We continue to monitor developments across the Middle East and their impact on immigration processes, government operations, travel conditions, and employee mobility. As the situation evolves, employers are increasingly balancing immediate response measures with medium- and longer-term workforce planning considerations.
While airspace restrictions have eased in some parts of the region, travel disruption, reduced commercial capacity, and changing operating conditions continue to affect mobility planning. At the same time, organizations are managing a growing range of issues linked to employee departures, onward movement, remote working arrangements, and associated compliance risks.
This update provides practical guidance for organizations managing cross-border populations, particularly where employees have already departed the region or may be considering onward movement or temporary remote work arrangements.
Following earlier widespread disruption, airspace across much of the region has partially reopened. However, conditions remain uneven. Bahrain and Kuwait continue to maintain closed airspace, while flights into and out of Qatar remain limited. In other countries, commercial flights have resumed on restricted and often fluid schedules, with operations subject to short-notice change depending on the security environment. A number of international carriers have also suspended or reduced services to certain destinations in the region, further limiting available travel options.
As a result, some individuals continue to rely on land border crossings to access airports in countries where international flights are operating, including Saudi Arabia and Oman. This introduces additional immigration considerations, as travelers must ensure they meet the entry requirements of the transit country. In practice, this may require obtaining an entry visa or e-visa in advance.
Although some nationalities may be eligible for visa-on-arrival, there have been reports of individuals being refused entry at land borders without preapproved documentation, even where they might otherwise qualify. Employers should therefore take a cautious approach and seek to ensure that appropriate permissions are obtained in advance wherever possible.
In a notable development, Qatar has announced a return to on-site operations for private sector institutions and the education system. This differs from the approach in several other countries in the region, where guidance continues to support remote working and virtual schooling arrangements as a precautionary measure.
This divergence reflects a broader regional pattern often seen in similar situations. While organizations may prepare for large-scale or contingency evacuation scenarios, actual departures often remain voluntary or limited in scale. Many employers are therefore continuing to adopt flexible, employee-led approaches, allowing individuals and their families to make decisions based on personal circumstances while maintaining business continuity.
With the situation remaining fluid and the security environment still uncertain, many organizations continue to focus on contingency planning. Tracking employee location remains essential in order to maintain communication, understand the current position of impacted populations, and support medium- to longer-term planning.
Many individuals who have departed the region are continuing to work remotely. Employers with established international remote working policies have generally been able to use these frameworks as a practical starting point for assessing the risks associated with such arrangements. This has allowed organizations to balance continuity of critical business activities with employee wellbeing and safety, while also managing potential compliance risks such as immigration, corporate tax, payroll reporting, and permanent establishment exposure.
As the situation continues, however, remote working thresholds set by internal policy may begin to expire, particularly for those who departed at an early stage. In addition, tax, legal, and compliance thresholds may be exceeded over time, potentially giving rise to additional cost, administration, and complexity.
According to Vialto’s Mobility Agility survey, an average of 29 days is permitted under employer international remote working policies. As those thresholds are approached or exceeded, many employers are making use of exception processes. These often require additional review of the compliance risks created by the arrangement, together with further approvals from Global Mobility, HR, or business leadership. Other organizations have chosen to apply temporary blanket extensions to standard policy thresholds in view of the exceptional circumstances.
In our experience, some employers have so far shown a degree of tolerance in relation to immediate compliance actions triggered by displaced employees. However, as these arrangements extend, organizations are increasingly reviewing individual cases to determine where formal action may be required.
Communication with employees remains critical. Where an individual’s net pay may be significantly affected by moving from a no-tax jurisdiction to a higher-tax jurisdiction, it is important that they understand the potential personal impact of their location and working arrangements.
Medium- to longer-term contingency planning may include:
We recommend employers continue to:
The operating environment across the region remains fluid and may change rapidly with limited notice. While recent movements have largely been measured and voluntary, it cannot be ruled out that broader or more structured relocation measures may become necessary for some organizations, depending on sector, internal policy, and risk appetite.
Continued scenario planning will therefore remain important. Employers should ensure that contingency frameworks are kept up to date, including identification of viable exit routes, understanding of immigration requirements for onward destinations, and alignment of internal decision-making processes. Advance preparation will be critical in supporting a coordinated, compliant, and timely response should conditions require a broader shift in workforce location strategy.
We continue to monitor developments closely and will share further updates as official guidance evolves.
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