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.
Newland Chase’s 2025 Global Mobility and Immigration Survey captures the realities organizations face in managing international workforces in an environment shaped by economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, regulatory changes, and other challenges. Nearly all the survey’s respondents, most of whom work directly in global mobility or immigration and represent large multinationals, rely on external partners to support immigration work, underscoring how specialized and resource-intensive the field has become. Confidence in internal immigration policies is generally strong, though not absolute, signaling that many organizations believe they are prepared but still acknowledge gaps.
Pressures on Processing Capacity
Processing delays remain the top challenge, as indicated by respondents. Across major destinations, applicants continue to encounter long queues, understaffed consulates, and unpredictable turnaround times that complicate business planning. These delays also strain internal teams responsible for managing global assignments, who must repeatedly adjust start dates, payroll timelines, relocation logistics, and onboarding plans.
Many respondents indicated the need to begin planning significantly earlier than in previous years to ensure operational continuity. The uncertainty around processing time is compounded by the broader volatility in travel and immigration regimes. Employers now see delays not simply as an administrative hurdle but as a strategic risk that can disrupt hiring plans and erode employee experience.
A Shifting Compliance Environment for Remote Work
The rapid expansion of remote and hybrid work continues to reshape immigration compliance, emerging as another top concern among global mobility professionals. Remote employees working outside their home jurisdiction, even informally or for short periods, may trigger immigration, tax, and social security obligations that employers must navigate carefully. Many organizations report struggling to define clear parameters, responsibilities, and governance frameworks for remote work.
Digital nomad visas add another layer of complexity: While attractive for employees, these visas often create corporate tax and regulatory exposure that companies are hesitant to accept. As a result, the survey reveals strong demand for clearer policies, pre-travel assessment tools, and better education for both managers and employees on the risks of unapproved cross-border work.
Regulatory Change and Geopolitical Uncertainty
Regulatory change remains a persistent source of pressure. Shifting skilled worker rules, evolving points systems, revised labor market tests, and new documentary requirements all impose additional burdens on employers. Data governance and technology regulation are rising priorities as well, with new frameworks demanding stronger controls on personal data and algorithmic transparency in mobility workflows.
Respondents also flagged geopolitical volatility, including conflict-driven travel disruptions, sudden border restrictions, and heightened security screening. While organizations cannot control these external factors, many expressed a desire for more robust risk-monitoring systems and scenario-planning tools to help anticipate disruptions.
Cost Management and Operational Efficiency
Cost pressure has emerged as a core mobility driver, fueled by fee increases, inflation, higher relocation expenses, and budgetary constraints. Respondents said they were being asked to streamline mobility programs, improve forecasting accuracy, consolidate vendors, and find operational efficiencies while still delivering strong employee support.
Many organizations are evaluating automation to improve case management, reduce manual work, and generate better data for cost analysis. Cost considerations also extend to the selection of assignment types, with companies increasingly exploring short-term assignments, local-plus packages, and virtual assignments as alternatives to traditional long-term expatriate postings.
Evolving Talent Strategy and Leadership Development
One of the strongest themes revealed by the survey is the increasing integration of mobility into broader talent strategy. Many companies now view global assignments as essential tools for leadership development, knowledge transfer, and global collaboration. Building globally experienced leadership pipelines ranked among the highest strategic objectives reported.
Organizations want mobility programs that support succession planning, drive cross-cultural skill development, and enhance employee retention. At the same time, mobility is being reshaped by employee expectations for flexibility, transparency, and career relevance. Mobility teams are therefore under pressure to design programs that balance business needs with employee experience.
Organizational Drivers Reshaping Mobility Programs
The top internal drivers influencing mobility and immigration programs include company growth, hiring plans, cost constraints, and employee retention. Corporate restructuring and mergers also play a significant role, particularly for companies expanding into new markets or consolidating operations globally.
Many respondents noted that leadership expectations are evolving. Executives now expect mobility teams to provide strategic insights rather than purely administrative support. Teams are also being tasked with building stronger governance structures and increasing cross-functional collaboration companywide.
Increasing Complexity in Internal Operations
Respondents shared insights into the internal frictions complicating mobility work, including system integration challenges, fragmented data sources, inconsistent regional processes, and limited coordination between mobility, HR, and legal functions. The need to align mobility policies with remote work frameworks has added further complexity. Rising demands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; aligned mobility practices; more flexible policy structures; and enhanced duty of care have increased the workload of already stretched teams. Organizations are exploring centralization, digital tools, and new governance structures to streamline operations.
Priorities and Recommendations for the Future
The survey’s findings point to several priorities for organizations preparing for 2026:
- Earlier planning and proactive scheduling are essential to counter persistent processing delays.
- Robust remote work governance must be treated as a compliance imperative, not an optional policy update.
- Organizations should strengthen data-governance frameworks and prepare for ongoing regulatory expansion, particularly around AI and privacy.
- Cost-control measures must be integrated into program design, supported by automation and improved analytics.
- Mobility programs should continue shifting toward strategic alignment with talent development, leadership pipelines, and organizational resilience.
Companies that adapt to these expectations will be better positioned to support global workforce needs in an increasingly complex mobility ecosystem.