Visa application charges jump 25 % from 1 July, business groups warn of travel-cost shock
Quebec’s Flagship PEQ Program Reopens Today, Offering Foreign Graduates and Workers a Two-Year Window to Secure Permanent Residence
Spain Issues Over 600,000 Temporary Work Permits Under Fast-Track Regularisation Drive
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Spain’s mass-regularisation grants 609,000 undocumented migrants immediate work permits
Madrid says 1.17 million people applied for legal status under its April-to-June amnesty. Some 609,737 have already received temporary work permits, allowing them to fill labour shortages while their cases are reviewed. The scale of the programme bolsters Spain’s growth prospects but will test immigration offices and employers’ compliance processes.
UK completes nationwide roll-out of Electronic Travel Authorisation for 85 visa-free nationalities
As of 2 July the UK’s £16 Electronic Travel Authorisation is mandatory for all 85 visa-exempt nationalities. Business visitors without an ETA will be denied boarding, so companies are rushing to embed ETA checks in travel approval systems.
Cathay Pacific to Resume Dubai and Riyadh Passenger Flights From 1 September
Cathay Pacific will restart daily passenger flights to Dubai and four-times-weekly flights to Riyadh on 1 September, ending a suspension imposed after February’s regional conflict. Freighter services to Riyadh resume on 1 August. The move restores critical passenger and cargo capacity between Hong Kong and the Gulf, benefiting business travellers, relocation firms and exporters.
India Launches Digital e-OCI Card, Ending Physical Booklets for Overseas Citizens
The Ministry of Home Affairs has launched an electronic OCI card that can be applied for, approved and stored entirely online. The move removes physical booklets, cuts processing times and gives employers a simpler way to manage Indian diaspora staff mobility. Carriers will accept both digital and printed versions during an initial hand-over period.
India launches e-OCI Card, ending paper booklet for 4.5 million overseas Indians
India has replaced the blue OCI booklet with a free, downloadable e-OCI card. The QR-coded credential speeds immigration, slashes re-issuance wait times and gives employers real-time status checks. Physical cards are optional; late passport-update penalties remain.
USCIS unveils sweeping integrity overhaul of the EB-5 investor visa program
USCIS has released a proposed rule that would overhaul EB-5 regulations by adding stricter anti-fraud measures, higher investment thresholds, mandatory audits, and new penalties for regional centers. Comments are due 31 August 2026, and a final rule could arrive in 2027, giving companies and investors little time to adapt.
UAE tightens visa-on-arrival rules for Indian nationals holding only UK residence permits
Effective 1 July, Indian nationals who rely solely on a UK residence visa no longer qualify for the UAE’s 14-day visa-on-arrival. Eligibility now depends on holding US or EU visas/residence permits. The change forces frequent Indian business travellers to secure pre-arranged UAE visas unless they possess alternate qualifying documents.
Australia lifts skilled-visa salary thresholds by 3.8 percent from 1 July 2026
From 1 July 2026 the Department of Home Affairs indexed skilled-visa salary thresholds by 3.8 percent, lifting the TSMIT to AUD 79,423 and adjusting the Core and Specialist Skills thresholds accordingly. All new subclass 482, 494, 186 and 187 nominations must now meet the higher floor, meaning global employers must revise offer letters and budgets immediately. The change reinforces the government’s pledge to protect local wages and to review thresholds annually. ([immi.homeaffairs.gov.au](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/archive/article?itemId=1416&utm_source=openai))
France Lifts Visa Requirement for Brazilians Visiting French Guiana
Effective 31 July 2026, Brazilians will be able to enter French Guiana visa-free for stays of up to 90 days, under an agreement signed by the Brazilian and French foreign ministers on 1 July. The move removes costly bureaucracy for border communities, is expected to boost commerce and tourism, and forms part of a wider bilateral plan to tighten control over illicit cross-border activity.
UK scraps physical visa stickers as digital eVisas become mandatory from 1 July
From 1 July 2026 the Home Office no longer prints visa stickers. All newly granted UK immigration permissions are held as secure online eVisas linked to the traveller’s passport. Employers must update right-to-work procedures, and carriers face fines for boarding passengers who lack a valid eVisa or ETA. The move cuts costs, speeds border processing and is a cornerstone of the UK’s fully digital immigration system.
e-OCI Card goes live as India launches fully digital Overseas Citizen credential
India has replaced the paper OCI booklet with a fully digital e-OCI Card that can be downloaded to a smartphone. The upgrade slashes processing times, removes the need for re-issuance after passport renewals and integrates with airport eGates, delivering major convenience gains for more than five million overseas Indians and the companies that employ them.
Austria’s Family-Reunification Ban Expires, Leaving Migrants in a Legal Vacuum
An emergency decree blocking refugee family reunification expired on 2 July, but Austria’s replacement quota has not yet been enacted, effectively suspending all new applications. Legal experts call the gap unlawful and NGOs plan an EU complaint, while employers face uncertainty about when skilled refugees will be able to reunite with their families.
Ryanair warns of ‘queue chaos’ as EU airports struggle with new fingerprint checks
Ryanair says biometric checks under the new EU Entry/Exit System are creating two-hour queues and could cause ‘queue chaos’ at peak season. The airline and wider industry want Brussels to allow member-state opt-outs until September, arguing infrastructure is not ready. Any disruption at external Schengen borders will spill over to Belgian business travel via Brussels Airport’s connecting network, forcing firms to build extra time and contingency into itineraries.
Ryanair Sounds Alarm Over EU Biometric Border Checks—but Cyprus Remains Outside the System
Ryanair has warned the European Commission that the new Schengen Entry/Exit System is already creating long queues at several airports and could wreck the summer peak. Cyprus, one of only two EU states not yet in EES, will avoid the fingerprint checks for direct arrivals, but travellers transiting a Schengen hub may be caught out. Mobility teams should build extra connection time or reroute staff, while EU officials consider a temporary suspension of the controls. This underlines Cyprus’s continued exemption from Schengen-wide border technology.
German Airports Urge Brussels to Allow Temporary Suspension of New EU Biometric Border Checks
Frankfurt and Berlin airports have joined EU-level airline and airport associations in asking the European Commission for powers to suspend or scale back the new Entry/Exit System when queues overwhelm border facilities. With non-EU travellers already facing waits of up to five hours, German hubs warn of mass re-bookings and operational chaos during the imminent school-holiday surge. Business travellers and assignees are advised to build in longer connection times and carry proof of their biometric enrolment.
Ryanair Sounds Alarm Over France’s Readiness for EU Biometric Border Checks
Ryanair warned on 2 July that airports including Paris-Beauvais are unprepared for the EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System, predicting “queue chaos” without a summer suspension of fingerprint checks. French border posts currently lack enough kiosks to process holiday-season volumes, risking missed flights for business and leisure travellers alike. The European Commission has called an urgent meeting, but companies should already factor longer border-clearance times into travel schedules.
Ryanair says EU fingerprint checks risk ‘queue chaos’ for UK holiday-makers
Ryanair has told the European Commission its new biometric Entry/Exit System is not ready for peak traffic and should be suspended for July–August. The airline says early evidence of UK passengers missing flights shows airports cannot yet cope with mandatory fingerprint capture. Travel managers are being urged to schedule extra connection time and warn travellers of potential two-hour queues.