World Visa Academy – Daily Global Visa and Immigration Update

Date: 25/07/2026

United Arab Emirates
Visa on arrival now open to six more nationalities starting today

What it means:
Starting today, citizens of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa can get a visa on arrival in the UAE, as long as they hold a valid residency permit from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Travellers can choose between a 14 day visa that can be renewed once, or a 60 day single stay visa that cannot be extended.

Impact:
Consultants working with clients from these six countries should check whether their client already holds a qualifying foreign residency permit, since that is the key to eligibility here, not just holding the passport itself. The 14 day visa costs AED 100 and the 60 day option costs AED 250, with a penalty of AED 50 per day for anyone who overstays. Clients planning UAE business or tourism trips from these countries should be told clearly which visa type suits their travel dates before they book flights.

United States
Court pauses part of new rule that would have cut TPS and asylum work permits short

What it means:
A federal court in Massachusetts stepped in this week to temporarily block USCIS from applying certain parts of a new rule tied to this year's tax and spending law. The blocked parts would have shortened work permits for Temporary Protected Status holders and let USCIS reject asylum applications simply because a new yearly fee had not been paid. The judge acted because thousands of TPS holders were about to lose their work authorization starting July 22, and the court wants more time to properly review whether the rule was adopted the right way.

Because of this order, TPS holders affected by the rule keep their original work permit expiry dates for now, instead of the shorter ones the new rule tried to apply. USCIS can still collect the new asylum fee itself, and it can still skip the old 30 day deadline for deciding first time asylum work permits. The court has said it will rule on the bigger legal question by August 5.

Impact:
Employers should not take any action against TPS employees based on the shorter expiry dates the blocked rule tried to introduce, at least until the court rules again. Consultants and applicants affected by this should treat their current EAD expiry date as valid for now, but keep a close eye on developments, since this protection could change quickly depending on what happens in court over the next two weeks.

Canada
Two quiet IRCC updates change the rules for a French language pilot and for humanitarian requests

What it means:
IRCC published two separate updates this week that mostly affect how officers process applications, but both matter for real cases. The first is a refreshed public policy for the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot, which now includes something it did not have before, a clear open work permit route for graduates while their permanent residence application is still pending. That work permit can last up to three years, and it also extends to family members. The permanent residence pathway itself does not fully open for applications until winter 2027, but the policy is legally in force now.

The second update tells officers clearly that humanitarian and compassionate grounds cannot be used to excuse someone from a condition set inside one of these public policies. If an applicant misses a requirement and also asks for humanitarian consideration, the officer will simply refuse the file and name the missed condition, rather than granting an exception.

Impact:
Consultants working with French speaking graduates outside Quebec should start explaining this new work permit option now, even though the full permanent residence portal is not open until next year. For any client relying on a public policy pathway, make sure every single condition is met before submitting, since this update confirms there is no humanitarian safety net if something is missed.

No major new policy changes or big announcements reported from other countries worldwide today.