In October 2026, Fragomen updated its Japan alert to report approval of stricter permanent-residence requirements for applications submitted on or after 1 April 2027. The measures were previously described in July. Its summary includes income and projected pension-resource tests, with savings or other assets potentially addressing a pension shortfall, and greater emphasis on language ability and understanding of local rules. The update is an immigration firm’s summary rather than

In September 2026, TerraTern announced that it had placed more than 200 Indian nurses and physiotherapists in healthcare institutions in Germany and Austria. Its release, dated 25 September, describes language instruction, interview preparation, qualification recognition, visa assistance and settlement support in a combined pathway. It does not give the dates of individual placements, an independently audited count, comparable retention figures or a full breakdown by employer and destination. The

A timetable updated in September In September 2026, the UK government updated its implementation timetable for the Plan to Make Work Pay and the Employment Rights Act 2025. The document, updated on 25 September, lists measures already in force and the expected sequencing of later changes in 2026 and 2027. It expressly warns that future dates remain subject to parliamentary processes and can change. The timetable is a planning

EU social-security pass proposal could simplify evidence for mobile workers In September 2026, the European Commission proposed a Fair Labour Mobility package that includes a European Social Security Pass, or ESSPASS. Announced on 15 September, the proposal would allow people to request and receive social-security documents digitally, including the portable A1 document for posted workers and, later, the European Health Insurance Card. The package also addresses qualifications recognition and

Mobility no longer follows a simple assignment model The 2026 ECA Mobility Hub and a subsequent analysis by Blick Rothenberg, both published in September 2026, highlighted how cross-border remote work, short-term moves and frequent business travel have changed the operating model for global mobility. Employers can no longer rely on a small population of formally assigned expatriates. People cross borders for overlapping professional and personal reasons, while immigration, tax,

Rising medical costs and mounting duty-of-care obligations are pushing multinational employers to treat internationally mobile employee benefits as a governance priority rather than an administrative afterthought, according to WTW’s latest Internationally Mobile Employee Benefits Design Survey, published in September 2026. From Benefit Provision to Active Governance Though internationally mobile employees represent a small share of most workforces, their exposures can be outsized: a single medical event, evacuation or death

In July 2023, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for International Finance announced that the new agreement on taxation of frontier workers between Switzerland and Italy had entered into force on 17 July, with application from January 2024. The January milestone therefore concerned implementation of an established agreement. For multinational employers, the useful lesson is to identify the employees affected before turning a country announcement into a payroll instruction. Start with the

Spain published Royal Decree 316/2026 on 15 April 2026, creating exceptional residence pathways subject to specified conditions, with applications allowed until 30 June 2026. The provisions distinguish applicants for international protection from the extraordinary arraigo route. Eligibility is not established merely by being present in Spain. The text provides provisional permission to reside and work from the communication initiating processing under the relevant provision, pending a decision. This procedural

Spain’s Royal Decree 316/2026, published on 15 April 2026, revises the provision governing people holding temporary protection linked to displacement from Ukraine. It allows those holders to apply for stay and residence authorisations whose procedures can begin within Spain, following the relevant procedures. The provision includes routes under Law 14/2013. This is permission to seek another authorisation under its applicable rules. It should not be described as an automatic

Australia’s Migration Amendment (Training Visas—Sponsorship Requirements) Regulations 2026 were published on 10 March and take effect on 11 March 2026. For Training visa subclass 407 applications, the changes require the relevant sponsorship and nomination approvals to be in place before a valid visa application can be lodged, subject to the provisions and exceptions in the instrument. The practical change is the order of the process. Employers should not assume

The UK’s Statement of Changes HC 1691, laid on 5 March 2026, introduces targeted entry-clearance restrictions from 26 March 2026. The Student provisions concern nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. The Skilled Worker provision concerns nationals or citizens of Afghanistan. Applications made before commencement are subject to the stated transitional treatment. The scope matters. The text should not be described as a prohibition on every visa

The UK’s Statement of Changes HC 1691, published on 5 March 2026, raises English requirements to CEFR B2 for settlement in specified routes from 26 March 2027, subject to exemptions. The changes include route-specific provisions for speaking and listening. They should not be presented as a universal B2 requirement for every immigration application made in March 2026. Settlement is a separate stage from initial permission to work. Employers and

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower announced on 3 March 2026 that a new ONE Pass track for AI and technology talent would begin in January 2027 and replace Tech.Pass. The accompanying factsheet sets out company and individual criteria and allows qualifying remuneration to combine cash and specified non-cash components. Further details, including renewal criteria, are to follow. The announcement describes a future route. It does not establish that an applicant

On 3 March 2026, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower announced that eight additional occupations in food services, social services and air transportation would join the Non-Traditional Source Occupation List from September 2026. The factsheet retains an 8% NTS sub-Dependency Ratio Ceiling and a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD2,000 for workers employed under the list. The announcement concerns a specified Work Permit mechanism. It should not be interpreted as

Fragomen’s alert dated 27 February 2026 reports a new compliance requirement from 9 March for applications in Japan’s Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services category involving dispatch arrangements, including relevant employer-of-record arrangements. Pledges are required from both the dispatching company and the client company. The reported commitments concern accurate application documents, activities consistent with the immigration status and cooperation with immigration checks. The announcement should retain its category and arrangement boundaries.

