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Today, Monday January 19, 2026
Italy Allocates 40,075 Seasonal-Work Visas for 2026 as New Decreto Flussi Becomes Operational
A Labour-Ministry circular dated 16 January and published on 18 January operationalises Italy’s new three-year immigration programme, allocating 40,075 seasonal-work visas for 2026. Agriculture and tourism receive the lion’s share, and employers have only minutes on ‘click-day’ to secure slots. The decree eases chronic staffing gaps but forces HR teams to master rapid online filing, pre-clear housing and plan integration support for incoming workers.
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Today in Business Travel & Immigration
Jan 19, 2026
U.S. to Require Up to $15,000 Bond for Bangladeshi B-1/B-2 Visa Holders Starting Jan 21
Starting 21 January 2026, Bangladeshis receiving new U.S. B-1/B-2 visas must post a refundable bond of up to US$15,000. The measure targets historically high overstay rates and increases costs and lead-times for Bangladeshi business and leisure travelers. Existing visas and other categories are unaffected, but firms should budget for the deposit and beware of bond-payment scams.
Jan 19, 2026
Ottawa reserves 5,000 extra permanent-residence spaces for Francophone newcomers
IRCC will immediately set aside 5,000 additional PR admission spaces for French-speaking candidates that provinces and territories can fill in 2026. The move accelerates progress toward rising Francophone-immigration targets and creates new recruitment opportunities for bilingual talent. Employers and candidates with strong French skills should monitor provincial nomination streams for expedited pathways.
Jan 19, 2026
French MPs Endorse 30-Day Annual Ceiling on Transport Strikes
France’s lower-house law committee has backed a bill that would limit public-sector transport strikes to 30 days a year and protect peak travel periods. The measure promises clearer scheduling for business travellers and relocating staff but faces legal push-back from unions. If passed, it could take effect before Easter 2026.
Jan 19, 2026
Polish customs database crash paralyses freight at three Ukraine–Poland crossings, service restored overnight
A 24-hour crash of Poland’s customs export database shut two major truck crossings with Ukraine and slowed a third, halting loaded freight on 18 January. Authorities restored the system early on 19 January, but logistics firms expect lingering queues and are advising alternative routings. The disruption highlights the fragility of Poland’s eastern customs interface for automotive and humanitarian supply chains.
Jan 19, 2026
Belgium raises 2026 minimum-salary thresholds for Work Permit B, Single Permit and EU Blue Card
Belgium has lifted the 2026 salary thresholds that underpin Work Permit B, Single Permit and EU Blue Card applications. Highly-skilled workers must now earn roughly 6-7 % more than in 2025, with even steeper rises for executive roles. Employers must update contracts and immigration budgets immediately or risk application refusals.
Jan 19, 2026
Brazil scraps nationality-specific humanitarian visas, freezing new filings
A new ordinance effective 1 January abolishes Brazil’s country-specific humanitarian visas and replaces them with a yet-to-be-defined single programme. With no eligible nationalities published, consulates have frozen new filings and dozens of in-process cases are stuck. Employers should review staff on humanitarian status and consider shifting them to other residence categories.
Jan 19, 2026
Cyprus Rolls Out 2,300 Schengen-Linked Tablets, Slashing Passport-Control Time to 30 Seconds
Cyprus has equipped its border guards with 2,300 Schengen-connected tablets, cutting the average passport-check from several minutes to roughly 30 seconds. The EU-funded roll-out boosts Cyprus’s technical case for joining Schengen in 2026 and offers immediate queue-time savings for airlines, business travellers and cargo operators. Companies should revisit travel-policy assumptions and ensure employees’ documents remain machine-readable.
Jan 19, 2026
EU Pushes ETIAS Launch to Late 2026 While Spain Accelerates EES Roll-out
Brussels has pushed the mandatory start of ETIAS to late 2026, giving travellers to Spain a temporary reprieve. However, the biometric Entry/Exit System is on track for full deployment by April 2026, meaning non-EU visitors will still face new fingerprint and facial-image capture on arrival. Companies should update mobility policies to reflect the two-step schedule and budget for the €20 ETIAS fee in 2027.
