Let the games begin! For many, our collective toes are now fully dipped into the swirling waters of 2025. In the time between the election and the presidential inauguration, there has been so much pondering and wonder about what's to come. Talent management and global mobility teams have been tracking, monitoring, planning, and preparing.
For some, 2025 kicks off with the Lunar New Year. The year of the snake is set to start next week on January 29. In many countries, this is marked by a week of official public holidays through February 4, ending with the Lantern Festival on February 12. If you're interested, you can learn more about what each day holds in the 16-day long celebration. This matters for global mobility because of the massive surge in travel, particularly within China. Expect increased air and vehicle traffic, potential congestion at airports and transportation hubs, and disruptions in supply chains as many factories and businesses temporarily shut down. All of this combined will likely result in some shipping and service delays.
And now, here is our latest bi-weekly update, covering recent global changes that might have an impact on your mobility program. Feel free to let us know if there are any other topics you'd like more information on!
Let's look at some key locations:
- Finland: The processing of residence permits has now been transferred from TE Offices (Employment and Economic Development) to the Finnish Immigration Service. While the change is part of the overall reform of TE Services aimed at improving the customer experience and ensure smoother processing, authorities warn that applications may see temporary slowdowns in early 2025 during the transition. You can ready this post from BAL for more information.
- Ireland: Per Envoy Global, starting January 13th, 2025, foreign nationals must complete all first-time residence permission registrations in person at the Burgh Quay Registration Office in Dublin. Residence permission renewals continue to be processed nationwide online via the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) portal. Applicants can renew their registration up to 12 weeks before expiry through the ISD online renewal portal without needing to attend the Burgh Quay Registration Office.
- Hungary: Baker McKenzie reports that starting January 1st, 2025, residence permits for the purpose of employment and guest worker residence permits will only be available to a very limited group. Hungary is capping the number of guest worker residence permits and employment-related residence permits to 35,000 in 2025. This decision marks a substantial reduction from the 2024 cap, which was set at 65,000. These changes do not affect currently valid permits, but the new rules will apply to all new permit issuances.
- South Korea: According to Envoy Global, South Korea opened mobile residence cards to foreign nationals on January 10th, 2025. The residence card is granted to foreign national residents who hold up-to-date permissions to remain in the country for work or stay purposes. The mobile card can be accessed online and offline and is more secure than a physical card.
- Italy: Some 32 million tourists are expected to descend on Rome for the Jubilee. AIRINC notes that high housing demand in Rome is exacerbating an already constrained rental market, with apartments being converted to short-term rentals. This is creating fierce competition for long-term housing. The situation is only expected to worsen as Rome observes the Holy Year in 2025, which is celebrated only once every 25 years and brings millions of pilgrims to the city. Per Reuters, the cost of monthly apartment rentals in Rome grew by a third in 2024.
- Romania: Secretary Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas formally designated Romania as the 43rd country to join the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Upon implementation, most Romanian travelers visiting the United States for business or tourism will no longer need to go in person to obtain a physical visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. Instead, approvals to travel visa-free will be processed online, usually in less than three days. This will save time and money for Romanians traveling to the U.S. and lower barriers for Romanian businesses seeking to partner with American businesses.
- Canada: As shared by BAL, the Canadian government announced changes to open work permits (OWP) for family members of temporary residents. Effective Jan. 21, only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers will be able to apply for a family OWP as part of the broader measures announced last year. In addition, the foreign worker must also have at least 16 months remaining on their work permit at the time when their spouse applies for the OWP. Dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be eligible to obtain work permits.
As shared by WelcomeHome Relocations: “The rental markets in Canada saw prices drop across the country, with Calgary seeing the steepest decline among major markets. While prices in Edmonton actually increased, most markets are seeing a decline in rental housing rates, and this trend has some speculating that we may see further decreases in 2025. Good news for renters, even if only short-lived.”
- France: There is an ongoing reduction in rental properties in Paris due to environmental regulations. As of January 25, 2025, it will be illegal to rent out apartments in Paris with the lowest energy efficiency rating. Many apartments are getting upgrades (insulation, windows, appliances, and heating systems) and are temporarily off the market. This is part of France's Climate and Resilience Law of 2021. Because of this, rents in the center of Paris are up, with very limited available housing stock. Additionally, many more units are now furnished, adding to higher rents. You can learn more from AIRINC.
- Netherlands: Low supply and high demand! Dutch housing prices and rental costs are preparing for a sharp increase in 2025. AIRINC notes how government regulations have shifted properties to the social rental market, leading to reduced supply and rising rents in major cities like Amsterdam, Hague, Utrecht, and Rotterdam. This has left many expatriates and locals scrambling for affordable housing. “The Dutch rental housing market is in a critical condition, given the historically low supply, rising prices, and the exclusion of a large part of the population,” according to a report from Pararius.
Additionally, per Envoy Global, the Netherlands announced new guidelines for submitting employment contract extension applications. Employers must enter the correct end date of the employment contract on the application form. This date determines the validity of the extended residence permit, which will match the contract duration and remain valid until the last working day of the contract.
- United Kingdom: From Fragomen, employers in the United Kingdom who intend to hire foreign nationals will need to account for increased fees as part of their budget planning. The UK government has announced proposals to increase certain immigration fees, including the cost to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship, among others. The cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship, which employers sponsoring foreign nationals under the Skilled Worker Route are required to pay, is expected to more than double. The proposals are now awaiting approval by the UK Parliament, among other legal processes that will have to occur before the proposals enter into effect. As such, there is no definitive date by which the fee increases will go into effectfor the fee increases.
- United States: There's more H-1B visa drama. According to BAL, the new revised Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, goes into effect on Jan. 17, 2025. Additionally, as documented in the USCIS and Department of Homeland Security fee schedule published on January 6, 2025, the general filing fee for H-1B registration has increased to $215 per beneficiary. USCIS has revised the regulatory definition of and criteria for H-1B specialty occupations by requiring employers to provide more detailed evidence that a position requires a degree in a specific field of study and demonstrate that the degree is “directly related” to the position’s duties. No date has been set yet for the lottery of H-1Bs. For fiscal year 2026, it is expected that it will open near March 1. 2025.
In other news, WERC reports that on January 13, the U.S. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) issued a final rule to finalize the time frame for the required use of REAL ID as the primary form of identification for airport security screening and to enter secure federal buildings. Enforcement of the use of REAL ID will begin on 7 May 2025, but agencies will have the authority to phase in enforcement through 5 May 2027.
Lastly, also from BAL, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that Australia is now an official Global Entry partner country, making Australia one of 19 partner countries whose citizens can apply for Global Entry membership.
As we close, let's not forget to mention the weather! Dramatically cold weather is affecting many in the United States, particularly in southern states. Potential snowfall in the Gulf states could be historic. Houston (a city with zero snow plows) is expecting as much as 6 inches of snow! The Morning Brew mentions that New Orleans - a city with no measurable snowfall since 2009 which has never reported more than 2.7 inches total - is expecting 3–6 inches. Florida issued its first winter storm watch in 11 years, with record snowfall predicted in the state’s panhandle. And of course, we continue to monitor Southern California where dangerous fire conditions persist, despite the progress made by firefighters. Los Angeles county is continuing to battle destructive wildfires across the area. More than 180,000 people remain displaced from their homes as the fires continue to burn with limited containment.
Stay vigilant out there!