The Immigration Services Agency’s notice dated 24 February 2026 addresses the duration of the permit held when seeking permanent residence. It ends the treatment of a three-year period of stay as the maximum authorised period from 1 April 2027, with transitional provisions for qualifying holders of three-year permits. This concerns the duration authorised on the current permit. It should not be confused with a universal requirement to have lived

Article 128 of France’s 2026 Finance Act, published in the official journal on 20 February 2026, changes residence-related charges from 1 May. In the ordinary first-issuance case, the residence tax is EUR 300 and the separate stamp duty EUR 50, producing EUR 350 where both apply. The ordinary renewal tax remains EUR 200, while the higher stamp duty makes the combined amount EUR 250 where both apply. Reduced rates

Immigration New Zealand’s announcement published on 18 February 2026 sets the immigration median wage at NZD 35 per hour from 9 March. It explains that the general AEWV median-wage requirement was removed in March 2025, while several immigration settings remain indexed to the measure. Those settings include certain Green List requirements, advertising and skills exemptions, some maximum-stay rules and income thresholds for supporting family members. The announcement also recognises

In August 2025, Germany’s DGUV described occupational health precautions required for work in tropical or subtropical conditions and other overseas locations involving particular climatic or infection hazards under ArbMedVV. The note corroborates the scope of an issue relayed in a December 2023 newsletter. It describes a risk-based requirement, rather than a universal examination for every foreign business trip or a new law introduced in December 2023. Start with the

In July 2025, EU authorities approved a progressive rollout of the Entry/Exit System and set 12 October 2025 as its start date. For travel and mobility teams, the two decisions belonged in one implementation record: the rollout framework explained the transition, while the later decision supplied the launch date. Read the dated development The framework provided for a progressive 180-day rollout. EES records entries and exits for specified non-EU

Poland’s Office for Foreigners announced EU Blue Card framework changes on 27 May 2025, with principal changes beginning on 1 June. For employers transferring highly qualified employees, the development required a fresh look at the actual immigration route rather than an assumption that an existing card permitted any local employment. Read the dated development The announcement described recognition of specified professional experience and provisions for short- and long-term mobility

Published in April 2025, OECD Taxing Wages 2025 provides an updated view of taxes and social contributions on employment income. It is a new annual dataset for reward and mobility comparisons. Its observations concern 2024, so the report’s publication year should not become the payroll year in an employer’s analysis. Read the dated development For a single worker on average earnings, the average OECD tax wedge was 34.9%, up

In October 2024, the UK Autumn Budget announced a replacement for the non-domiciled remittance-basis regime and changes to employer National Insurance, with key measures planned from 6 April 2025. HM Treasury’s original overview brings the mobility and payroll elements together. It is a historical announcement record, rather than a complete guide to an individual’s present tax position. Examine the employee population The announcement described a residence-based regime, including a

In June 2024, Germany’s official Make it in Germany portal described the new Opportunity Card for qualifying third country jobseekers. Initial job search residence can last up to twelve months, with secondary employment of up to twenty hours a week and limited job trials. Applicants may qualify through recognised skilled worker status or a points route with additional basic requirements. The practical recruitment lesson is to distinguish a person’s

In June 2024, Norway’s Ministry of Children and Families announced that the parental-benefit period at the 80 percent coverage level would increase from 295 to 306 benefit days from 1 July 2024. The stated objective was to bring the total payment broadly into line with the 100 percent option. The change concerned the relationship between replacement level and duration within the statutory system. Compare the whole benefit period A

In April 2024, the OECD published Taxing Wages 2024, comparing labour taxation across eight model household types using 2023 observations. For a single average wage worker without children, the OECD average tax wedge was 34.8% of labour cost. That measure combines employer and employee labour taxes and social contributions, net of family benefits. It is not an individual’s expatriate tax rate. Mobility teams can use the report to examine

In December 2023, the Guernsey Financial Services Commission issued a notice concerning the failure of GBG Insurance Limited. A separate update for TieCare policyholders said replacement cover was being finalised, rather than confirming completion. These are historical statements about a specific insurer and affected arrangements. For international medical programmes, they underline the need to verify the underwriting entity and the actual continuity position of each policy. Identify who carries