New Legislation for Visas and Multilingual International Applicants: Impact on Travel and Tourism Recruitment

Recent changes in visa legislation across several countries are significantly affecting the recruitment of international talent in the travel and tourism sector. From the UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation system and increased salary thresholds for skilled workers to France's stricter language proficiency standards and Portugal's simplified processes for Portuguese-speaking nationals, these developments require travel industry employers to adapt quickly. Multilingual capabilities are increasingly becoming not just a valuable asset but a legal requirement in many immigration pathways, directly impacting talent acquisition strategies. Understanding these complex and often country-specific changes is essential for travel and tourism recruiters looking to access international talent pools while ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.

Major Visa Legislation Changes Across Key Destinations

United Kingdom's New Immigration Framework

The UK continues to implement significant changes to its immigration system that directly impact the travel and tourism sector's ability to recruit internationally. From April 2025, Europeans will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK, joining non-Europeans who already require this digital permission. The ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys for up to six months at a time over a two-year period or until the holder's passport expires, whichever comes first.

For employers in the travel sector, perhaps the most impactful change is the increase in the Skilled Worker visa minimum salary threshold, which will rise from £23,200 to £25,000 per year. This adjustment will require travel companies to review their salary structures to ensure they can continue attracting international talent.

Additionally, from April 2025, employers in England must prioritise recruiting international care workers already in the UK before sponsoring overseas hires. While specific to the care sector, this demonstrates a broader policy shift toward utilising talent already within the UK before recruiting internationally – a trend travel recruiters should monitor for potential expansion to other sectors.

The UK has also introduced a visa requirement for visitors from Trinidad and Tobago with immediate effect, though those with a valid ETA and confirmed travel before April 2025 can still enter visa-free until this date. This change highlights how quickly entry requirements can shift, requiring recruiters to stay vigilant about nationality-specific changes.

France's Language-Focused Approach

France has adopted a more stringent approach to immigration with its new law enacted in January 2024. This legislation raises the required level of French language proficiency for certain multi-year permit holders and sets limitations on the number of renewals for temporary residence permits.

Under the new requirements, applicants seeking multi-year residence permits will need to demonstrate French language skills at level A2 (Advanced Beginners) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), up from the previous A1 level. For those seeking a 10-year resident permit, the requirement increases from A2 to B1 (intermediate proficiency), and for French citizenship, from B1 to B2 (upper intermediate).

These changes directly impact travel companies operating in France or recruiting for positions that require relocation to France, as candidates will need more advanced language skills than previously required.

Portugal's Simplified Processes

Portugal has finalised legislation that significantly eases residence and work permit rules for citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). Nationals of these countries, which include Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, and Cape Verde, can now enter Portugal without a visa or on a tourist visa and then apply for residence permits while in the country.

The format of CPLP residence permits will change from A4 paper to card documents recognised by EU authorities, enabling travel to other European countries. Additionally, the validity period has been extended from one to two years. This creates a considerably more accessible pathway for recruiting Portuguese-speaking talent into Europe's travel industry.

Portugal has also introduced specialised visa categories, including a job-seeking visa and a digital nomad visa with specific requirements for both employees and self-employed individuals. These innovations reflect Portugal's progressive approach to immigration and create new opportunities for travel recruiters to place international talent.

Language Requirements and Their Impact on Recruitment

The Rising Bar of Language Proficiency

Language requirements are becoming increasingly stringent across multiple countries, directly affecting the pool of eligible candidates for international travel and tourism positions.

In the UK, Skilled Worker visa applicants must prove their knowledge of English to at least level B1 on the CEFR scale. This requires demonstrating abilities in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English through one of several approved methods:

Passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider
Having a UK-obtained GCSE, A level, or Scottish qualification in English
Having a degree-level qualification that was taught in English

Certain nationalities are exempt from proving their knowledge of English, including those from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA.

Partner visa applicants face similar requirements, with specific expectations for indefinite leave to remain applications requiring passing a SELT in speaking and listening to level B1 CEFR.

Multilingual Documentation and International Standards

Understanding documentation requirements is crucial for international recruitment. The Vienna Convention of 1976 standardises the form and content of multilingual extracts, ensuring they are accepted without further legalisation in participating countries.

These multilingual extracts are official versions of documents such as birth, marriage, and death certificates, written in multiple languages, which eliminates the need for sworn translations and facilitates the use of personal documentation across borders. For travel and tourism recruiters, understanding these standards can significantly streamline the process of verifying candidate documentation.

