This article is part of a recurring series highlighting recent talent mobility industry reports. If you would like the WERC editorial team to consider covering a specific industry report, email mobility@talenteverywhere.org.
As 2026 begins, global immigration has moved decisively from an operational concern to a strategic pillar of business resilience. Persistent geopolitical conflict, economic realignment, and regulatory volatility have transformed global mobility into a continuous exercise in risk management and value creation. What were once episodic disruptions—pandemics, trade disputes, regional conflicts—are now structural features of the global economy.
In this environment, companies are rethinking how they attract, deploy, and retain talent across borders. Immigration policy has become a competitive tool for governments and a strategic constraint for employers. Organizations that succeed will be those that integrate immigration strategy with long-term business planning, compliance governance, and workforce analytics. In this Worldwide Immigration Trends report, Fragomen examines three main challenges reshaping global mobility today.
Challenge 1: Sourcing Talent in a Changing World
Geopolitical Volatility as a Permanent Condition
Geopolitical instability has become a defining feature of workforce planning. Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, coupled with sanctions and nationality-based restrictions, continue to disrupt employee mobility, delay visa processing, and force rapid redeployment. Crisis response has become a standard component of global mobility programs rather than an exception.
Data underscores this shift. Fragomen’s Knowledge Advisory group, between 2022 and 2025, fielded nearly twice as many requests as it did in 2018-2021, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting how frequently companies must now relocate or “park” employees in third countries while awaiting visa approvals. These dynamics require mobility teams to operate with real-time situational awareness and pre-approved contingency plans.
Economic Realignment and the Rise of New Talent Hubs
Economic policy shifts and trade realignments are accelerating the redistribution of global talent. Persistent tariff pressures and supply chain diversification away from China have pushed investment toward Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Latin America. Electronics manufacturing has expanded in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia, while consumer goods and energy investment is rising in Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
Governments are responding by recalibrating immigration systems to attract specialized talent. New or expanded programs—such as South Korea’s K-Tech Pass, the EU Blue Card, Australia’s National Innovation Visa, and the UAE’s Golden Visa—signal an increasingly competitive global race for skills. At the same time, countries like India and Canada are strengthening pathways that connect education, work authorization, and permanent residence.
A Dual Immigration Landscape: Complexity and Opportunity
Immigration systems are becoming simultaneously more complex and more enabling. On one hand, employers face stricter eligibility criteria, expanded documentary requirements, and new reporting obligations throughout the employment life cycle. Departure notifications, labor market testing, posted worker rules, and tighter permanent residence requirements increase compliance risk and administrative burden.
On the other hand, many jurisdictions are digitizing processes, expanding eligibility, and collaborating more closely with businesses to attract high-value talent. Countries that successfully balance compliance rigor with process efficiency are emerging as preferred destinations for global employers.
Solutions to Challenge 1: Building Resilient Talent Strategies
Leading organizations are embedding immigration and mobility planning into enterprise-wide risk and workforce strategies. By integrating labor analytics, geopolitical monitoring, and crisis planning, companies can anticipate disruptions rather than merely react to them.
Key approaches include diversifying geographic talent concentration, engaging with universities and government training initiatives, and aligning site-selection decisions with immigration feasibility. Mobility teams are increasingly involved in strategic decisions about where to locate R&D, manufacturing, and shared services, ensuring that workforce plans reflect regulatory realities.
Challenge 2: Redefining Value amid Cost Constraints and Talent Shortages
Rising Costs and Structural Talent Shortages
The cost of global mobility has surged to levels that challenge traditional assignment models. Average relocation costs now approach $77,000 per employee and can exceed $300,000 for long-term assignments. At the same time, 74% of employers report difficulty finding the talent they need, and the global economy faces a projected shortfall of 85 million workers by 2030.
Government policy has compounded these pressures. Salary thresholds and application fees have risen sharply in major destination markets. In the U.K., the Skilled Worker visa minimum salary level has increased to 41,700 pounds, a nearly 50% increase since 2023. In the U.S., immigration fees for certain visa categories have jumped dramatically, reshaping cost-benefit calculations for employers.
From Tactical Decisions to Strategic Trade-offs
These escalating costs have shifted immigration decisions from tactical questions—who to move and how many—to strategic determinations about whether to proceed at all. Startups and smaller firms are disproportionately affected, narrowing access to international talent and potentially constraining innovation.
Inflation and housing shortages further complicate assignments, particularly in high-cost markets such as the U.S. and U.K. Rising living expenses often require enhanced allowances, inflating total assignment costs and increasing the risk of early assignment failure.
Solutions to Challenge 2: Measuring ROI and Rethinking Mobility Models
To sustain global mobility, companies are adopting data-driven approaches to measure return on investment. Despite the scale of spending, most organizations still lack robust metrics to assess assignment outcomes such as retention, productivity gains, leadership development, or time-to-fill reductions.
Forward-looking employers are reframing mobility costs as long-term investments rather than discretionary expenses. This mindset supports more disciplined decision-making and closer alignment with business strategy.
Geographic diversification is also key. Companies are expanding into lower-cost, high-skill regions such as Southeast Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Nearshoring and offshore hubs in countries like Mexico, Brazil, India, and the Philippines provide access to talent while reducing immigration friction and cost exposure.
Flexible mobility models—including short-term assignments, delayed relocations, remote-first roles, and permanent residence pathways—are replacing traditional long-term expatriate models. These approaches preserve access to global expertise while controlling costs and compliance risk.
Challenge 3: Navigating the Evolving Compliance Landscape
Heightened Enforcement and Localization Pressures
Immigration compliance has become a central strategic risk. Governments are expanding audit powers, increasing penalties, and tightening verification procedures. Even minor administrative errors can now result in fines, reputational damage, or operational delays.
Simultaneously, many jurisdictions are intensifying localization efforts, prioritizing domestic employment amid political pressure and shifting labor market conditions. Nationalization policies in the Middle East, tighter sponsorship rules in Europe, and evolving family reunification and citizenship requirements reflect this trend.
Blurred Responsibilities and Digital Complexity
Compliance obligations are increasingly shared between employers and employees, with expanded documentation requirements and evolving digital systems. The growth of electronic travel authorizations and digital arrival cards introduces new pre-travel compliance steps that, if missed, can result in denied entry.
While digitalization promises efficiency, implementation remains uneven. System outages, restricted access for non-local employers, and reliance on intermediaries continue to strain mobility teams, even as governments adopt AI-driven processing and border control tools.
Solutions to Challenge 3: Compliance as a Strategic Capability
Organizations are responding by centralizing immigration tracking, adopting automated compliance systems, and strengthening collaboration among legal, HR, and mobility teams. Real-time monitoring of visa conditions, work authorization status, and employee location reduces the risk of inadvertent noncompliance.
Staying attuned to political trajectories and regulatory trends allows companies to anticipate where barriers may rise or fall. Demonstrating compliance with localization requirements can also strengthen relationships with regulators and signal commitment to domestic labor markets.
Immigration Strategy as Business Strategy
The global immigration environment in 2026 is no longer a backdrop to business operations—it is a defining force shaping competitiveness, resilience, and growth. Talent shortages, rising costs, geopolitical uncertainty, and regulatory complexity demand a more integrated, strategic approach to mobility.
Organizations that treat immigration as a core business function—aligned with workforce planning, risk management, and long-term investment—will be best positioned to thrive. By embracing data-driven decision-making, geographic diversification, flexible mobility models, and proactive compliance, companies can transform immigration from a constraint into a source of strategic advantage.