Lex Visas Weekly Immigration Roundup: Key Global Mobility & Immigration Updates | 28th August 2026

Latest Immigration Updates 2026 highlight how global mobility is becoming increasingly digital, regulated and strategically important for businesses managing international talent. This week’s key immigration developments span India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Czechia and Belgium, covering changes to airport immigration procedures, residence fees, work visa quotas, digital identification and labour shortage occupations.

For Indian companies expanding overseas, HR and global mobility teams managing international assignments, and professionals planning their next move abroad, understanding these changes is essential for avoiding delays, managing costs and maintaining compliance.

Here is this week’s Lex Visas Weekly Immigration Roundup.

India Goes Digital: No More Boarding Pass Stamping from 1 September

India is taking another step towards a more streamlined international travel experience. Effective 1 September 2026, the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) will discontinue the physical stamping of boarding passes for passengers departing India on international flights. International travellers will now be able to present their e-boarding pass on a smartphone during immigration clearance. Printed boarding passes will also continue to be accepted, but immigration officers will no longer stamp them. While this may appear to be a small procedural change, it reflects a broader move towards digitisation and more efficient passenger processing.

Removing the stamping requirement eliminates an additional physical step at immigration counters and can help reduce confusion caused by unclear or smudged stamps. For Indian corporates managing frequent international business travel and employee mobility, this means travel teams should update their internal pre-departure guidance. Employees travelling overseas can increasingly rely on digital documentation and should ensure their e-boarding passes are accessible before reaching immigration.

Japan Raises Residence and Permanent Residence Fees

Among the Latest Immigration Updates for 2026, Japan’s upcoming changes to immigration fees are particularly important for Indian professionals and companies managing long-term assignments. Japan is set to significantly increase the cost of several immigration procedures from 1 October 2026, affecting foreign nationals applying for permanent residence or renewing and changing their residence status. The most notable change is the increase in the Permanent Residence application fee from JPY 10,000 to JPY 200,000, a 20-fold jump. Fees for residence status renewals and changes will also move to a duration-based structure. Under the revised framework, fees for longer periods of stay will be considerably higher. For example, applications involving stays of five years or longer may cost up to JPY 75,000 at the counter, while online applications will carry a slightly lower fee.

This development is particularly relevant for Indian professionals working in Japan’s technology, engineering and specialised sectors, as well as companies sponsoring long-term expatriate assignments. For HR and mobility teams, the change highlights the importance of advance immigration planning and budgeting. Employees whose applications or renewals can be completed before the new fee structure takes effect may want to review their timelines immediately. Companies should also reassess assignment costs, especially where immigration expenses are covered as part of an international relocation package. Japan remains an important destination for skilled global talent, but the cost of maintaining long-term immigration status is becoming a more significant factor in mobility planning.

Saudi Arabia Immigration Updates 2026: Revised Work Visa Quotas

Saudi Arabia has introduced revised work visa quotas that could have a major impact on newly established companies and foreign businesses building operations in the Kingdom. Under the updated framework, businesses operating for less than two years may obtain up to five work visas, while companies operating for more than two years may obtain up to 50 work visas. Businesses participating in the Establishing Programme will initially receive two work visas, with opportunities to increase their quota as they progress and improve their Nitaqat or Saudization performance. The new system places greater emphasis on localisation and workforce planning.

Visa availability is no longer simply a matter of business expansion; a company’s ability to access additional foreign talent is increasingly connected to its compliance with Saudi employment localisation objectives. For Indian startups, technology companies and corporates looking to establish a presence in Saudi Arabia, this means international hiring plans must be developed alongside a clear Saudization strategy. Companies planning to deploy Indian specialists, technical experts or senior executives should carefully assess their available visa quota before committing to project timelines. Early-stage businesses, in particular, may face limitations if their expansion strategy relies heavily on foreign employees during the initial stages of operations.

