migrants—costs that employers may need to absorb for sponsored hires.

Shenzhen and Hong Kong have agreed to launch “GBA Talent Connect”, an online platform that will advertise around 2,000 cross-boundary jobs and internships annually, alongside a new HR alliance to harmonise labour rules. The initiative links directly into Hong Kong’s work-visa channels, cutting red tape for foreign professionals shuttling between the two cities. For multinationals, the package promises faster deployments, clearer compliance guidance and subsidised housing—making dual-office staffing models in the GBA more attractive.

Czechia will spend a record €3 billion on rail in 2026, prioritising a €1.65 billion fast rail link between downtown Prague and Václav Havel Airport. The package, funded through a PPP and EU money, also upgrades key freight corridors to Germany, promising faster business-travel times and lower logistics costs.

New Interior-Ministry statistics show France issued nearly 380,000 first residence permits in 2025, up 11 % on 2024; international students accounted for just over half of the total, while standard work permits fell 13 %. The data signal that France’s immigration mix is tilting toward higher education and humanitarian admissions, with tighter enforcement on economic and undocumented migration. Mobility teams will need to pivot toward Passeport Talent routes and prepare for higher fees and new integration requirements in 2026.