Jan 19, 2026
Deep freeze triggers cascading flight delays at Warsaw Chopin Airport
Sub-zero temperatures pushed Warsaw Chopin Airport into lengthy de-icing operations, delaying 68 % of departures and 17 % of arrivals on 18-19 January. LOT extended its minimum connection times and freight handlers warned of backlogs. Business travellers should retain delay evidence for EU 261 claims and allow generous buffers in onward schedules.
Jan 19, 2026
Severe fog and pollution disrupt hundreds of flights at Delhi IGI Airport
New Delhi’s combination of dense fog and a ‘severe’ AQI of 418 caused widespread flight delays on 19 January 2026, forcing airlines to activate low-visibility procedures and leaving business travellers stranded. The episode highlights recurring winter disruption risk for companies that route staff or cargo through India’s busiest hub.
Jan 19, 2026
Dubai International Airport keeps crown as world’s busiest for international travellers
OAG seat-capacity figures released 18 Jan 2026 confirm DXB as the world’s busiest international airport for 2025. Extra capacity and faster Smart Gates mean more flight options and shorter queues—good news for assignees and travel managers—but soaring passenger volumes still require longer connection buffers.
Jan 19, 2026
Parliament’s Hate-Speech Bill Would Let Minister Cancel Visas of Extremists
A cross-party deal is emerging on a hate-speech Bill that would give Australia’s home-affairs minister broad powers to cancel or refuse visas of people who promote extremism, even without convictions. Global-mobility teams may need to tighten social-media screening and prepare emergency response plans for assignees. The law could be passed within days, leaving little time for compliance adjustments.
Jan 19, 2026
Surprise Border Checks and Heavy Snow Create Gridlock on Austria’s A12 Inntalautobahn
Random German border checks combined with heavy snow paralysed Austria’s vital A12 corridor on 17-19 January, causing 90-minute delays, missed flight connections and costly supply-chain knock-ons. The incident underscores the business risk posed by unscheduled Schengen controls and winter weather, prompting companies to add travel buffers and contingency routings.
Jan 19, 2026
From 31 January, QR-code Digital ID becomes mandatory at all Brazilian airports
Airlines must verify passengers’ gov.br QR-code identity from 31 January. A two-week grace period ends 15 February, after which non-compliant travellers risk delays and carriers face fines. Companies should ensure expatriates have migrated their IDs to the gov.br app and can generate offline QR codes, especially for group trips.
Jan 19, 2026
China’s inbound tourism roars back as visa-free arrivals jump 35.8 %
Official statistics show 292,000 foreigners entered China visa-free or on transit schemes over the New-Year break—up 35.8 % year-on-year. The numbers confirm that Beijing’s 15-/30-day visa waivers and 240-hour transit expansion are stimulating inbound demand, easing short-notice business trips while keeping work activities off-limits.
Jan 19, 2026
Zurich Airport Smashes Pre-Covid Record with 32.6 Million Passengers in 2025
Passenger statistics published on 17 January reveal that Zurich Airport processed 32.6 million travellers in 2025, eclipsing its 2019 peak. Robust trans-Atlantic corporate demand, strong leisure flows and the return of Gulf and Asian carriers drove the 4.5 % year-on-year growth. More seats and slightly lower fares will ease corporate travel planning, but ongoing construction works may lengthen dwell times until late 2026.
Jan 19, 2026
Finland Proposes Welfare-Linked Revocation of International Student Residence Permits
The Finnish government has published a draft law empowering immigration authorities to revoke study-based residence permits if a non-EU/EEA student receives any basic social assistance. Automated data sharing with Kela would flag welfare payments, tightening oversight of roughly 76,000 international students. Universities and employers fear reputational damage and new compliance obligations if the measure passes this spring.
Jan 19, 2026
Hong Kong and Macao cut automated-gate age to 7, easing cross-border commutes
Effective 19 January 2026, Hong Kong and Macao will allow permanent-resident children as young as seven to use each other’s automated immigration lanes. The move speeds up family commutes and widens on-site enrolment for adult non-permanent residents, cutting red tape for cross-border business travel.
Jan 19, 2026
Ireland Spent €2.8 Million on Charter and Commercial Deportation Flights in 2025
A parliamentary reply published on 19 January shows the Irish Government spent over €2.8 million in 2025 on deporting 205 people via six charter flights and dozens of commercial services. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said stronger enforcement is now a priority as deportation orders nearly doubled to 4,700. The data highlight rising removal costs and signal stricter compliance expectations for employers and migrants.
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