Global Mobility Trends in 2025: What Changed, What’s Next, and How Companies Are Managing in 2026?

Global mobility trends last year were influenced by significant economic uncertainty, geopolitical regional issues in Europe, Africa, Middle East, and elsewhere, evolving, more restrictive immigration regulatory frameworks, and disruptive new technologies. This expert panel will examine global trends in the following areas:

1. Policy tightening, policy volatility and policy complexity (change with minimal notice, impacting workforce planning etc.)
2. Cost and Compliance Pressures (salary thresholds, government fees, clawbacks, remote and hybrid work)
3. Access and Adjudication Risk (processing times, stricter standards, travel bans, and impact on business speed-to-hire and recruitment)
4. Talent Strategy Shifts (AI, remote work models, short-term/alternative assignments) where skills shortage and staffing gaps remain, employee retention and maintaining a competitive edge in innovation and market expansion are key
5. Changes in family reunification policies (processing times, increased financial thresholds and definition of “dependents”)

Key audience takeaways will include:

1. Practical tips for employers and what to assess in workforce planning.
2. Early warning signals to watch for in adjudication trends.
3. How mobility teams can partner more closely with business and talent teams amid uncertainty.

Facilitators

• Adrián Ojeda Cuevas, AILA Global Migration Section Steering Committee Chair, Mexico City, Mexico
• Chetal Patel, AILA Global Migration Section Steering Committee Immediate Past Chair, London, England
• Poorvi Chothani, AILA Business Section Steering Committee, Mumbai, India
• Jane Pilkington, AILA Global Migration Section Steering Committee, Dublin, Ireland
• David Garson, Toronto, Canada
• Dr. Gunther Mävers, Cologne, Germany
• Anita Ninan, Marietta, GA

The speaker's/author's views do not necessarily represent the views of AILA, nor do they constitute legal advice or representation. Practice tips provided are based on the speaker's/author's experiences and the current state of the law. Please be sure to conduct legal research and analysis for your unique situation as the law changes quickly and experiences may differ from your own.

Global Migration Section

The Global Migration Section (GMS) is a community of AILA members and international associates who are interested in furthering the practice of global migration.