ICYMI: Sept 17 - 30

Global relocation and employee expatriate assignments are undergoing a structural transformation and are under continual pressures. Driven by overlapping macroeconomic shocks, hardening political borders, and environmental volatility, the era of friction-free corporate mobility has ended. Organizations are shifting away from standardized operational structures to highly adaptive, risk-mitigated strategies. 

Monitoring the global environment is critical to running a global mobility program today because it protects employee safety, ensures legal compliance, and prevents costly business disruptions. Global immigration in 2026 has been marked by a sharply restrictionist shift, led by major destination countries tightening borders, cutting legal pathways, and stepping up enforcement.  

Let's look around and consider some of the latest changes and challenges impacting global mobility programs:

United States

• On Sept. 18, 2026, the White House issued a presidential proclamation extending its existing restrictions on the entry of certain H-1B workers for an additional 12 months. The proclamation extends a policy first introduced in September 2025 that generally limits the admission of certain H-1B beneficiaries outside the U.S. unless the sponsoring employer satisfies specified. Get more key takeaways here.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it has launched a new Trusted Traveler mobile app that combines application management and Global Entry arrival processing into a single platform for Trusted Traveler Program members. The new app replaces the Global Entry and Trusted Traveler Programs mobile apps today, Sept. 15, 2026.
• The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced an expansion of its visa screening and vetting procedures, extending mandatory social media review requirements to additional nonimmigrant visa categories beginning October 1, 2026. requirements. As part of the enhanced vetting process, applicants in the following categories are instructed to set all social media accounts and profiles to “public” or “open” so that consular officers can review available online content during the visa adjudication process. Effective October 1, 2026, DOS will broaden its review of applicants’ online presence to include:

1. I visas (foreign media representatives)
2. TN visas (USMCA professionals)
3. TD visas (dependents of TN professionals)

• For a deep dive on U.S. immigration check out the U.S. Department of State's Visa Bulletin for October 2026. The bulletin reflects continued forward movement across most China and India employment-based final action categories, including notable advancement in the EB-1 India category. India and China EB-1 Dates for Filing will advance seven months. The EB-2 China Date for Filing will advance one year, while the India EB-2 Date for Filing remains unchanged, and EB-2 Dates for Filing for all other countries retrogress by six and one-half months.

• Mixed signals on housing market? According to many, despite mortgage rates rising slightly and homes overall continuing to go up in value, just not as much, it's actually a great time to purchase. 

  ✅ Buyers have more leverage: Sellers outnumber buyers by about 58% nationally, creating a massive shift in negotiating power. 

  ✅ There is a growing inventory: Active U.S. housing listings have surged past 1.14 million to 1.62 million units, reaching 10-year highs. 

  ✅ Buyers are getting better concessions: Sellers are much more willing to offer price cuts, pay for home repairs, or cover closing costs. 

  ✅ There are fewer bidding wars: Average competition has dropped to about 2.1 offers per home, ending the frantic waiver-heavy days of the post-pandemic boom. 

Canada

• The federal government has clarified which entities qualify as employers for Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) purposes under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employment and Social Development Canada will focus on which entity controls the employment relationship in practice. Notably, staffing and employment agencies that recruit workers for other businesses are not considered employers under the program and therefore cannot obtain LMIAs for foreign workers who will ultimately work for a third-party business in Canada. Temporary foreign workers also cannot be classified as independent contractors to avoid payroll, tax or other program obligations.
• Employment and Social Development Canada published an update clarifying employer eligibility requirements under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, emphasizing that only entities with a genuine employer-employee relationship with a foreign national may be considered employers for Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) purposes.
• See updated global visa wait times here.
• Over the past two years, rents in Canada have declined 7.0%, falling to their lowest August level since 2022. ontreal posted the smallest annual decline among Canada's six largest markets, with apartment and condo rents down 1.1% year-over-year to $1,955. Toronto posted a slightly larger decline (-1.4%), although rents increased for 2-bedroom (+0.3%) and 3-bedroom (+3.5%) units. Rents rose month-over-month in four of the six largest markets, led by Ottawa (+1.1%) and Vancouver (+1.0%).

Peru

• Update September 28, 2026: The immigration authorities’ notification mailboxes are operational again. However, widespread processing delays continue across most immigration processes due to ongoing operational and staffing constraints. Employers and foreign nationals should continue to anticipate delays that may affect work authorization and payroll start dates. We are monitoring the situation and will report on relevant developments.

France

• Trade unions launched a nationwide strike affecting air travel, teachers, healthcare workers, and firefighters. Travelers in France face flight delays and cancellations on Tuesday, September 29, after aviation authorities ordered airlines to cut services during a nationwide public sector strike.

