Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Spain’s 27 January royal decree will allow roughly half a million undocumented migrants to obtain legal residence and work rights. The Catholic Church, a prime mover behind the citizens’ initiative, welcomed the measure as an economic and moral boon, while right-wing parties condemned it. Employers now have a pathway to formalise irregular staff and reduce compliance risk when the application window opens in April. The initiative underscores Spain’s unusually pro-immigration stance within Europe.

The Meloni cabinet has cleared a draft law empowering authorities to bar migrant-carrying ships from Italian waters for up to six months and to send intercepted migrants to third countries. The bill dovetails with the EU’s newly adopted Migration & Asylum Pact and could reshape Italy’s border-management regime, with knock-on effects for humanitarian groups and businesses moving staff by sea or using seafarer contracts.

IRCC has extended the policy that lets International Experience Canada participants activate subsequent work permits entirely from within Canada. IEC workers can now request the new permit online and receive it by post, avoiding costly trips abroad after Ottawa banned “flagpoling.” The move eases labour-supply headaches for Canadian employers and signals a long-term commitment to youth-mobility talent.

Pilots’ and cabin-crew unions will stage a coordinated 24-hour strike at Lufthansa on 12 February, forcing mass cancellations at Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Berlin airports. The walk-out threatens to disrupt at least 120,000 passengers, many of them business travellers. Companies should prepare rerouting and remote-work contingencies as further industrial action remains possible.

The European Parliament has adopted new regulations defining “safe countries of origin” and “safe third countries”, allowing Belgium and other EU states to fast-track or reject many asylum applications. From June 2026, Belgian authorities can place claims from the listed countries into 10-day accelerated procedures and redirect other applicants to transit states. Proponents say this will ease pressure on Belgium’s overcrowded reception system; opponents warn of heightened refoulement risks and legal challenges.

China’s 2026 Spring Festival travel season began on 10 February, with regulators predicting an unprecedented 9.5 billion passenger trips. Extra trains and flights have been authorised, but crowding is already intense. Corporations should brace for temporary production pauses, shipping delays and soaring accommodation prices around the 17 February Lunar New Year holiday.

Finnair reported a 29 % jump in Q4 2025 operating profit to €61.7 million and issued bullish guidance for 2026, expecting 5 % capacity growth and up to €190 million in profit. The stronger finances mean better seat supply and lower counter-party risk for Finnish and multinational travel buyers.

The UK Home Office has widened the BN(O) visa so that adult children of status-holders – provided they were under 18 at the 1997 hand-over – can apply on their own, along with partners and children. About 26,000 extra Hongkongers are expected to benefit, easing family-separation issues and enlarging the UK-bound talent pool. Employers should revise mobility policies immediately, as beneficiaries will still need to pay visa fees and secure the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation.

A surprise three-hour FAA airspace closure over El Paso on 11 Feb 2026 was triggered by an uncoordinated Pentagon laser test aimed at cartel drones. Fourteen flights were canceled, cargo was rerouted and lawmakers are now demanding tighter Pentagon-FAA coordination. Mobility managers should expect similar pop-up restrictions at U.S. border airports and build routing contingencies.

France’s main airports could see queues of four hours this summer unless the EU grants flexibility on the new biometric Entry/Exit System. Airline and airport associations say chronic staffing gaps and software glitches are already causing two-hour waits, even though only a minority of passengers are currently processed. They urge Brussels to allow temporary suspension of the rules and to accelerate pre-enrolment tools. Business travellers and mobility teams should factor longer connection times and possible rerouting into their summer plans.

The European Parliament has endorsed regulations that let member states – including Poland – deem asylum requests inadmissible if applicants can be sent to a listed “safe” country, and allows deportations while appeals are pending. The rules take effect on 12 June 2026, forcing Polish authorities to overhaul case handling and prompting businesses to rethink relocation strategies for staff who might previously have relied on asylum routes.

India has added nine more countries to its electronic Tourist Visa roster, bringing coverage to 166 nationalities. The upgrade supports the government’s 15-million-visitor target for 2026 and provides corporates with a faster, fully digital pathway for 90-day business visits. Companies should refresh compliance guidance as e-visa applications are now screened against enhanced AI-based fraud and security databases.

From 10 February the UAE has standardised overstay fines at AED 50 per day across *all* visa types and introduced streamlined online payment options via ICP and GDRFA. The move removes ambiguity for visitors and employers and facilitates quicker compliance.

Sindicatos de pilotos e comissários da Lufthansa paralisaram voos por 24 h a partir das 20h desta quarta-feira. As rotas Frankfurt/Munique–São Paulo e Frankfurt–Rio podem sofrer cancelamentos ou atrasos, afetando passageiros brasileiros e cadeias de suprimento. Empresas devem acionar planos de contingência e monitorar conexões alternativas.

The Federal Council’s 11 February decision leaves 2026 immigration quotas untouched (8,500 permits for non-EU talent plus special tranches for EU contractors and UK nationals). While the move gives HR teams twelve months of certainty, it also keeps competition for Swiss work permits fierce and forces firms to prioritise only the most business-critical hires.

• 11 February industry warning says first-time biometric enrolment under the EU’s new Entry/Exit System is already causing two- to three-hour lines in Prague and could stretch to four hours this summer. • Airlines and airports want the European Commission to let countries pause or phase the rollout; Prague Airport is racing to add more self-service kiosks and staff. • Business travellers to Czechia should build extra time into itineraries and keep the same passport to avoid repeat enrolment.

Minority rail unions kept up a third day of strikes on Málaga’s Cercanías network on 11 February, slashing services on the crucial C-1 and C-2 coastal lines. The walk-out, sparked by safety concerns after two deadly accidents, is disrupting employee commutes and airport transfers at the height of the tourist-booking season. Companies are incurring extra transport costs and productivity losses while regional authorities scramble to broker a broader safety plan.

Cabinet has approved drafting of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026, allowing the Transport Minister to revoke the 32 million-passenger cap that has constrained Ireland’s main hub since 2007. Removing the ceiling would open the door to significant route and seat expansion, easing capacity pressure for business travel and corporate relocation, but the plan must still clear environmental assessments and potential political amendments.

A month-long jet-fuel shortage forced Air Canada, Air Transat and WestJet to suspend all passenger flights to Cuba from 10 February. Empty aircraft are being ferried south to repatriate stranded Canadians, and future bookings are being refunded or rerouted. The disruption underscores the exposure of Canada’s leisure-travel sector to geopolitical energy shocks and will dent Cuba’s tourism revenue.