China Adds Canada and UK to 30-Day Visa-Free Entry Scheme
France Makes Online Visa Appointments & Biometrics Mandatory Worldwide
UK introduces mandatory Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for all visa-exempt visitors from 25 February 2026
Latest News
Ireland extends Travel Confirmation Notice to 28 February 2026 for IRP renewal applicants
Ireland has prolonged its temporary Travel Confirmation Notice, letting non-EEA residents travel on recently expired IRP cards until 28 February 2026. The move eases pressure caused by 10- to 12-week card-replacement delays and prevents business travellers from being stranded abroad. Employers must ensure staff carry the expired card, proof of renewal submission and the official Notice when flying. The extension gives HR teams a short-term workaround but underscores the need for earlier renewal filing.
UK to scrap visa stickers for Indians: fully digital e-Visas begin 25 February 2026
The UK Home Office announced on 21 February that, from 25 February 2026, Indian citizens will receive visitor visas exclusively in digital form. Passports will no longer be held for sticker printing, reducing turnaround times for multi-country itineraries. Companies should update traveller checklists and ensure staff can access their UKVI online accounts at the border.
US ambassador issues entry ban on Belgian opposition leader Conner Rousseau
• On 21 February 2026, US Ambassador Bill White publicly barred Belgian MP Conner Rousseau from entering the United States, escalating a week-old dispute over Rousseau’s criticism of ICE tactics. • The unprecedented ban on a friendly parliamentarian highlights how political speech can suddenly translate into hard mobility barriers. • Belgian businesses and global mobility teams are reviewing US travel plans and advising executives on social-media risk. • The episode could foreshadow wider visa-related friction between the trans-Atlantic partners.
UAE and Uganda enact 90-day visa-free travel for diplomatic and service passport holders
Effective 21 February 2026, diplomats and civil-service passport holders from the UAE and Uganda can now enter each other’s territory visa-free for up to 90 days. The waiver removes red tape for official delegations and corporate teams, supporting fast-track investment talks in agritech, logistics and renewables. Compliance will be reviewed after a year before any expansion to ordinary passports.
Czech Budget Data Show Ukrainian Refugees Now Net Contributors to State Finances
Fresh ČTK-sourced budget data show that taxes paid by working Ukrainian refugees now more than cover humanitarian outlays, leaving the Czech treasury CZK 11.7 billion in the black for 2025. With roughly 210,000 Ukrainians in jobs, the figures bolster government plans for a five-year special residence permit and highlight an increasingly important labour pool for employers.
Spain’s Supreme Court strengthens presumption of minority for migrant youth
The Supreme Court has ruled that, when doubt exists, migrant youths must be treated as minors, overturning a Canary Islands judgment that tried a 16-year-old Senegalese boy as an adult. The decision obliges courts to prioritise official foreign documents over bone-age tests and could keep hundreds of children out of adult prisons each year. Clearer rules will reduce litigation and help companies involved in CSR and youth-training schemes. Critics warn it may encourage irregular arrivals, but lawyers call it a long-overdue alignment with EU and UN standards.
Salary thresholds for all Irish employment-permit categories rise on 1 March 2026
From 1 March 2026, Ireland’s minimum-salary requirements for every employment-permit category increase—e.g., GEP to €36,605 and CSEP (degree) to €40,904—starting a step-wise rise that will run until 2030. Employers must update contracts and payroll data immediately; applications quoting old figures will be refused. Longer processing queues make early filing essential.
India rolls out DigiYatra biometric boarding at six more airports, taking the programme nationwide to 13 hubs
India activated DigiYatra facial-recognition boarding lanes at six additional airports on 21 February 2026, extending the paper-less travel programme to 13 locations nationwide. The expansion will speed terminal processing for millions of domestic business travellers and paves the way for foreign-passenger enrolment later this year. Companies should update traveller guidance and ensure staff download the new DigiYatra app.
Italy Braces for 72-Hour Transport Chaos as National Air and Rail Strikes Loom
Fanpage.it reports (21 Feb 2026) that a 24-hour national air-transport strike on 26 February will be followed by a 24-hour rail strike from 27-28 February, threatening severe disruption at Italy’s airports and on Trenitalia/Italo services. Businesses must prepare for flight cancellations, limited ‘guaranteed’ trains and knock-on delays to visa appointments and assignments.
ICE Quietly Buys Warehouses for Mega-Detention Centers, Alarming U.S. Border Communities
Documents filed this week show ICE paid $122.8 million for warehouses in Socorro, Texas, as part of a nationwide plan to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds. Local leaders say they were blindsided, and advocates fear human-rights abuses. The expansion signals harsher interior enforcement that could disrupt workforces and supply chains.
Snow-storm Aftermath: Vienna Airport Gradually Returns to Normal Operations
Vienna International Airport resumed limited operations on 21 February after a blizzard forced a seven-hour shutdown and 380 flight cancellations the previous day. Crews cleared 18,000 tonnes of snow overnight, but travellers faced residual delays and diversions. The incident underscores the importance of winter-weather contingency planning for business travel and cargo flows.
Guarulhos Aeromóvel Finally Opens to Passengers—But Only After-Hours
São Paulo/Guarulhos switched on its long-awaited Aeromóvel on 21 Feb 2026, carrying ordinary passengers for the first time during evening hours. The limited opening cuts inter-terminal transfer times and gives Brazil’s main international hub its first rail-to-gate connection, a win for business travellers—though corporates are urged to keep contingency plans until 24-hour service begins.
Canada trims study-permit validity for prerequisite programs to 90-day buffer
IRCC has changed its Program Delivery Instructions so that study permits issued for short prerequisite courses will now expire 90 days after the course finishes instead of the previous “course length + one year.” Students must apply inside Canada for a new permit before starting their main program, adding an extra compliance step for schools and mobility managers. The move supports Ottawa’s goal of tightening oversight of temporary residents without curbing legitimate academic pathways.
Spring-Festival Travel Rush Sets New Daily Record
The Ministry of Transport said on 21 February that the 2026 Spring-Festival travel season set a new high, with almost 353 million passenger trips recorded on 20 February alone. Rail and air capacity expansions, together with streamlined border-control procedures, enabled the surge but also drove up costs for businesses scheduling travel around the holiday.
Berlin admits it lost track of thousands of short-term visa workers
FOCUS reports that no German authority keeps systematic records on whether holders of the short-term contingent work visa leave the country when their eight-month permits expire. The data gap raises political pressure for tighter exit controls and could lead to new compliance obligations for employers.
Biometric EES, ETIAS and UK ETA: what the 2026 border shake-up means for British holiday-makers and business travellers
On 21 February experts warned that three new digital schemes—the EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System, the ETIAS travel authorisation and the UK’s ETA for inbound visitors—will converge in 2026. UK residents heading to Europe will submit fingerprints at the border and, later in the year, pay €20 for an ETIAS. Businesses face a triple compliance burden: longer airport dwell times, added fees and more complex document checks for flights both to and from the UK.