Digital Systems Transforming Immigration Processes

Electronic Travel Authorisations

The introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisations represents a significant shift in border management that affects both travellers and potential employees. The UK's ETA system aligns with approaches taken by countries like the US and Australia and aims to improve security while digitising processes.

For travel and tourism businesses, this means potential candidates from Europe will face an additional step before entering the UK from April 2025. Recruiters should build awareness of these requirements into their onboarding processes for international candidates.

Digital Nomad Visas Creating New Opportunities

Several countries, including Portugal, have introduced visa categories specifically for digital nomads and remote workers. Portugal's temporary stay visa and residence permit for digital nomads includes different requirements for employees versus self-employed individuals:

For employees, the application must include:

Document certifying tax residence
Proof of average monthly income over the last three months of at least four minimum wages
Work contract or employment relationship verification

For self-employed workers, requirements include:

Document proving tax residence
Proof of sufficient monthly income
Contract or proposal of service contract
Evidence of services rendered to one or more entities

These specialised visa categories create new opportunities for travel businesses to employ international talent remotely or to serve this growing market of location-independent professionals.

Strategic Implications for Travel and Tourism Recruitment

Adapting Hiring Practices to New Requirements

The evolving legislative environment requires travel and tourism recruiters to adapt their hiring practices in several ways:

Salary benchmarking: With increased minimum thresholds for skilled worker visas in the UK (£25,000 by April 2025), companies must ensure their compensation packages remain competitive and compliant.
Language assessment: As language requirements become more stringent, particularly in France and the UK, recruiters should incorporate appropriate language testing into their hiring processes and provide clear information about requirements to candidates.
Documentation expertise: Understanding the complexities of multilingual documentation and various visa pathways is essential for efficient international recruitment. Specialised knowledge of systems like the Vienna Convention can expedite the verification of candidate documents.
Nationality-specific considerations: With different rules applying to citizens of different countries, such as Portugal's simplified process for CPLP nationals or the UK's new requirements for Trinidad and Tobago citizens, recruiters need to develop country-specific expertise.

Sponsorship and Compliance Considerations

For UK employers in the travel sector, sponsorship compliance has become increasingly important. In 2024, there was a significant increase in the number of skilled worker sponsor licences being revoked, with 513 revocations by Q3 2024 compared to 377 in all of 2023.

Additionally, UKVI has updated its guidance to prohibit sponsors from passing on certain costs to skilled workers, including sponsor licence application fees and Certificate of Sponsorship fees. Travel companies must factor these costs into their recruitment budgets rather than expecting candidates to absorb them.

Future Outlook and Recommendations

Anticipated Developments in Visa Legislation

Looking ahead, several trends are likely to continue shaping the visa environment for travel and tourism recruitment:

Further digitalisation: More countries will likely introduce electronic systems for travel authorisation and visa processing, following the lead of the UK's ETA system.
Enhanced language requirements: The trend toward stricter language proficiency standards is likely to continue as countries emphasise integration.
Specialised visa categories: Following the success of digital nomad visas and other specialised categories, more nations will likely introduce targeted immigration pathways for specific skills and work arrangements.
Regional agreements: As seen with Portugal's approach to CPLP citizens, regional and language-based cooperation agreements will continue to create preferential pathways for certain nationalities.

Practical Recommendations for Travel and Tourism Employers

To navigate this complex environment effectively, travel and tourism employers should consider the following strategies:

Develop multilingual recruitment channels: With language skills becoming increasingly important, creating recruitment pathways specifically targeting multilingual candidates can provide a competitive advantage.
Invest in language training: Supporting existing staff with language development can be more cost-effective than international recruitment in some cases.
Create clear visa guidance: Develop comprehensive guidance for candidates on visa requirements specific to your positions and locations.
Build relationships with immigration specialists: Given the complexity and frequent changes in immigration rules, maintaining connections with specialists can help ensure compliance and optimise recruitment processes.
Monitor legislative developments: Establish systems to stay informed about upcoming changes to visa requirements in key markets, allowing for proactive adaptation of recruitment strategies.

The evolving environment of visa legislation and language requirements presents both challenges and opportunities for travel and tourism recruitment. While navigating these changes requires additional expertise and resources, companies that successfully adapt their recruitment strategies to this new reality will gain access to broader talent pools and competitive advantages.

By staying informed about country-specific changes, developing expertise in navigating multilingual requirements, and building efficient processes for international recruitment, travel and tourism employers can continue to attract the diverse, skilled workforce necessary for success in an increasingly global industry. Proactive adaptation to these legislative changes will be a key differentiator for successful recruitment in the coming years.

- Elena Ktori, Founder, Antella Recruitment