World Visa Academy – Daily Global Visa & Immigration Update

Date: 10/09/2026

Canada

Big Alert – Immigration And Refugee Board Proceedings

What it means

Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board Practice Notice on the use of artificial intelligence in IRB proceedings took effect on 7 September, applying to all four IRB divisions: the Refugee Protection Division, Refugee Appeal Division, Immigration Division and Immigration Appeal Division. Signed by IRB Chairperson Manon Brassard on 10 July, the Notice prohibits parties, including counsel and self-represented individuals, from using AI to generate or materially change personal evidence such as Basis of Claim narratives, affidavits and witness statements. Other uses of AI require mandatory disclosure. Any AI that generates or materially changes content in a submitted document must be declared, and AI-assisted translation or transcription must always be disclosed. Minor spellcheck, grammar correction and formatting do not require a declaration. The rules are a direct response to earlier IRCC and IRB findings that AI-generated applications were including fabricated court decisions and false narratives.

Impact

Consultants working on Canadian refugee, asylum, admissibility or immigration appeal cases should audit every draft filed since 7 September against these rules, and update internal templates and client engagement letters to require full transparency about any AI use before a document reaches the IRB. Personal evidence documents in particular should be drafted from scratch based on the client's own testimony, since even a "polish" using AI risks being classified as material change and could damage the credibility of the entire case if not disclosed.

Canada

Active Alert – Processing Times

What it means

IRCC's September 2026 processing time data, published on 2 and 3 September, shows Canadian citizenship certificate applications now taking around 33 months, up dramatically from the 25 months reported in mid-August, with the queue continuing to grow. Visitor record extensions filed from inside Canada remain elevated at 316 days. Several employment-based categories from Pakistan showed some improvement, but overall the trend across most temporary and permanent residence routes is lengthening waits, not shortening ones.

Impact

Consultants with clients waiting on a Canadian citizenship certificate for passport, employment or study purposes must warn them plainly that the wait is now approaching three years, not two. Anyone extending a visitor record from inside Canada should file as early as legally possible. Clients relying on assumptions from earlier in 2026 about processing timelines should be given the updated numbers before making any decisions about job start dates, travel plans or family reunification.

Australia

Update – Skills Assessment Fees

What it means

Two Australian skills-assessment authorities are raising their fees this week. VETASSESS fee increases across a range of professional skills-assessment services take effect on 9 September, with applications received before the new fees are due to be charged under the current schedule. AITSL, which assesses teacher qualifications, raised its skills assessment fees effective 7 September. Separately, Australia's temporary pause on first-time Subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa applications from 23 countries, first imposed in early July, remains in place as of this week and continues to affect nationals of countries including Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Germany, which is one of 19 unrestricted countries, is not affected. Second and third Work and Holiday visas are also not affected by the pause.

Impact

Consultants with clients whose skills assessments are already under way through VETASSESS or AITSL should have filed on or before the new effective dates to lock in the current fee. Clients considering the Subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa from any of the 23 paused countries should not assume the pause is temporary and should have a Plan B, such as a Student visa or Skills-in-Demand sponsorship, ready in case the pause hardens or extends into next program year.

China

Reminder – Exit And Entry Administration Rules

What it means

China's Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration under State Council Decree No. 841 take effect in five days, on 15 September. The 19-article framework does not shorten visa-free stays, does not change transit exemptions, and does not restrict ordinary tourism, but it reinforces that every visa, entry, stay and residence application must state a genuine and lawful purpose, and that authorities may verify identity or purpose by requesting supporting documents, materials or electronic data. New penalties apply for false information, and immigration intermediary agencies inside China now face formal filing requirements: new agencies must file within 15 days of establishment, while existing ones have 90 days from the effective date to register.

Impact

Consultants preparing China visa applications should make sure the stated purpose, invitation letter, hotel bookings, employment description and every supporting detail remains consistent from filing through to the port of entry, not just at application time. For clients using intermediary services in China, confirm the local agent will be properly filed under the new rules before referring further work through them.

Reminder

Upcoming Deadlines This Month

Five hard deadlines still ahead over the next six weeks, all previously covered in this daily briefing:

15 September: Thailand's 60-day visa exemption drops to 30 days for 60 countries; land border entries capped at 2 per year outside ASEAN neighbours.

15 September: US DHS fixed period of stay rule replaces duration of status for F, J and I visa holders. Anyone in the transition group who travels abroad and is readmitted after this date will get a fixed I-94.

15 September: China's Decree No. 841 exit and entry regulations take effect.

18 September: New US public charge policy takes effect for adjustment of status applications; the worldwide immigrant visa interview pause is expected to remain in force at least through this date.

30 September: End of US fiscal year, and final day for FY 2026 diversity visa issuance. EB-2, EB-1 India and EB-5 unreserved employment-based categories may become unavailable before then.

19 October: Ukraine TPS designation ends and all Ukraine TPS-based employment authorization becomes invalid.

No major new policy changes or big announcements reported from the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa or South America dated specifically to today that have not already been covered in prior editions.

Pro Tip for Immigration Consultants

When three or more deadlines cluster on a single date, as with 15 September this year (Thailand, US students, China), build one client-facing document that shows which of your clients are affected by each rule. It is far more useful, and far less confusing, than three separate memos for the same day.