Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

The UAE Cabinet has approved four new purpose-built visit-visa categories—AI-Specialist, Entertainment, Events and Maritime-Tourism—effective immediately. The permits allow single or multiple entry for up to 90 days and can be renewed on-shore at far lower cost than residence visas, giving employers a quick, compliant way to import short-term talent. HR teams must update policies because the visas sit outside social security and forthcoming income-tax rules.

The National Immigration Administration predicts more than 2.1 million daily cross-border trips during the 2026 New Year holiday, 22 percent higher than last year. Major airports such as Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun will see record passenger volumes, and authorities will deploy full staffing, mobile kiosks and real-time queue data to handle the load. Companies should prepare for longer airport processing times and ensure travellers keep documentation for tax purposes.

Caminando Fronteras reports 3,090 deaths on sea routes to Spain so far in 2025, down from 2024 but accompanied by a rise in dangerous new corridors as EU-backed enforcement tightens. The findings highlight ongoing humanitarian risks and operational challenges for organisations moving staff or providing services in the Canary Islands and Balearics.

USCIS published a Final Rule on December 29 2025 shifting the annual H-1B cap selection from a random lottery to a wage-weighted system that favors higher-paid jobs. The rule takes effect February 27 2026, affecting FY 2027 filings. Employers must reassess salary levels and assignment budgets, while lower-wage sectors may face reduced selection rates.

London has struck legally-binding return deals with Angola and Namibia and, for the first time, imposed visa sanctions on the DR Congo for non-cooperation on deportations. The move tightens enforcement, shortens removal times and signals a tougher, give-and-take migration diplomacy. UK employers must review right-to-work compliance and expect slower visa processing for Congolese travellers.

Germany has extended the on-again off-again identity checks at all nine of its land borders until at least 15 March 2026. The decision keeps spot inspections in place for travellers and freight entering from Austria, Poland, France and six other neighbours, citing people-smuggling concerns. Business travellers must factor extra time into road and rail journeys and carry passports as well as residence cards, while employers should revisit duty-of-care and posted-worker documentation. A further renewal after March would need Brussels’ blessing, setting up a political test of Schengen free-movement rules.

ACI Europe has warned that the EU’s new Entry/Exit System is already slowing border processing, and Belgium must handle a jump from registering 10 % to 35 % of third-country arrivals on 9 January. Brussels Airport has added e-gates and kiosks, but outages persist. Businesses should budget extra time for travellers and review contingency plans as missed connections could trigger EU 261 claims.

Brazil confirmed on 29 December that it will use its reinstated e-Visa as the backbone of a four-country, biometric border ecosystem with Peru, Colombia and Uruguay. A mobile visa-and-biometric wallet will be beta-tested with corporate travellers in Q2 2026, and Brazilian airports are already installing compatible e-gates. The move promises shorter lead-times and lower costs for business travel but raises cross-border data-privacy questions.

Finland’s Interior Ministry has finalised PR reforms effective 8 January 2026: the standard residence period rises to six years, Finnish/Swedish language proof becomes mandatory, and applicants must meet new income and employment criteria. A limited fast-track remains for high-skill, high-salary and graduate categories. Global employers should review assignee timelines and secure language-test slots before demand spikes.

A 29 December decree lets citizens of seven countries with Italian ancestry apply for Italian work visas outside the annual quota system. Employers gain a flexible hiring channel, while diaspora talent gets a faster route to Italy after this year’s citizenship clamp-down.

A Boxing-Week blizzard forced more than 1,200 flight cancellations and 2,300 delays at Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau, Calgary and Vancouver, stranding travellers and disrupting January assignment start-dates. Because weather is an accepted exemption under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, corporate mobility teams must manage re-routing and cost recovery themselves. The event highlights vulnerabilities in Canada’s hub-and-spoke airport model and may prompt new winter-operations staffing rules.

From 1 January 2026, first-time applicants for multi-year residence cards or French citizenship must pass a 40-question civic-knowledge exam in addition to meeting language thresholds (A2–B2). Critics call the new test onerous, while employers must plan for longer processing times and higher compliance costs.

Poland’s MFA shuttered every consular section worldwide from 24-28 December, pausing all visa, passport and legalisation services. With domestic immigration offices also closed, employers could not file emergency residence-permit extensions, creating overstay risks and delaying January assignments. The backlog will intensify once higher fees and fully-online filings arrive on 1 January 2026.

A tougher U.S. social-media screening regime has thrown India’s H-1B pipeline into disarray, with thousands of interviews rescheduled to 2026. Delays threaten IT project deadlines and increase compliance costs for Indian employers, signalling that digital-profile hygiene is now a critical mobility consideration.

Hong Kong handled almost six million border crossings during the 24-28 December Christmas break, an 11 percent rise on 2024. Outbound resident trips reached 2.73 million, while European and US visitor arrivals also picked up. Busy checkpoints maintained sub-30-minute waits thanks to extra e-gates, reinforcing Hong Kong’s recovery as a regional travel hub.

Both of the Czech Interior Ministry’s immigration helplines are shut until 2 January 2026, covering the crucial period when most work-permit and employee-card renewals are prepared. Corporates and foreign residents risk fines or loss of status if deadlines are missed, prompting employers to scramble for alternative support and to book January filing appointments immediately.

Nearly six million passenger movements were recorded at Hong Kong’s control points between 24 and 28 December, with Christmas Day alone seeing 1.25 million crossings. The data show outbound demand from residents and a rebound in inbound tourism, while efficient e-Channel processing kept queues manageable. The surge confirms that the cross-border labour and visitor market is back to pre-pandemic norms, a positive signal for retailers, transport operators and employers who depend on Guangdong–Hong Kong mobility.

A regulation finalized on December 29 2025 allows U.S. authorities to deny asylum and related protections to migrants deemed public-health risks. The measure echoes Title 42 expulsions but can be triggered without a formal emergency declaration, expanding presidential discretion at the border and foreshadowing possible operational delays for cross-border travel.

IRCC has stopped accepting new applications for its two caregiver-to-PR pilot programmes after inventory blew past the 9,000 spots allocated for 2026-28. The pause aims to clear backlogs but leaves Canadian families scrambling for alternatives and signals a wider effort to rein in temporary-resident numbers.