Countries / Territories
- 🌐
Millions of people are expected to travel throughout East and Southeast Asia during the Lunar New Year holiday season, which falls on February 8, 2016. Travel-related delays and government office and business interruptions will peak February 5-10, and could last longer in Taiwan and China, where the holiday will be celebrated through February 13.
To meet the travel demand, some airlines have increased flights, and railways have added additional trains. However, potential poor weather may exacerbate delays.
The government office holiday closure periods should match the following observance dates:
- Hong Kong: February 8-10
- Indian diplomatic missions in the region: February 8-9
- Indonesia: February 8
- Macau: February 8-10
- Malaysia: February 8-9
- People’s Republic of China: February 7-13
- Philippines: February 8
- Singapore: February 8-9
- South Korea: February 7-10
- Taiwan: February 8-12
- Vietnam: February 8-12
What This Means for Foreign Nationals
Due to government office and business closures during the Lunar New Year, travelers should book travel in advance and should expect travel delays and interruptions.
Visa and permit applicants should submit applications as early as possible, and should contact their processing office to determine exact closure dates and the effect on individual applications. Applications submitted nearer to closure dates may not be accepted or acted upon until government office reopen.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
Countries / Territories
- 🌐
Explore more at Fragomen
Media mentions
Blog post
Media mentions
Senior Associate Isabel Schnitzler outlines the key compliance considerations for employers with employees working across the EU.
Podcast
Associates Julia Manacher and Stephanie Weaver examine immigration issues emerging in a popular reality television series, including K-1 visa denials, consular non-reviewability, fraud findings and changing adjudication policies.
Blog post
Manager Dr. Adela Schmidt examines common misconceptions in German citizenship law, including birthright citizenship, dual citizenship, citizenship by descent and naturalization processing, and explains why eligibility often depends on specific legal requirements, timelines and documentation.
Awards
Partner Audrea Golding, Senior Associate Kyle Sommer and Senior Talent Development Director Wendy Milici have been named finalists in the 2026 TLC Lions Human Awards Americas, recognizing their contributions to human-centered leadership, workplace culture and inclusion.
Media mentions
Fragomen and SICPA have launched a global joint venture to develop an end-to-end digital identity platform that enables secure identity verification, document authentication and verifiable credential management.
Media mentions
Senior Counsel Mitch Wexler discusses how potential changes to H-1B visas, employment-based green cards and OPT could impact employers’ workforce planning and compliance obligations.
Media mentions
In a Leaders in Motion interview with World Business Travel Forum, Partner Ali Haider and Nomadic CEO Carsten Østberg discuss recent travel and mobility developments across the Middle East and practical considerations for employers managing cross-border talent in the region.
Media mentions
Partner Rachel Beardsley explains how new DHS guidance clarifies that dairy employers may use the H-2A program when they can demonstrate a temporary or seasonal labor need.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and SICPA announced the formation of a global joint venture to advance next-generation digital identity solutions for governments, enterprises and individuals.
Media mentions
Blog post
Media mentions
Senior Associate Isabel Schnitzler outlines the key compliance considerations for employers with employees working across the EU.
Podcast
Associates Julia Manacher and Stephanie Weaver examine immigration issues emerging in a popular reality television series, including K-1 visa denials, consular non-reviewability, fraud findings and changing adjudication policies.
Blog post
Manager Dr. Adela Schmidt examines common misconceptions in German citizenship law, including birthright citizenship, dual citizenship, citizenship by descent and naturalization processing, and explains why eligibility often depends on specific legal requirements, timelines and documentation.
Awards
Partner Audrea Golding, Senior Associate Kyle Sommer and Senior Talent Development Director Wendy Milici have been named finalists in the 2026 TLC Lions Human Awards Americas, recognizing their contributions to human-centered leadership, workplace culture and inclusion.
Media mentions
Fragomen and SICPA have launched a global joint venture to develop an end-to-end digital identity platform that enables secure identity verification, document authentication and verifiable credential management.
Media mentions
Senior Counsel Mitch Wexler discusses how potential changes to H-1B visas, employment-based green cards and OPT could impact employers’ workforce planning and compliance obligations.
Media mentions
In a Leaders in Motion interview with World Business Travel Forum, Partner Ali Haider and Nomadic CEO Carsten Østberg discuss recent travel and mobility developments across the Middle East and practical considerations for employers managing cross-border talent in the region.
Media mentions
Partner Rachel Beardsley explains how new DHS guidance clarifies that dairy employers may use the H-2A program when they can demonstrate a temporary or seasonal labor need.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and SICPA announced the formation of a global joint venture to advance next-generation digital identity solutions for governments, enterprises and individuals.
