ICYMI: March 20 - April 2

Shifting immigration policies, evolving tax regulations, dynamic labor markets, and ongoing geopolitical developments…oh my! Mobility never stays still, does it?

Here is your bi-weekly list of key updates from around the globe. If you move employees into any of these locations, you'll want to stay on top of what's going on for the sake of compliance, cost management, and employee well-being. 

So, in case you missed it:

1. Mexico: Per BAL, the Mexican government introduced reduced passport processing requirements as part of a new system streamlining administrative procedures. The measure simplifies the issuance of passports, identity, and travel documents and the legalization of public documents for use abroad. The number of requirements for first-time adult and minor passport applicants were reduced, as were the requirements for passport renewals due to loss or theft.
    
2. Thailand: The Thai government has implemented immigration pathways for same-sex foreign national spouses who are legally married to a Thai national or to a foreign visa holder eligible to sponsor a spouse. 
    
3. South Korea: The South Korean government is expected to introduce a new "top-tier visa" to attract outstanding skilled foreign professionals in advanced industries such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Officials discussed a strategy for a new "top-tier visa" to be introduced later this month, giving holders and their spouses and minor children the opportunity to obtain the long-term F-2 expat visa, which offers work privileges with the possibility of applying for permanent residency after three years.
    
4. Vietnam: According to Mondaq, the responsibility for managing foreigners working in Vietnam has been transferred from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to the Ministry of Interior. In the new structure, the submission and collection points for work permit applications have been transferred to the commune public administration service centers. Applications for work permits and exemption from work permits no longer need to be submitted physically after online submission. As a result of these changes, there will be delays in processing by the new departments of up to several weeks.
    
5. Malaysia and Thailand: As shared by Paramount Transportation Systems, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Sagaing Region of central Myanmar on March 28. The earthquake has caused widespread damage across the cities of Sagaing and Mandalay, with multiple high-rise buildings and bridges destroyed. Myanmar’s national disaster management committee has declared a state of emergency in Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Naypyitaw Council Area, and Bago. Shipment to/from these areas may be delayed. 
   The impacts of the earthquake in Malaysia were also felt strongly in Thailand, where shaking caused buildings to collapse in Bangkok. The Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared a state of emergency within the first hours of the earthquake. Shipment delays are possible in the affected areas.
    
6. UAE: The first possible tax period for individuals conducting business or business activities is the calendar year 2024. The UAE’s Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has called upon all individuals subject to corporate tax to submit their tax registration applications no later than the end of March 2025. Failure to do so will result in violating tax regulations and incurring the associated administrative penalties, a WAM report stated. Travel agents continue to warn against working on travel visas as the crackdown intensifies. 
    
7. Kuwait: Kuwait has introduced new driving license rules for Kuwaitis and expats. This major change in regulations reduces license validity period for expatriates to five years while maintaining a 15-year validity for Kuwaiti citizens and GCC nationals. The changes, outlined in Interior Minister Decision No. 425 of 2025, aim to enhance road safety and align Kuwait’s transportation policies with international standards.
    
8. China: Fragomen reports that as new goverment digitalization efforts, Chinese consular posts in numerous countries have added an online application step. The online process is also now being implemented in Chinese visa centers in Ethiopia, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and will be introduced in the United Kingdom starting March 31, 2025. Those applying for Chinese visas in these countries must complete a visa application form and submit supporting documents online before bringing the original documents to the consular post.
    
9. Sweden: The Swedish Parliament has decided to abolish the possibility of changing tracks, to change the rules on statutory limitation periods for deportation decisions, and to give the Swedish Migration Agency the possibility to decide on longer re-entry bans. The new rules will enter into force on April 1, 2025, without transitional arrangements. Get more info here from EIG.
    
10. Denmark: Danish immigration authorities released updated income statistics that will apply to applications submitted after April 1. According to BAL, Applications for residence and work permits received after March 31 will be evaluated according to the latest income statistics from the fourth quarter of 2024. To find the current and future applicable income statistics, as well as a complete list of the schemes to which this policy applies, you can look here.
     
11. United Kingdom: The Home Office is increasing certain immigration and nationality fees, effective April 9. As noted by BAL, U.K. Visas and Immigration’s policy paper outlines key immigration application fee increases, including for applications for skilled worker and visit visas and Certificates of Sponsorship. See the new fees here. 
     
12. Belgium: On March 31, workers from both the public and private sector in Belgium have walked off the job for 24 hours in a national strike that has severely disrupted public services and transport and brought air traffic to a complete halt. The impact of the strike can also be felt internationally, as Brussels Airport cancelled all flights and warned that incoming traffic may also be impacted. The national railway service is operating at a minimal service, as required by law, with less than half of all trains running. Several schools are closed and certain public services are at a standstill, including postal and trash services. The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge are partially disrupted.
     
13. Poland: Per Fragomen, effective May 1, 2025, Poland will introduce several restrictions to its intra-corporate transfer rules. Poland now requires a shareholding or management connection between the transferring and receiving corporate entities; and they require the transferring entity to conduct actual business activity in its country of registration. These changes may require certain employers to reconsider their corporate structures and contractual arrangements. 
     
14. European Union: European Union authorities have published a revised timetable for the introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). On March 5, 2025, EU Home Affairs Ministers approved a revised timetable for the EES to become operational in October 2025 and the ETIAS expected in the last quarter of 2026. Mondaq notes that the ETIAS travel authorization is an entry requirement that certain visa-free nationals of non-EU countries must obtain in order to visit one of the 30 European countries applying the ETIAS for a short-term stay.
     
15. United States: Expect increased scrutiny at border entries and customs. As you may have heard from Envoy Global there are new DHS registration requirements for noncitizens staying over 30 days. On March 12, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new rule requiring noncitizens staying in the U.S. for 30 days or more to register and provide fingerprints. In line with President Trump’s Executive Order issued January 20, 2025, DHS has been directed to ensure that all foreign nationals 14 years or older who were not already fingerprinted or registered when applying for a U.S. visa now register with the Immigration and Nationality Act section 262. The interim final rule will take effect on April 11, 2025, and will remain open for public comment through the end of that day. The presidential administration has also paused some green card applications to enhance immigrant vetting. Note that the U.S. government has also issued a new “Do Not Travel” alert for Iran, citing wrongful detentions, terrorism, and the risk of arbitrary arrest—officially placing it alongside Russia, Mexico, Venezuela, Ukraine, North Korea, Belarus, Myanmar, and Iraq on the most severe travel warning list. 
    Lastly, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) took effect on January 1, 2018, and is currently scheduled to sunset in December 2025. It suspended the exclusion of certain relocation related expenses and now requires employers to include nearly all moving related expenses as taxable income in employees’ wages. Politicians are getting close to agreeing on a plan to pass an extension of the 2017 tax cuts. If that were to happen, it would likely maintain the current approach. The Relocation Mobility Coalition is advocating for the reinstatement of the moving tax deduction, so stay tuned for more on how this develops. It could dramatically impact costs for many mobility programs.
     
16. Worldwide: Fragomen reports that foreign nationals and their employers can expect immigration processing delays in the Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye and parts of Asia during the observance of Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr. Throughout March and April, many government offices worldwide reduce their hours and/or close during Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr. Processing delays could continue in the weeks following Ramadan, due to application backlogs that accumulate during the closures.

And to close out this update on a happy note, the World Happiness Report 2025 is now out. For the eight year in a row, Finland ranked highest of all countries globally. The Nordic countries once again lead the happiness rankings - Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden are still the top four, followed by the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico to round out the top 10.