Middle East Travel Disruptions: Workforce Mobility Considerations for Employers

Overview

Following airstrikes and retaliatory action involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, travel routes across the Middle East were significantly disrupted. Airspace has largely reopened and most airports are operational, but the situation remains unsettled and regional tensions are elevated.

For employers managing cross-border teams in the region, the immediate question is not what happened. It is which employees are affected, which cases require action, and how quickly decisions need to be made.

Several time-sensitive immigration concessions are currently in place across key countries. Compliance risks are live. And the window to act on some of these measures is closing.

What Are the Key Changes? 

Flight Operations
Most regional airspaces have reopened, but not all carriers have resumed full operations and schedules remain uneven. Employers should build additional lead time into deployment and travel planning while regional conditions remain unsettled.

United Arab Emirates
A grace period is in place until July 9, 2026 for foreign nationals affected by travel disruptions between February 28 and March 31, 2026. Eligible individuals those holding a UAE visit visa, exit permit, or resident permit cancelled in preparation for departure may regularise their status or depart without penalty. This deadline is close. Affected cases need to be identified and reviewed now.

Israel
Visa categories expiring between February 22 and May 2026 are being automatically extended by three months. However, it is not yet confirmed whether employer-sponsored work visas are included. Individual cases should be verified before assuming coverage.

Iraqi Kurdistan
A 90-day concession from April 27, 2026 allows holders of expired visas or residency cards to renew, extend, or exit at 25% of the standard overstay fine. Standard penalties resume once the window closes.

India
Foreign nationals in India whose travel has been disrupted may approach their nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to request visa extensions or regularise their stay.

Consular Operations and Entry Screening
Consular posts across the region are operating with reduced capacity and unpredictable timelines. Additionally, several countries have introduced stricter entry screening. Visa-on-arrival is increasingly discretionary and in some cases suspended for certain nationalities. Visas should be obtained in advance for all upcoming travel to the region.

Who Will Be Affected?

This situation is most directly relevant for:

• IT services companies with project teams or technical staff deployed across the UAE, Israel, Iraq, or the wider region

• Global Capability Centers managing cross-border assignments and employee movement from India

• Engineering and manufacturing firms running onsite projects where individual travel delays affect delivery timelines

• MNCs with regional offices, assignees, or regular business travel through affected locations

• HR and Global Mobility teams managing active renewals, new applications, or upcoming travel approvals in the region

• Employees and dependents currently in-country or with travel scheduled to affected locations

COMPLIANCE UPDATES

Overstay exposure
Disrupted travel has created unintentional overstay situations for a number of employees across the region. Even where the overstay results from circumstances outside the individual's control, the immigration record impact can affect future visa eligibility in meaningful ways. Employers should identify any employees in this position and understand what remediation is available in the relevant country before assuming it resolves itself.

Employer-sponsored permits
Government concessions do not automatically extend to employer-sponsored work categories. Israel is a current example where this remains unconfirmed. Verifying individual cases is necessary assuming coverage creates compliance exposure.

Visa-on-arrival
Where employees have historically relied on visa-on-arrival access, this should not be the default assumption for upcoming travel. Entry decisions are increasingly discretionary. All travel to the region should be reviewed and visas arranged in advance.

Consular delays and documentation gaps
Where employees are unable to complete immigration formalities due to consular disruptions, how those cases are documented and managed matters. Gaps that appear circumstantial can still create compliance issues if they are not handled through the right channels.

What This Means for Employers

Across the organisations we support, the immediate challenge has not been obtaining information about what is happening. It has been understanding which employees are affected, which cases require urgent action, and how quickly decisions need to be made.

That distinction matters. Employers who have clear, current visibility of their employee population visa status, location, upcoming renewals are moving through this period with far less internal disruption than those who are gathering that information reactively.

A few specific areas are worth addressing:

Travel approvals made under pre-disruption conditions should be reviewed. What was a straightforward trip two months ago may now require additional lead time, documentation, or a different entry approach entirely.

Employees in the region need clear and consistent communication from their employers. Where that is left to individual managers to handle informally, the gaps show particularly for employees travelling with dependents or on complex permit arrangements.

In many cases, the challenge is not policy. It is having accurate workforce data and a clear process for responding when conditions change. That is where fragmented vendor arrangements tend to create the most friction not because any single vendor is failing, but because no single partner has the full picture.

Implementation and Next Steps

This week:

• Establish an accurate record of every employee and dependent currently in the region, in transit, or scheduled to travel in the near term

• Review visa validity across that population and flag any expiry dates within the next 60 to 90 days

• Check eligibility for the UAE grace period before July 9 and the Iraqi Kurdistan concession before the 90-day window closes

• Verify employer-sponsored permit status in Israel on a case-by-case basis

• Assign a senior internal point of contact to coordinate across HR, immigration, travel, and security functions

• Communicate directly with affected employees confirm their current location, status, and any immediate needs

Over the next 30 days:

• Review upcoming travel against current government advisories and defer non-essential movement where appropriate

• Arrange visas in advance for any travel where visa-on-arrival was previously assumed

• Confirm that contingency plans, remote work, evacuation, shelter-in-place are operationally ready and not just documented

• Ensure employee records including visa category, dependent details, and emergency contacts are current and accessible across relevant internal teams

Key Takeaway

The UAE grace period closes July 9. The Iraqi Kurdistan concession has a defined end date. These are not situations where a wait-and-see approach serves the organisation well.

In many cases, the challenge is not policy. It is having accurate workforce data and a clear process for responding when conditions change. Organisations that have that in place are navigating this period with less disruption, faster decision-making, and fewer compliance risks to manage retrospectively.

If your organisation has employees in the Middle East and you want to work through your current exposure, Anywr India is available for a conversation. We work with IT services companies, GCCs, engineering firms, and multinationals managing cross-border workforces across 100+ countries.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Immigration requirements and applicability may vary depending on permit category, local regulations, and individual case circumstances. For tailored guidance specific to your organisation’s needs, please reach out to Anywr’s immigration experts for a consultation. 

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About Anywr

Anywr is a French international group specializing in global mobility solutions.
Founded in 2012, Anywr operates in 12 countries across 4 continents. Our mission is to support companies in addressing their Human Resources challenges. We respond to your needs in terms of international mobility, particularly in terms of immigration policies, relocation, the implementation of mobility policies and EOR.

Do you have a mobility project for your teams? Contact us!