Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

Deputies have backed legislation that makes the renewal of four- and ten-year residence cards largely automatic via an online declaration, slashes fees to €100 and imposes a 60-day silence-is-consent rule on prefectures. The reform promises to ease administrative burdens for both foreign residents and employers but still requires Senate approval.

Published 14 December 2025, the UAE’s 2025 immigration package adds four visit-visa types for AI experts, entertainers, conference delegates and luxury cruisers, raises family-sponsorship salary thresholds and expands Golden-Visa pathways. The reforms make it easier for multinationals to relocate niche talent and for high-spending visitors to enter, further cementing the UAE’s role as a regional mobility hub.

Beginning 15 December 2025, consular officers will not issue any new H-1B or H-4 visas unless applicants make all social-media accounts public for a five-year review. The policy widens existing online-vetting rules, adding time and risk to business-critical travel and overseas visa renewals. Companies should audit employees’ digital footprints and build extra buffer time into assignment timelines.

Berlin has sealed off its government quarter and closed key S-/U-Bahn stations as President Zelenskyy arrives for a high-level peace summit. Roadblocks, rail suspensions and an air-space restriction will disrupt business travel through Monday night. Employers should reroute travellers, allow extra transfer time and prepare for ID checks.

Border guards located a 100-metre tunnel used to bring 180 migrants from Belarus into Poland on 13 December. Warsaw has responded by fast-tracking €18 million for radar, drones and AI sensor networks, signalling tougher controls that could slow freight and passenger movements along the eastern frontier.

Regional air-space closures drove 30 Israel-bound jets to land in Cyprus on 8 December, activating the island’s “Estia” mass-diversion plan. Hotels, transport and fast-track transit stamps were deployed within minutes, preventing immigration breaches and generating €600,000 in local revenue. The episode underscores Cyprus’ strategic value for corporate contingency planning and may prompt wider adoption of its diversion model.

Vienna has officially extended passport and vehicle checks on all Czech-Austrian crossings until at least 15 June 2026 as part of a new ‘Three-Wall’ border-security doctrine. The move prolongs delays for business travellers and freight, raises costs for Czech exporters and could weaken Schengen free movement if copied elsewhere.

New IRCC figures reported on 14 December show Canada admitted 53 % fewer international students and temporary workers in the first nine months of 2025 versus 2024. The decline stems from caps and stricter rules meant to ease housing and infrastructure pressure. Schools and employers warn of revenue losses and tighter labour pipelines.

Some 85 flights were cancelled and more than 1,000 delayed on 13 December, with Paris-CDG and Orly among the worst affected as storms, ATC spacing and labour shortages converged. The disruption, coming just before the Christmas peak and amid the rollout of new biometric border kiosks, underscores the need for corporates to add buffer time and flexibility to French travel itineraries.

Regulations published 12 December mandate that all Polish residence-permit applications move online from January 2026 and triple most government fees. Companies must digitise workflows and factor higher costs into 2026 mobility budgets.

Beginning 15 December 2025, U.S. consular posts will check the social-media history of all H-1B and H-4 applicants—a policy that disproportionately affects Indian tech talent. Employers are advising staff to audit their online footprints and expect longer processing times, raising the risk of project delays and prompting contingency planning.

Austria will replace many fixed border checkpoints with roaming police–military patrols and technology-driven “border-area” controls, citing a sharp drop in irregular migration. The legal basis for Schengen-internal checks, however, is extended for another six months, meaning travellers can still be stopped anywhere near the frontier. The change promises shorter queues for legitimate traffic but more unpredictable spot checks—a key operational point for logistics firms and cross-border commuters.

Brazil’s labour registry shows migrants filled 73,400 of the 1.8 million jobs created this year, raising the foreign share of new hires to 4 %. Venezuelans represent nearly half of all foreign recruits, reflecting continued migration pressure and tight Brazilian labour markets. The trend means HR teams must plan for more multicultural workforces and stricter compliance checks.

Hainan confirmed that, ahead of its 18 December Free Trade Port ‘customs closure’, visa-free entry has been widened to 86 countries and the island now offers 85 direct international routes. New e-gates and digital arrival-card systems have cut processing times to 15 minutes, and over half of all inbound visitors in 2025 entered visa-free. The move cements Hainan as China’s most accessible destination for tourists and business travellers and gives multinationals a low-tax, duty-free base with simplified mobility procedures.

Basel-Stadt and Bern will cut their ordinary naturalisation fees by nearly 40 percent from 1 January 2026, lowering costs to CHF 600 and CHF 520 respectively. The move highlights vast cantonal price gaps and could influence where foreign professionals choose to settle. Employers that subsidise citizenship should revisit mobility cost models, while other cantons face pressure to follow suit.

La borrasca Emilia obligó el 14 de diciembre a suspender los ferris entre Algeciras y Ceuta/Tánger, ralentizó trenes AVE y Euromed y provocó desvíos de vuelos en Alicante, Valencia y Almería. Renfe, Iryo y Ouigo ofrecieron cambios gratuitos, y Aena pidió comprobar horarios. Las interrupciones afectan a viajeros de negocios y cadenas logísticas que unen España con el norte de África y el arco mediterráneo.

• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is consulting on a draft rule that would oblige ESTA travellers to hand over five years of social-media history. • Taoiseach Micheál Martin says the plan is “not workable” and would choke a vital travel corridor for Irish business. • Irish exporters, airlines and travel-management firms warn of longer queues, higher compliance costs and new GDPR headaches. • Dublin will file an official objection, but companies are already reviewing staff social-media footprints in case the rule goes ahead.

A new DHS rule will institutionalise social-media and phone inspections for travellers from Visa Waiver Program countries. While refusal is allowed, it will likely lead to denial of entry, raising the stakes for short-term business travellers and prompting multinationals to revisit mobility protocols.

Official Indian government data show UK work visas for Indian nationals in health and IT have fallen by up to 79 % since the UK tightened salary, skill and post-study rules in July 2025. The figures confirm that the reforms are already constraining UK employers’ access to talent and could complicate UK-India trade talks.