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Study Abroad

Canada Raises Study Permit Living Funds to $23,448 From 1 September 2026

IRCC raised the study permit living-cost floor to CAD 23,448 for a single applicant outside Quebec from 1 September 2026. Tuition and travel sit on top of this figure. File today with the new table, six-month bank records, and a clear plan for later years.

Sep 1, 20265 min read

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Policy Updates

UK Work Visas Fall to 234,841 as Home Office Care Route Collapses

The Home Office published year-ending June 2026 statistics on 27 August. Work visas fell to 234,841. Care-worker grants collapsed to 344 after the July 2025 overseas recruitment ban. Check your SOC code and five-year ILR clock now.

Aug 31, 20265 min read

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Citizenship & Permanent Residence

Japan Raises Permanent Residence Fee to 200,000 Yen From 1 October 2026

Japan's Cabinet set a 200,000 yen permanent residence fee on 25 August 2026, up from 10,000 yen, starting 1 October. Renewal fees also leave the old 6,000 yen flat rate. File before 30 September to keep current prices.

Aug 30, 20264 min read

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Policy Updates

Immigration Rules in the U.S., Belgium, the Philippines, and Australia Are Changing in August 2026

Discover why major immigration policy shifts in the U.S., Belgium, the Philippines, and Australia are redefining international work permits, e-visas, and priority processing in August 2026.

Aug 30, 20264 min read

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Policy Updates

Immigration Rules in the U.S., Poland, Belgium, and Sweden Are Tightening in August 2026

Discover why major immigration policy shifts in the U.S., Poland, Belgium, and Sweden are redefining international work permits and visa compliance in August 2026.

Aug 29, 20263 min read

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Policy Updates

Global Immigration & Mobility Flash Alert: U.S., Belgium, China & Croatia Policy Overhauls

Review August 2026 global immigration policy updates, covering U.S. consular pauses, Belgian biometric frontier worker cards, China transit rules, and Croatian single permit reforms.

Aug 28, 20263 min read

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Policy Updates

US DHS H-1B Program Overhaul & Strict CPT Mandate, South Africa Digital Visa Fee Enactment (August 26, 2026 Edition)

Regulatory filings from official government gazettes and global mobility channels highlight a major tightening of US nonimmigrant and foreign student work rules, alongside South Africa's formal gazetting of a digital immigration fee structure. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted a regulatory overhaul of H-1B visas to OMB targeting cap exemptions and third-party site placements, while issuing restrictive criteria for F-1 student CPT approvals. Concurrently, South Africa's Department of Home Affairs enacted digital processing fees across online visa and ETA portals.

Aug 26, 20262 min read

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Policy Updates

US Visa Ban Vacatur, Saudi Project Management Quotas, Australia MD 119 Onshore Shift, and Thailand Visa Reforms Are Redefining Corporate Mobility

Late-August 2026 global mobility dispatch: A US Federal District Court vacates the State Department's blanket 75-country immigrant visa suspension; Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources issues expanded Saudization rules for Project Management and corporate activities; Australia's Department of Home Affairs implements Ministerial Direction 119 establishing an onshore-first priority processing framework; and Thailand's Cabinet approves structural revisions to its visa-free entry categories.

Aug 25, 20263 min read

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Policy Updates

OCI Overhauls, EU Single Permits, Digital Nomad Visas, and Talent Gateways Are Redefining Global Mobility: India, Croatia, South Korea, and UK 2026

Late-August 2026 global mobility dispatch: India's Ministry of Home Affairs fully enacts modernized Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) rules alongside digital e-Arrival Card mandates; Croatia implements major statutory amendments to its Law on Foreigners in alignment with the EU Single Permit Directive; South Korea codifies its permanent Workcation (Digital Nomad) Visa route; and the UK Home Office expands Global Talent Visa endorsement pathways for fast-growth tech enterprises.

Aug 23, 20263 min read

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Immigration and Visa Policy 2026

New Work Restrictions and Digital Visa Systems Are Changing Global Mobility: Poland, South Africa, Ontario, and Thailand

Today's global mobility dispatch: Poland's statutory ban on visa-free employment for select foreign nationals takes full legal effect today, August 22, 2026; South Africa's Department of Home Affairs gazettes proposed fee schedules establishing a ZAR 500 Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) framework; Ontario officially replaces its legacy Employer Job Offer stream with the new OINP Workforce Priority Stream; and Thailand extends stay and work authorizations for regional workers through December 2027.

Aug 22, 20263 min read

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Policy Updates

Skilled Residence Overhauls and Visa Bulletin Freezes Are Shaping Global Mobility: NZ, UK, U.S and Pakistan 2026

Late-August 2026 global mobility dispatch: Immigration New Zealand (INZ) launches two brand-new Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence pathways for trade technicians and experienced workers; the UK Home Office grants official dependant rights to UK-born children of Graduate Route permit holders; the U.S. Department of State freezes EB-2 and EB-5 India adjustment filings due to FY2026 quota exhaustion; and Pakistan officially enacts its National Immigration Policy 2026 alongside gazetted citizenship gender parity reforms.

Aug 21, 20263 min read

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Policy Updates

New Visa Bonds and Compliance Shifts Are Restructuring Global Travel: U.S., India, Singapore, and Spain Update Rules

Mid-August 2026 global mobility dispatch: The U.S. Department of State codifies its $20,000 B-1/B-2 Visa Bond final rule while USCIS permits direct petition denials; India expands designated e-Visa entry ports to 88 locations; Singapore's Ministry of Manpower enforces Phase 2 COMPASS point scoring for EP renewals; and Spain's Official State Gazette (BOE) publishes final operational directives terminating real estate Golden Visas while accelerating Digital Nomad renewals.

Aug 19, 20263 min read

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