Portugal

• It’s been reported that cabin crew for budget airline easyJet are planning two walkouts in the autumn and winter in Portugal. The first will be between October 2-6 (which coincides with Portugal’s Republic Day celebrations on October 5), the second from December 19-23, clashing with the busy pre-Christmas travel window. 

Italy

• Air traffic controllers are due to strike across Italy tomorrow (9/30) for four hours, which could send airports into chaos. The strike will take place between 1pm and 5pm with the main airports expected to be impacted including Rome, Naples, Milan and Venice.

Denmark

• Denmark has introduced a new digital family immigration application system that will become mandatory in October 2026. The digital MF4 application became available on Sept. 14, 2026, and applicants must use the digital platform beginning Oct. 14, 2026. Eligible applicants can use the platform for both initial and extension applications.  
• Copenhagen are rising steadily by 2.7% year-over-year as pf mid-2026, driven by strong in-migration, low vacancy rates, and a slowdown in new housing completions. The strongest rental growth has been observed among smaller flats, which command the lowest nominal rents. In the most desirable central Copenhagen districts, smaller units now achieve rents around 3,300 DKK/sqm/year, while comparable units in the Copenhagen environs achieve approximately 2,500 DKK/sqm/year.  

Saudi Arabia

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has introduced a new work visa quota framework for newly established businesses. Under the updated rules, the number of work visas available to employers will depend on how long the business has been operating and whether it participates in the government’s Establishing Programme. The changes are intended to align foreign hiring with employers’ progress under the Nitaqat nationalization system. 

  Saudi Arabia’s expatriate jobs boom is fading as economic uncertainty from the Iran war deepens a hiring slowdown already underway after cutbacks at state-funded companies, recruiters have told AGBI.

China

• On September 21, 2026, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced the launch of a national online residence registration portal for foreign nationals staying outside hotels. Where foreign nationals stay in hotels in China, the hotels must register their accommodation. For foreign nationals who stay in accommodation other than hotels, they or their hosts must carry out registration within 24 hours after arrival.

• China’s new rules governing exit and entry intermediaries are now in force, bringing immigration and emigration agencies back under a national filing system eight years after the country abolished its previous licensing regime. The changes took effect on September 15, 2026, under State Council Order No. 841, which introduced a wider set of rules covering Chinese citizens leaving the country, foreigners entering China, and businesses providing exit and entry intermediary services. The day before the new framework took effect, the National Immigration Administration, or NIA, and the State Administration for Market Regulation published detailed filing measures setting out how intermediary companies and their personnel must register.

• Shift in Western vs. Global South Demographics: Traditional long-term Western corporate expatriates in major hubs like Shanghai have continued to decline or shrink, while the presence of students, remote workers, and individuals from the Global South, Russia, and neighboring Asian nations has grown.

Japan

• Japan is implementing sweeping, stricter immigration and residency reforms under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with major changes taking effect on October 1, 2026. Many feel that the new rules are too strict and expect the number of people qualifying for permanent residency to drastically drop.

Malaysia

• The Expats Service center of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has issued a reminder that, effective September 21, 2026, all clients who wish to conduct any transaction at the Immigration Counter must make an appointment through the online appointment system before visiting the counter, using this link.
• Central Kuala Lumpur rents hit a seven-year high in early 2024, driven by returning expatriates, post-pandemic economic recovery, and strong demand for luxury city-centre units, but growth has since slowed and rents are now stabilising at elevated levels. IQI expects rents to stay stable through the second half of 2026, with quality units still available in the RM3,000–5,000 monthly range, while luxury units command more than RM10,000.

Australia

• The Australian Government has announced a new package of migration reforms designed to further reduce Net Overseas Migration (NOM), strengthen compliance measures, and enhance the integrity of Australia’s migration system. According to the government, recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data show that Net Overseas Migration has fallen to approximately 292,000, representing a 47% decrease from the post-pandemic peak reached in 2023. The government stated that the new measures are intended to support its migration forecasts of 245,000 for the current financial year and 225,000 for 2027-28.
• Rents in Sydney: Sydney's rental market remains exceptionally tight. We're also seeing modest rental growth. Sydney's median weekly rent sits at $850 to $883 for houses and $780 to $783 for units, making it Australia's most expensive rental market. The biggest adjustments are occurring when long-term tenants of three years or more vacate. In some cases, rents have reset 20-30% higher when brought back to current market levels.

Lastly, per Voronoi, in 2023, 450 natural disasters were recorded — the highest annual total in the dataset. In comparison, only 21 disasters were recorded in 1930. Over nearly a century, the annual number of recorded disasters increased by more than 21 times, highlighting a significant long-term rise in global disaster events. Last year (2025) set the record for most extreme weather events. It will be interesting to see how 2026 turns out - Our World in Data track these figures retrospectively.