ICYMI: July 10 - 23

Global mobility, the ability for employees to work across borders, offers some major strategic advantages. It supports talent acquisition, fuels innovation, enables market growth, and enhances workforce deployment. Just as importantly, it boosts retention by offering employees valuable international experience. 

Assignments and transfers are more than just logistical events. They’re catalysts for skill development and broadened worldviews. Mobile employees often elevate team performance at host locations by sharing their knowledge, introducing diverse perspectives, and raising the bar for those around them.

But keeping up with global mobility trends and disruptions is no small task. To help, here’s a roundup of the most important developments you might have missed:

Household goods shipping:

• EV and Hybrid Vehicle Shipping: Several ocean carriers - including Matson - are suspending the transport of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The culprit? Lithium-ion battery fire hazards. These suspensions, now affecting routes to and from destinations, including Hawaii, could become an industry-wide trend.
• North America: New shipping alliances have altered port availability and service reliability. Transatlantic routes remain overbooked; be prepared for possible delays, rate increases, and potential booking cancellations.
• Asia, Oceania, & Middle East: Cape of Good Hope reroutes are now standard, with longer transit times expected. Severe congestion at transshipment ports in Asia and Europe is causing frequent cargo rollovers. Services to the Middle East are especially constrained due to omitted port calls and void sailings. Delays and longer booking lead times are common for Oceania and Mediterranean-bound shipments.

Passports

• Singapore has claimed the title of the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 193 out of 227 destinations worldwide, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. The annual ranking, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can enter without requiring a prior visa. Asian countries continue to lead the global mobility race, with Japan and South Korea tied for second place, each providing visa-free access to 190 destinations.

Portugal 

• Portugal has implemented significant changes to its immigration laws, primarily focused on tightening residency and citizenship requirements and adjusting visa pathways. These changes affect both new applicants and those already in the process of obtaining residency or citizenship. The emphasis is now on attracting highly skilled talent, potentially straining industries dependent on lower-skilled labor. The Portuguese Immigration Authority (AIMA) has launched a new portal for residence permit renewals. Applicants register and receive system access credentials by email.

European Union 

• On July 18, 2025, the Council of the European Union officially adopted a regulation to implement the Entry/Exit System (EES), a new digital border management tool designed to enhance security and streamline checks at the EU’s external borders. The EES is a biometric-based digital system that records the entry and exit of non-EU nationals traveling for short stays in the Schengen Area.
• The European Commission announced that the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) fee will be 20 euros, an increase from the previously listed 7 euros. The fee will go into effect as soon as ETIAS is operational, currently projected for the end of 2026.

Italy

• A nationwide four-hour air travel strike, focused on pay and labor rights, will likely disrupt airports in Rome, Milan, Venice, and beyond on Saturday, July 26. Delays and cancellations could send thousands of European travelers scrambling on one of the summer’s peak travel days.

Indonesia

• Foreign nationals can apply for a limited stay visa (Vitas) to attend non-formal education programs such as language classes or professional courses to support their careers. Residence permits from visas with the E30 index can be granted for one or two years. 

China

• Reports indicate that China has been increasingly using exit bans, a practice where individuals are prevented from leaving the country due to legal or political reasons. BlackRock recently told staff traveling to China for business trips to use temporary loaner phones and not to take company laptops, underscoring growing concern among some global firms about employees working there. Wells Fargo recently stopped staffers from traveling to China after one of its top trade financing bankers was blocked from leaving the country. China also blocked a US citizen who works for the Commerce Department from leaving the nation for several months.

United States

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released an alert on updated policy guidance for the TN visa program under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) clarifying eligibility, filing procedures, and occupational criteria for Canadian and Mexican professionals seeking employment in the United States.
• USCIS recently published a new edition of Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, removing fee waiver eligibility for Form I-131 for certain nonimmigrants.
• A new U.S. policy introducing a non-waivable $250 “visa integrity fee” for nonimmigrant visa applicants — particularly from African nations — has drawn sharp criticism for raising barriers to travel, education, and business.
• USCIS received enough petitions to reach FY 2026 H-1B cap. 
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted an advance copy of a Federal Register Notice (FRN) implementing new immigration-related fees under the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill, a.k.a. the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1). The FRN is scheduled to be published July 22. In a news release published July 21, USCIS announced these fees will apply to certain immigration benefit requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025.  
• Make note…starting July 30th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will only accept the Jan. 20, 2025, edition of Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.

New Zealand

• On Monday July 14, 2025, the Government announced the International Education Going for Growth Plan. As part of this plan, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is:
  • Allowing students to work more hours
  • Extending work rights to all tertiary students in approved exchange or Study Abroad programs (including 1-semester courses)
  • Clarifying that changing education providers or lowering their level of study requires a new student visa
• The government has updated requirements related to the Active Investor Plus Visa to provide greater clarity around on-call investments and property development requirements. 

Sweden

• Effective May 21, 2026, Sweden is expected to implement numerous changes to single permits. Single permits will no longer be tied to a specific employer or profession. Foreign nationals who have had a Swedish single permit for more than two years will be able to retain their permit for six months after becoming unemployed – up from the current three months. 

United Kingdom

• By the end of 2024, the UK will phase out physical immigration documents (Biometric Residence Cards, Biometric Residence Permits, passport endorsements, and physical ‘vignette’ visa stickers). Starting in 2025, the immigration status of all persons will be recorded electronically and will be accessible through an online United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, linked to the individual's travel document. 

Salary Thresholds

• From minimum salaries for visa categories to the ever-confusing “actual vs. prevailing wage” calculations, staying compliant is complex. Fifty-six countries have recently updated their salary requirements. If you’re hiring or relocating international talent, make sure you’re not behind the curve.