ICYMI: April 17 - April 30

Welcome to what's going on right now in the world of mobility! In Case You Missed It features bi-weekly global and location-specific updates to keep you aware of what's going on, because global mobility is affected by just about everything. 

Around this time last year, we were seeing rail strikes in Europe, earthquakes in Taiwan, rental increases in Dubai, and swings in housing availability in Barcelona. As we move into National Moving Month, here's what you might want to pay attention to: 

1. Spain: A major power outage hit Spain (and Portugal) on Monday, April 28. The outage shut down trains, airports and other critical infrastructure, causing disruptions across the two countries. Spain’s national rail company wrote in a post on X that “at 12:30 p.m., the entire national electricity grid was cut off,” adding that trains had stopped operating at all stations. Subways in several cities, including Valencia and Madrid, were also disrupted. 
   
   Major institutions went into crisis-management mode. Hospitals in Spain were forced to run on generators. This is impacting any and all services supporting relocating employees and expatriates in Spain and Portugal. While electricity has largely been reinstated, the ripple effects of the blackout continue to challenge travelers and commuters in both countries. 
   
   Areas of France were also briefly affected. 
    
2. Denmark: Envoy Global shares that the Danish Immigration Service and the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) are transitioning all digital application and invitation forms to a new IT system on newtodenmark.dk. This switch will occur gradually over the next three to four months, with forms being moved one by one. 
    
3. EU - Schengen Area: There are internal border checks happening within the Schengen Area. Currently the following countries have internal checks in place now through Sept/Nov of 2025: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. 
   
   Bulgaria, Italy and Slovenia will also have these border checks up to May/June 2025, and you can learn more here from Fragomen. Border guards may request identification documents and perform detailed checks of travelers crossing borders in affected Schengen countries. Travelers should carry their identification documents, and visa-exempt nationals should be mindful of their Schengen allowance days, as the limit for visa-exempt nationals to remain in Schengen countries is 90 days in a six-month period.
    
4. Malaysia: The Expatriate Services Division (ESD) of the Immigration Department of Malaysia has announced that, effective May 2, 2025, appeal submissions for rejected Employment Pass (EP) and Professional Visit Pass-Expert (PVP) applications can now be made directly through the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) online system.
    
5. Thailand: The Immigration Bureau of Thailand has shared guidelines for the new Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), which takes effect from May 1, 2025. This is an electronic version of the disembarkation card that foreign visitors are required to complete upon arrival in Thailand. The card serves as an official record of the traveler's entry and provides essential information to immigration authorities.
    
6. China: Envoy Global reports that Category A foreign nationals in Beijing (those who earn more than six times the local average salary) no longer need to submit tax documents for work permit extensions or cancellations. Tax compliance will now be verified through random checks, simplifying processes for high-earning foreign workers. This program may see possible expansion to other regions in the future. 
    
7. Singapore: Singapore's Changi airport is number one in the world again (for the 13th time!) There are spas, hotels, art exhibitions, a museum, a cinema, and even a dinosaur theme park. 
   
   In the housing world, Relocity notes that Singapore's private residential rental market has experienced a decline over the past 3-6 months. Rents decreased by 1.9% in Q1 2024, following a 2.1% drop in the previous quarter. This downward trend is largely due to an increased supply of completed private homes leading to higher vacancy rates. In particular, there's a 10% vacancy in the Core Central Region. As of Q1 2025, the median monthly rent for a three-bedroom condominium unit in District 2 (Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar) was approximately $6,800. 
   
   If you're looking for more on Singapore, you should also take a loot at this Destination Profile from WERC.
    
8. United States: Per Envoy Global, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin screening foreign nationals’ social media activity for antisemitism when evaluating immigration benefit requests. This move is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to combat antisemitism and protect the U.S. from foreign terrorists and national security threats. Be aware that moving forward USCIS will consider social media content that indicates a foreign national endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting anti-Semitic terrorism, anti-Semitic terrorist organizations, or other anti-Semitic activity as a negative factor in any USCIS discretionary analysis when adjudicating immigration benefit requests. For more information read “What Business Travelers and HR Teams Need to Know About Electronic Device Searches at U.S. Borders”.  
   
   Additionally, USCIS also announced that it has received enough registrations to meet the H-1B CAP (this includes the advanced degree exemption or Master’s CAP) and the H-2B Fiscal Year 2026. 
   
   Lastly, the Department of Homeland Security will soon begin to enforce the document requirements of the REAL ID Act for U.S. domestic air travelers age 18 or older – including U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and nonimmigrants. Beginning May 7, travelers who choose to use a U.S. state driver’s license or non-driver ID for domestic travel must show a REAL-ID compliant document to board a commercial air flight. Alternative identification documents acceptable for U.S. domestic air travel include a U.S. or foreign passport, a U.S. passport card, a Global Entry or other U.S. trusted traveler card, a permanent resident card (green card), and a USCIS employment authorization document (EAD), among others. You can learn more from Fragomen here.

Worldwide, due to U.S. and reciprocal tariffs, nearly 100 Asia-U.S. sailings have been cancelled this year. For context, this decline is sharper than we witnessed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ocean container bookings have decreased by over 60% in the past three weeks. Our partners have shared that on the international shipping side, they are experiencing rising costs and delays across Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas due to vessel shortages and congestion. Intra-Asia and Africa are facing feeder delays, container shortages, and inconsistent schedules. This situation has resulted in delays of at least two weeks in Trans-Pacific shipping. 

Companies should expect longer household goods transit times than the already extended times due to the ongoing Red Sea Crisis, which has prevented shipping lines from using the Suez Canal. Carriers are prioritizing premium space and dynamically adjusting routes, especially from China. The current advice is to book early to lock in space, build in lead-time flexibility, and consider air options to offset delays. 

Finally, we have some other resources for you below. If you're looking for guidance on some more specific global mobility topics, these are for you:

• AIRINC: What do companies need to take into consideration when structuring their Global Mobility function? Find out here.
• Mercer: Measuring the Return on Investment for Global Mobility. Access that here.
• Mercer: Dialogues, Part 1: Navigating a changing mobility landscape dives into the shifting patterns reshaping how companies approach talent mobility.
• WERC: The One Take: Updates from Capitol Hill on the Moving Expense Tax Deduction. Access that here.
• WERC: See reflections on U.S. immigration: “Challenges of U.S. Immigration Policy Shifts: WERC Pulse Survey Shows Concerning Outlook”.
• Fragomen: The report explores geopolitical instability, economic pressures, talent shortages, and heightened immigration compliance as the most pressing challenges facing businesses, governments and mobile talent worldwide. 2025 Worldwide Immigration Trends
• Atlas: Checkout the 58th edition of this annual survey: Corporate Relocation Survey 2025
• Plus Relocation: Our latest survey report, 2025 Global Mobility Trends & Insights: The Search for Equilibrium, brings together the voices of nearly 50 mobility leaders to uncover how programs are adapting, where challenges lie, and what strategies are driving success.