Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

New Delhi has protested the sudden postponement of thousands of H-1B visa interviews, some now rescheduled to mid-2026. The MEA is pressing Washington for emergency measures as Indian tech workers and their employers face revenue losses and family separation. Businesses should prepare for prolonged uncertainty and explore remote-work alternatives.

MEA statistics show the first available H-1B interview dates for Indian applicants are now in September 2026, reflecting an unprecedented 620-day queue. The backlog threatens Indian IT exports and is prompting companies to shift staff and projects to alternate locations while lobbying for interview-waiver relief.

A cabinet decree published 26 December ushers in four new visa classes and raises income thresholds for sponsoring relatives or friends. Golden Visa holders receive 24/7 consular support and emergency travel papers, while humanitarian stays are expanded for war-affected nationals and widowed spouses. HR teams must revise mobility policies to capture new opportunities for AI talent and ensure compliance with tougher sponsorship rules.

Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin have launched overlapping Boxing Day sales, offering one million-plus discounted seats from AU$49 to AU$149 on key domestic and short-haul international routes. The deals, which close early next week, give business travellers and SMEs an opportunity to lock in 2026 trips at up to 40 % off peak-season prices.

China’s embassy in New Delhi has launched a fully online visa application system that lets Indian citizens file forms and documents digitally and appear in person only once for passport submission. The upgrade promises faster processing for business and tourist travel and tighter data security, easing a key pain-point for companies operating between the two Asian giants.

A two-hour software crash in the EU’s new Entry/Exit System caused passport-control waits of up to three hours at Prague Airport on 19 December, delaying long-haul departures and stranding transit passengers. The airport will hire extra staff and add kiosks, but corporate mobility teams are lengthening buffer times and warning travellers about potential EES over-stay calculations. The incident underscores wider teething problems with the biometric system across Europe.

Hong Kong handled 1.25 million border crossings on Christmas Day, the highest since the city’s full reopening. Lo Wu saw the most traffic, driven by Hongkongers heading north and mainland tourists visiting the SAR. The data signals a return to pre-pandemic mobility patterns and highlights potential congestion risks for corporate travellers.

IRCC has paused all new applications to its two Home-Care Worker immigration pilots with immediate effect, citing an intake far above available spaces and growing backlogs. Existing applications will continue to be processed, but the March 2026 reopening has been cancelled. Employers relying on foreign caregivers face talent shortages, while prospective applicants must seek alternative routes.

Effective immediately, all H-1B applicants and many visa-waiver travellers must submit five years of social-media history for algorithmic screening. The policy seeks to curb extremism but raises free-speech and data-privacy concerns, adding weeks—or months—to visa processing for some employees.

Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism told Travel and Tour World that it will spearhead a Latin-American coalition to roll out e-visas, biometric enrolment and a shared digital travel wallet from 2026. The initiative builds on Brazil’s April 2025 return to e-visas for US, Canadian and Australian nationals and will feature pilot e-gates at São Paulo and Rio airports ahead of COP30. The project promises faster entry for business travellers but raises new compliance and data-privacy considerations.

Fresh data show 2,395 flights were cancelled at Brussels Airport in 2025 as seven national strike days paralysed operations, affecting 330,000 travellers and wiping an estimated €175 million off the Belgian economy. The disruptions are prompting companies to rethink Belgium as a hub, while debate continues over rising air-travel taxes and labour relations at the country’s main gateway.

CBP’s new rule requiring biometric capture for all foreign nationals at every U.S. entry and exit point took effect on December 26. The change removes age and nationality exemptions and is expected to speed automation while fuelling privacy concerns. Multinational employers should prepare travellers for facial-recognition procedures and potential queues during the holiday rush.

Beijing has added Spain to its 15-day visa-waiver pilot starting 1 January 2026, removing consular paperwork and fees for short business and leisure trips. Spanish firms gain faster market access and lower travel costs, while tourism bodies expect traffic to rebound. The waiver does not cover work assignments longer than 15 days.

From 8 January 2026, foreign nationals will need six years of continuous residence—rather than four—plus Finnish/Swedish language skills and two years’ work history to gain permanent residence. Limited four-year fast tracks survive for high earners or graduates, but most applicants and their employers must adjust assignment timelines. The reform tightens Finland’s integration-focused immigration model and could shrink the annual PR intake by up to a quarter.

Germany will keep its re-introduced checks at all land borders until at least 15 March 2026, the Federal Interior Ministry confirmed on 26 December. The decision means business travellers and assignees must continue to carry passports and expect spot inspections on roads and rail lines from eight neighbouring countries. The move signals Berlin’s tougher migration stance and could add delays and compliance costs for companies moving staff or goods across Germany’s internal Schengen borders.

Both Interior Ministry immigration helplines are offline from 22 December to 2 January, leaving foreign workers and their employers without telephone support during the busiest renewal season. With 400 000 Ukrainians and thousands of employee-card holders facing Q1 deadlines, companies must resort to e-mail, in-person visits or private agents to avoid fines and status loss.

Network Rail has closed the Heathrow Express line from 25–26 December for major signalling works, forcing all air passengers to switch to slower or road-based alternatives. Business travellers should build in up to an hour of extra journey time and review visa or ETA needs if itineraries change. More weekend closures are planned in 2026.