Immigration
Middle East Crisis: Update to travel advice and suggested actions
Summary
Governments across the globe have updated their travel advisories for foreign nationals travelling to and currently in Iran, Israel and Lebanon in light of further tensions and conflict in the region.
Details
Updated travel advice has been issued by various countries including Australia, France, Poland, Jordan, Türkiye, the UK and US, advising their citizens not to travel to Lebanon at this current time, with some countries also urging their citizens to leave the country:
● Australia has issued guidance for its citizens currently in Lebanon, to register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s crisis registration portal which can be found here: https://crisis.dfat.gov.au/crisisportal/s/
● Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has encouraged Polish citizens to register their travel plans via their official “Odyseusz” system, which enables the Government to track and assist citizens abroad.
● The UK’s FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Lebanon. British nationals currently in Lebanon, are asked to complete a Register Your Presence form for every member of an individual’s family or group. This form can be found here: https://www.register.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/lebanon-20240731/tell-the-uk- government-youre-in-lebanon
A growing number of countries have also advised against travel to, and/or to leave immediately, Iran and Israel, including France, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK with a number of commercial flights suspended. Some commercial routes to and from Lebanon remain open, but the situation could change quickly and with little warning.
Evacuations
We previously reported in October 2023 that the following evacuations were taking place:
● Evacuations from Israel: Balkan states, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and US.
● In the Palestine territories (Gaza and West Bank). The UK’s FCDO has stated on its website that there are no exit routes for foreign nationals to be able to exit Gaza, and the Rafah border remains closed.
At the time of writing, no further evacuations are underway for foreign nationals in Iran, Israel, Lebanon or Palestine, but we will report if this changes.
Suggested actions
● The situation in the region remains incredibly volatile. Vialto Partners is monitoring the situation closely in the region. It is advisable for companies with global workforces in impacted regions to ensure they are aware of their population (including current location, all dependants in location with the employee, nationality and any other visas held) and ensure lines of communication with the employees are open.
● We encourage companies to look at and assess their entire workforce in affected countries, including their local workforce, and options for re-deployment to alternative locations. Vialto can advise on Immigration and visa requirements across the globe, and alternative routes for foreign nationals and citizens of affected countries, along with the family members.
● Foreign nationals in Iran, Israel and Lebanon in particular are advised to register their presence with their respective Embassies in order to receive the latest advice from their country and to follow their Embassy’s travel advice.
Vialto Partners’ crisis management team are monitoring this closely and will provide further updates as they are made available. Our crisis team provides 24/7 crisis support, and advice on immediate and safe routes of travel from strategic advice on mid-to-long term immigration to wider mobility considerations for displaced global workforces.
Contact us
Should you require more information, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Hugo Vijge
Director
Rekha Simpson
Director, Middle East Immigration Advisory Lead
Sharan Kundi
Partner – Global Immigration Lead
Simply follow our Vialto Alerts page on LinkedIn and posts will be displayed on your feed. To ensure you don’t miss one, once you’re on our LinkedIn page, click on the bell icon under the banner image to manage your notifications.
Further information on Vialto Partners can be found here: www.vialtopartners.com
Vialto Partners (“Vialto”) refers to wholly owned subsidiaries of CD&R Galaxy UK OpCo Limited as well as the other members of the Vialto Partners global network. The information contained in this document is for general guidance on matters of interest only. Vialto is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Vialto, its related entities, or the agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this document or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
© 2025 Vialto Partners. All rights reserved.