Vietnam Expands VNeID Access for Foreign Nationals

Vietnam is removing an important administrative barrier for foreign nationals and international businesses. Effective 28 September 2026, foreign nationals who have legally entered or are legally residing in Vietnam will be eligible to apply for a Vietnam Electronic Identification (VNeID), account without needing to hold a Temporary Residence Card or Permanent Residence Card. Previously, the residence card requirement created challenges for foreign legal representatives who needed a personal VNeID account to establish an organisational Business VNeID account. Since Business VNeID has become an important access method for government portals, this restriction could prevent companies from completing certain immigration and corporate filings.

The revised rules therefore have significant implications for Indian business leaders, expatriate executives and foreign legal representatives operating in Vietnam. Eligible individuals may apply for Level 1 or Level 2 VNeID accounts. For corporate purposes, a Level 2 personal account is particularly important because it is required before a legal representative can register an organisational Business VNeID. For Indian companies with operations or planned expansion in Vietnam, the change could simplify digital government access and reduce the need for complex administrative workarounds. However, businesses should allow sufficient lead time for implementation, biometric registration and initial procedural adjustments.

Czechia: Temporary Job Vacancy Register Outage May Delay Processing

Czechia’s Central Register of Job Vacancies, known as EPMV, will be temporarily unavailable from 26 August to 4 September 2026 due to scheduled technical maintenance. The system plays an important role in several foreign national employment processes, meaning the outage could affect the processing of Employee Card applications, employer change notifications and related work authorisation procedures. Authorities will continue to accept Employee Card and EU Blue Card applications during the maintenance period. However, some cases may experience processing delays until access to the vacancy register is restored.

For Indian IT professionals, engineers and other skilled employees being transferred or hired in Czechia, employers should factor this temporary disruption into their onboarding and deployment timelines. Companies that need to publish a vacancy before filing may also need to wait until the system becomes operational again. HR and mobility teams should therefore review upcoming filing deadlines and avoid assuming that applications will progress at normal processing speeds during this maintenance window.

Belgium Opens Opportunities Through Updated Labour Shortage List

Another important development in the Latest Immigration Updates 2026 comes from Belgium, where changes to the labour shortage list could create new opportunities for skilled international professionals. The Brussels Capital Region has published its updated 2026 Labour Shortage Occupation List, identifying roles where employers face significant difficulty finding qualified workers. The updated list supports economic migration by helping employers access international talent for positions experiencing shortages. High-demand sectors, including areas such as IT, engineering and healthcare, are particularly relevant for Indian skilled professionals and multinational companies with talent mobility requirements.

For employers recruiting foreign nationals into eligible shortage occupations, inclusion on the list can make international hiring strategies more practical and reduce some of the barriers associated with recruiting from outside the local labour market. This creates an important opportunity for Indian professionals with specialised skills and for companies looking to transfer or recruit talent into Brussels. However, employers should still assess the specific role, regional requirements and applicable work authorisation procedures before initiating an application.

The Bigger Global Mobility Picture

These Latest Immigration Updates 2026 demonstrate how global mobility is evolving in different directions at the same time. India is simplifying the travel experience through digitalisation, while Vietnam is expanding digital access for foreign nationals. Belgium is opening pathways for international talent in shortage occupations. At the same time, Japan is increasing the financial cost of long-term residence, Saudi Arabia is tightening the connection between foreign hiring and localisation goals, and Czechia’s temporary system outage highlights how even technical disruptions can affect international workforce planning. For Indian companies and professionals, successful international expansion requires continuous monitoring of regulatory changes, digital immigration systems, workforce quotas, costs and processing timelines.

At Lex Visas, we continue to track important immigration and global mobility developments to help businesses and professionals stay prepared for what lies ahead. Stay tuned for next week’s Lex Visas Weekly Immigration Roundup, bringing you the latest developments shaping international travel, immigration and global workforce mobility.

Happy Raksha Bandhan to all!