UK Home Secretary unveils sweeping asylum overhaul with new community-sponsorship routes
Australia to Raise Employer-Sponsored Visa Salary Thresholds by 3.8 % from 1 July 2026
New Financial Year Brings Higher Visa Fees and Tighter Compliance Rules for Migrants
Latest News
Mercosul Summit to Recognize Brazil’s Digital ID as Official Travel Document
At the Mercosul Summit in Asunción, members will sign a protocol that allows Brazil’s new digital identity card (CIN) to be used as a travel document within the bloc. The move eliminates the need for a passport on most intra-Mercosul trips, shortens border-control times and paves the way for fully digital cross-border services. This is expected to benefit business travellers, multinational HR teams and airlines operating within South America.
China standardises approval criteria for mainland residents settling in Hong Kong or Macau
From 1 July 2026, China will scrap its opaque points-based system for One-Way Permits and adopt four clear family-reunification categories to decide who may settle permanently in Hong Kong or Macau. The change gives mainland applicants and their employers greater certainty, streamlines documentation requirements and could accelerate cross-border talent mobility in the Greater Bay Area.
Czech Government Charts New Course on Migrant Integration and Long-Term Residency
• The European Commission’s DG HOME briefing (30 June 2026) reveals that the Czech Republic will table a comprehensive new Migration Entry & Residence Act, slated for 1 January 2029. • Interior Ministry will open another application window (Oct–Dec 2026) for special long-term residence permits aimed at Ukrainian temporary-protection holders who can prove two years of legal stay and financial self-reliance. • New inter-agency task-force “KOBRA 26” launches to crack down on illegal employment, with heightened inspections of labour-hire firms and supply-chain subcontractors. • With migrants now comprising roughly one in ten Czech residents, HR teams should prepare for faster—but more rigorously policed—work-permit processes and new compliance duties once the draft law is enacted.
Over one million migrants file for Spain’s extraordinary regularisation as deadline closes
Spain’s 2026 extraordinary regularisation closed on 30 June with more than one million applications—twice the forecast. Successful applicants gain a one-year Spanish residence-and-work permit, giving employers a much larger pool of legal labour but putting intense strain on immigration offices that must process files within 90 days. The surge underscores Spain’s pro-immigration stance just as other EU states tighten entry paths, and it will influence corporate staffing plans well beyond the summer.
Spain’s Supreme Court questions extraordinary migrant regularisation on final day of applications
On 30 June Spain’s Supreme Court announced it may ask the EU’s top court to review the legality of the country’s large-scale migrant regularisation just as the application deadline expired. The move does not freeze the programme but creates legal uncertainty for over one million applicants and the employers planning to hire them. Madrid has responded with a €500 million integration plan and insists the decree complies with EU law.
UK unveils community-sponsored refugee routes and sweeping asylum reforms
The Home Office has confirmed that from autumn 2026 communities, universities and employers will be able to sponsor refugees, while human-rights and modern-slavery rules will be tightened to deter abuse. A dedicated work route for refugees is slated for 2027, offering businesses a cost-effective talent pipeline but imposing strict compliance duties. The twin-track approach aims to cut irregular Channel crossings and restore confidence in the asylum system.
Spain’s Extraordinary Regularisation Window Closes After More Than One Million Applications
Spain’s extraordinary regularisation programme closed on 30 June 2026 after receiving more than one million applications—twice the number the government expected. Successful applicants will obtain a renewable one-year residence-and-work permit, giving employers access to a much-needed legal workforce and expanding the country’s tax base. Companies should anticipate faster onboarding of previously undocumented staff but brace for possible processing delays.
India launches electronic OCI card, ending booklet re-issue requirement
The Home Ministry has replaced the paper OCI booklet with a downloadable electronic card, allowing India’s five million OCI holders to travel using a QR-coded digital credential. The move slashes renewal headaches for expatriates and cuts government processing time, while integrating OCI data with fast-track immigration lanes. Corporates see reduced compliance overheads, but must note stricter online update rules.
Mainland China overhauls one-way permit rules for settling in Hong Kong and Macau
Beijing has abolished its points-based system for mainland residents seeking to settle in Hong Kong or Macau and replaced it with four transparent family-reunion categories that start on 1 July 2026. The reform promises faster, more predictable approvals, giving employers a larger talent pool and long-separated families a clearer path to reunification. It also underscores Beijing’s strategy to integrate the two special administrative regions more closely with the Greater Bay Area.
Spain’s Mass Regularisation Ends with 1.2 Million Applications — Double Initial Forecasts
Spain closed its migrant-regularisation window on 30 June with about 1.2 million applications, roughly double the target range. Successful applicants receive a one-year residence and work permit, immediately widening Spain’s available labour pool and offering employers a legal avenue to hire staff already in-country. Processing backlogs and future political push-back remain risks, but in the short term the policy represents a major shift for companies managing Spanish headcount.
India inks 28 Migration & Mobility Partnership Agreements with 26 countries
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that India now has 28 Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreements covering 26 countries, giving Indian students and professionals more legal, streamlined routes to work and study abroad while tackling illegal recruitment and trafficking. The deals, underpinned by the e-Migrate digital clearance system, should shorten visa timelines for employers and improve skills recognition for assignees, boosting India’s global talent footprint.
India signs 28 Migration & Mobility Partnership Agreements covering 26 countries, says EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced that India now has 28 Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreements in force with 26 countries. The deals set visa-issuance deadlines, recognise Indian qualifications and grant work rights to accompanying family members, creating faster and safer pathways for Indian professionals, students and intra-company transferees.
U.S. Supreme Court reaffirms birthright citizenship, blocking Trump executive order
The Supreme Court ruled that children born in the United States continue to receive automatic citizenship, invalidating President Trump’s 2024 order. The decision removes legal uncertainty for expatriate families, preserves the U.S. practice of granting passports at birth, and prevents additional vetting questions in visa forms. Global mobility teams can again assure assignees that U.S. births will not jeopardise a child’s nationality status.
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Executive Order Limiting Birthright Citizenship
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the 14th Amendment confers citizenship on almost everyone born in the United States, striking down President Trump’s order to limit birthright citizenship. The decision preserves the existing legal framework for foreign assignees’ U.S.-born children and averts widespread compliance, tax and benefits complications for multinational employers.
PM Sánchez confirms more than one million applications as Spain’s migrant amnesty window closes
With the filing period closed, Spain has logged more than one million requests for legal status under its 2026 migrant regularisation, double initial forecasts. The flood of applicants underscores the scale of Spain’s informal workforce and offers employers a large new talent pool, but processing backlogs and possible refusals mean HR teams must track cases closely.
Spain’s Mass Regularisation Window Closes After 1 Million Undocumented Migrants Apply
Spain’s six-week regularisation drive ended on 30 June with more than one million undocumented migrants applying for one-year residence and work permits—twice the government’s forecast. The influx will help fill labour gaps but adds to appointment bottlenecks and leaves employers with a tight renewal timetable for 2027.