World Visa Academy – Daily Global Visa and Immigration Update
Date: 07/07/2026

United Arab Emirates
Big Alert – Visit and Residence Visas
What it means: The special grace period the UAE gave to travellers stuck by earlier flight disruptions is ending on 9 July. Anyone who overstayed and was covered by this relief must either fix their status or leave the country before that date. After the deadline, normal overstay fines of 50 dirhams per day start again.

Impact: If you have clients in the UAE who were relying on the waiver, this is a two day warning. Tell them to regularise or book their exit now. Paying fines at the airport before flying usually clears the record and avoids a longer term ban, so nobody should let this drift.

United States
Big Alert – Green Card and Filing Rules
What it means: A new federal rule kicks in on 10 July that gives immigration officers more power to reject or deny applications that are missing a proper signature. Cases can now be thrown out even after they were already accepted, and the filing fee may not come back. On top of this, the July green card cutoffs have shut EB-2 and unreserved EB-5 for India for the rest of the financial year.

Impact: Double check every single form before filing. One missing signature can now sink a whole case and cost the fee. For Indian investor and skilled worker clients, explain clearly that the door is closed until October, but their petition and priority date stay safe. This is about timing, not losing their place.

Australia
Active Alert – Work and Skilled Visas
What it means: From the start of July, Australia raised the salary floors for sponsored skilled workers. The main skills threshold is now 79,499 dollars and the specialist one is 146,717 dollars. Working Holiday rules also changed, with the age limit rising to 35 for several European and Korean passport holders, and applicants must now meet the age rule at the time they apply, not after.

Impact: Employers sponsoring workers need to recheck salaries against the new numbers before lodging anything. Any offer below the line will not fly. For working holiday clients, the wider age window is good news, so flag it to anyone who thought they had aged out.

Saudi Arabia
Active Alert – Premium Residency
What it means: Saudi Arabia now requires Premium Residency holders to also hold a separate work permit if they want to work. Holding the residency alone is no longer enough to take up a job.

Impact: If you have clients who bought into Saudi Premium Residency expecting to work freely, warn them early. They need to sort the work permit separately or risk penalties for unauthorised work, which can mean fines and even deportation.

Canada
Active Alert – Consultant Oversight and Student Transfers
What it means: New rules for licensed immigration consultants take effect on 15 July, bringing tougher discipline, bigger penalties for bad actors, and a fund to compensate clients hurt by dishonest consultants. Separately, students switching colleges must now follow a stricter transfer process or risk their study permit becoming invalid.

Impact: This is a credibility moment for honest consultants, so use it to show clients you play by the book. For student clients thinking of changing schools, walk them through the correct transfer steps carefully, because one wrong move can cost them their legal status.

Ghana
Active Alert – Entry System
What it means: Ghana has moved to a new Electronic Travel Authorisation and eVisa system and has scrapped visa on arrival. Travellers now need approval before they fly.

Impact: Anyone sending clients to Ghana for business, family or tourism must build in time for the online approval. Turning up at the airport expecting a visa on arrival will now end in a denied boarding.

Japan
Active Alert – Visa Fees
What it means: Japan has raised its visa issuance fees starting this July. The cost of getting a Japanese visa is now higher across categories.

Impact: Update your fee sheets and quotes for Japan bound clients so there are no surprises at payment time. Small change, but clients notice when the number you quoted does not match reality.

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