If you are involved with global mobility and take care of relocating talent internationally, it’s possible you are constantly trying to remain informed about factors that affect the timing of their movement across borders. Employees and hiring managers are often not aware of every factor that can impact the relocation practice.
One factor to be aware of is holidays, like Ramadan. In 2023, the Islamic holy month is expected to start around March 22nd. This will impact the flow of many businesses and government procedures around the world but most notably in government offices in North Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe as they shorten work hours.
The best course of action, if you plan on conducting business during the holy month, is to plan ahead. Time-sensitive documents, applications, and other matters should be dealt with in advance or with enough foresight to match the shortened hours. Expect certain processing delays that may not happen at other times of the year. Be aware of when government offices may close as Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated immediately following Ramadan. International enterprise, immigration processes, real estate business, and destination services are some of the main industries that are expected to be affected by holiday delays.
Elsewhere in the World:
Regarding COVID-19 requirements:
China now only requires a PCR-test taken no earlier than 48 hours in advance and no longer requires the previously mandatory quarantine time upon entry to the country.
Regarding Real Estate:
Several countries like Ireland, Portugal, and Spain have terminated Visa programs such as the “Immigrant Investor Program” and the “Residence by Investment” Visas to combat inflating house prices, as well as housing shortages.
Despite London facing increasingly difficult conditions in the real estate market, it still managed to maintain popularity, with Paris following closely behind. Real estate markets across Europe are being confronted with various concerns about inflation, political instability, and sustainability.
Regarding Travel & Immigration:
Travel in Germany was recently disrupted at seven airports due to strikes impacting passenger turnout. As per the ADV airports association, approximately 295,000 passengers were affected by the cancellation of 2,340 flights at Bremen, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, and Stuttgart airports. There are still ongoing negotiations about wages.
In the past year, US Americans' satisfaction with the influx of immigrants into the U.S. has supposedly decreased to the lowest it’s been in 10 years. This growing desire to restrict immigration raises concerns for global mobility programs.
As the U.S. companies that rely on foreign talent are concerned about immigration, Canada is breaking their own records as it remains a top destination for international students and other immigrants.
Finally, companies appear to be optimistic that the travel and mobility industry is moving in the right direction as levels of business travel seem to be
catching up to the levels of leisure travel.
Both are raising to similar levels prior to 2020.
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