France ends Channel “One-in, One-out” migrant exchange pilot with UK
Four-hour national air-traffic controllers’ strike disrupts flights across Italy
Two Months After Mass Crossing, Ceuta Struggles With Expulsions and Returns
Latest News
France and UK in talks to scrap ‘one-in, one-out’ migrant return scheme
Paris has begun negotiating an exit from the ‘one-in, one-out’ migration accord with London, which swaps each migrant returned from Britain for one asylum-seeker accepted from France. The deal will lapse on 1 October unless a replacement is found, signalling a shift toward tougher enforcement rather than humanitarian exchanges. Businesses should expect more intensive border policing on the French side of the Channel as resources are reallocated.
USCIS Publishes Final Rule Raising EB-5 Immigrant-Investor Fees and Codifying Integrity Reforms
USCIS issued a final rule that more than triples key EB-5 application fees and imposes new integrity charges on regional centers, effective November 30 2026. Investors and project sponsors have a narrow window to file under current rates, while the program faces higher compliance burdens designed to curb fraud.
China upgraded to Evidence Level 1, unlocking streamlined paperwork for student-visa hopefuls
Home Affairs’ fresh Evidence-Level tables lift mainland China from Level 2 to Level 1, meaning Chinese student-visa applicants can use streamlined document settings at every Australian provider. The move cuts red tape and costs, strengthening Australia’s competitive position for Chinese enrolments and facilitating faster corporate training assignments.
Five-Hour Queues at Brussels Airport Expose Growing Pains of EU Entry/Exit System
Brussels Airport admitted that non-EU passengers queued for up to five hours on 30 September after multiple Entry/Exit System kiosks failed. The incident underscores staffing gaps and technical issues in Belgium’s roll-out of the EU biometric border regime, creating knock-on risks for business travellers and international assignees. ([zaventem.me](https://www.zaventem.me/en/article/wachtrijen-tot-vijf-uur-op-brussels-airport-reizigers-krijgen-water-en-speculoos))
U.S. visa appointment system in Brazil now limits applicants to three reschedulings
The U.S. visa-scheduling website for Brazil now allows only three cancellations or reschedulings per applicant or group. After the limit is reached, the appointment locks and the consular fee must be paid again, extending wait times that already reach March 2027 in São Paulo. Corporate mobility teams and individual travellers will need to plan date changes carefully to avoid extra cost and project delays.
New Royal Decree Targets Short-Term Rental Platforms With Data-Sharing Mandate
Royal Decree-Law 26/2026 obliges short-term rental platforms to share booking data with a new national portal and introduces steep fines for non-compliance. The measure tightens Spain’s grip on the fast-growing corporate-housing and expatriate-lodging market and could squeeze short-stay supply in key cities.
Poland briefly shuts Rzeszów and Lublin airports after morning military scramble
Poland’s air-traffic authority temporarily closed Rzeszów and Lublin airports early on 30 September while the air force responded to Russian strikes on Ukraine. The restriction, lasting just over an hour, caused minor delays but no cancellations and was lifted after authorities confirmed no missiles entered Polish airspace. The event highlights ongoing volatility for business and humanitarian traffic that uses the two airports as gateways to Ukraine.
EU Court Ruling on Dublin Airport Passenger Cap Expected 15 October
The CJEU will rule on 15 October on whether Dublin Airport’s 32 million-passenger cap must be applied when allocating slots. The case stems from airlines’ 2024 challenge and could restrict or enable future growth just as the Irish transport minister weighs raising the cap to 40 million. The outcome will directly affect seat capacity, fares and corporate travel planning for 2027.
Golden Week rush: 105,000 mainland visitors enter HK in a day as arrivals hit 442,000
Immigration data show 105,000 mainland visitors and more than 440,000 total arrivals on 29 September, ahead of Golden Week. Extra rail, bus and shuttle services have been deployed, and authorities urge businesses and travellers to steer clear of peak days early next week.
Home Affairs overhauls Student-Visa ‘Evidence Levels’, effective today
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs implemented its scheduled September 2026 refresh of Evidence Levels for Student visas, reshaping documentary requirements for every passport country and education provider. The update—live for applications lodged from 30 September—will tighten or relax paperwork depending on each country-provider risk pairing, with immediate implications for universities, agents and corporate mobility planners.
China Southern & Malaysia Airlines expand codeshare to all Kuala Lumpur-China routes, banking on mutual visa-free travel
From 25 October, China Southern and Malaysia Airlines will codeshare on every Kuala Lumpur–China route, adding services to Shenzhen, Changsha, Xiamen, Chengdu Tianfu and Zhengzhou. The move seeks to capture demand created by the China–Malaysia mutual 30-day visa-free regime and will streamline itineraries for corporate travellers and assignees moving between the two countries.