Canada’s Rural Community Immigration Pilot closes on 31 December 2026 and reopens as the permanent Rural Community Immigration Program on 1 January 2027, retaining all 14 pilot communities and allocating 5,500 permanent residence spaces for 2027. Applicants need a job offer from a designated employer and a community recommendation certificate, plus work experience, language, education, and settlement funds requirements.

Immigration New Zealand has tightened eligibility for nine partnership-based visa categories, requiring both partners to be at least 18 at application and recognising only evidence gathered after both turned 18. The rules effectively set a minimum age of 19 for partnership-based residence and do not apply to applications lodged before 25 September 2026.

A Department of Labor final rule that would raise prevailing wage floors for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, and PERM workers has entered OMB review, the final step before Federal Register publication. If finalized as proposed, Level I would rise from the 17th to the 34th percentile, with implementation potentially timed to the 2027 H-1B cap season.

Oman has introduced new residence permit provisions for qualifying foreign investors and property owners in Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, alongside workforce planning, Omanisation, and reporting requirements. The changes sit under OPAZ Decision No. 81/2026 implementing Royal Decree 38/2025, and it remains unclear whether the residency route operates under Oman's existing long-term programme or as a separate pathway.

France has implemented wide-ranging immigration reforms through Décret n° 2026-1001, effective 30 October 2026. Temporary Worker permit holders gain three months of unemployment protection and EU Blue Card holders six months, while new ICT salary thresholds and a UK posting work permit exemption are legally enacted but await implementing texts before they can be applied.

Uzbekistan has imposed temporary restrictions on visa issuance and entry for Nigerian citizens, according to a notice on the GETCA exhibition website. Similar notices reportedly affect Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Iraq, and Bangladesh. No official explanation has been published by Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry, and affected travellers are advised to contact the embassy consular section regarding exceptional entry.

India has amended its immigration exemption rules, providing conditional passport and visa relief to certain Pakistani nationals, registered Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, and long-term residents, while making visas mandatory for six non-Muslim communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The order also tightens documentation rules for travel across the India–Nepal and India–Bhutan borders.

Bulgaria has announced a consular capacity increase and a new electronic appointment system for Turkish Schengen visa applicants, while Germany has instructed its units to fast-track business travel visas and is considering an additional mission in Türkiye. Here is what is changing and when.

Ireland Employment Permits Portal Offline After Unauthorised Activity: Processing Continues, New Applications Blocked

Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan maintains 380,000 permanent residents and 370,000 new temporary residents annually, while shifting economic allocations toward provinces and adding a time-limited 200,000-space measure for people already in Canada. PNP rises to 95,000, Atlantic Immigration to 6,000, and Federal High Skilled falls to 100,000.

Canada has doubled the maximum Low-Wage Stream LMIA duration to two years and added early childhood educators to the exceptions to the high-unemployment processing freeze, effective 6 November 2026. Proposed regional reforms for 1 March 2027 would give provinces and territories greater control over low-wage hiring, including a possible 15% cap in designated communities.

South Africa has expanded its Electronic Travel Authorisation to 53 countries and will decommission the old e-Visa platform on 1 December 2026. The ZAR 500 ETA fee applies to visa-required nationals, while visa-exempt travellers such as French citizens can use it optionally. New features allow family and minor applications, including biometrics for children aged seven and over.

Saudi Arabia has launched “Absher Travel for Visitors,” allowing travellers entering by land to complete registration and vehicle insurance through the Absher app before arrival. The service becomes mandatory six months after its 26 October 2026 launch, pointing to late April 2027. Here is how the service works and what travellers should do now.

Liberia has introduced a mandatory health declaration and screening for all arriving travelers under Travel Advisory No. 02 on the Threat of an Ebola Outbreak. An online NPHIL form generates a QR code for arrival, while travelers from the DRC must self-isolate for 21 days and those from Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria face daily monitoring for 21 days.

Japan is unlikely to raise the Specified Skilled Worker Type I cap for food service, Minister Kimi Onoda has said, arguing that demand should decline as productivity and AI improve. The restaurant sector reached its 50,000 cap in April 2026 and remains closed to new applications, while meal services at medical and welfare facilities are being addressed through a separate arrangement from April 2027.

Australia has tightened the Training (subclass 407) visa again. From 12 November 2026, most applicants must be outside Australia when applying and when the visa is granted. The change follows March 2026 reforms requiring both Temporary Activities Sponsorship and subclass 407 nomination approval before a valid visa application can be lodged.

Saudi Arabia has confirmed a two-phase increase in the Nitaqat salary threshold: SAR 5,000 from 25 April 2027 and SAR 6,000 from 25 April 2028. Employees earning between the old and new thresholds will count as half a worker. Employers should review salaries and model their Nitaqat classification before the first phase begins.

Cuba's new e-visa portal is live at consular.cu with three visa categories, group applications and consular-managed payment.

India plans to cut visa application fields by 70% across all 22 categories by 2027, though nothing has been formally announced.

Ireland's Employment Permits Portal remains offline after unauthorised activity. Processing continues, but restoration is delayed and no new date is set.

Brazil creates a dedicated residence pathway for foreign workers on qualifying megaevents, covering locally employed workers and technical assistance providers.

A practical 2026 holiday travel guide for foreign nationals: passport validity, visa re-entry, AVR, ESTA, EVUS, SEVIS and I-94 rules.

The UK confirms a 10-year standard pathway to settlement, with 3-year and 5-year routes for high earners and public-service workers.