CapRelo Insider: October 2025

In Case You Missed It:

Mobility issues are dynamic and ever-changing. To stay current, check out these recent articles, which provide timely insights on cost control, policy shifts, and culture change initiatives. Dive into some of our newest and most useful content that you might have missed.

How HR Leaders Can Navigate the $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

The United States has announced a new $100,000 employer fee for each new H-1B visa petition. The change, described by Inc. as “aimed at curbing access to foreign high-skilled labor,” will not affect those already holding H-1B visas. However, according to the Associated Press, there has already been some confusion over when and how it will be enforced. Some industry experts have since indicated that the new fee will unfairly target startups and mid-sized businesses, which generally utilize H-1B workers extensively but lack the same level of resources to cover the new fees as large corporations. Analysts have further said the move will likely only damage the U.S.’s ability to attract high-skilled talent by forcing employers to source talent in other regions.

To sidestep the fee, businesses are already making plans to:

Recruit foreign workers in places where the fee does not apply
Open or move operations to countries such as Canada or the UK that have more welcoming visa arrangements
Hire remote workers in other countries as contractors, rather than bringing them to the U.S.

As MSN notes, China is already taking advantage of the move with the introduction of its new “K visa”, which offers fewer restrictions on sponsoring foreign STEM workers and allows for more effortless mobility. In a similar fashion, CIC News reports that Canada is vying to become the new go-to location for U.S. tech workers, having announced initiatives specifically for “targeted” immigration of that talent pool.

The Impact: The implications of these changes for HR professionals are significant. Visa processing delays and increased costs could impact timelines and budgets for relocations. Mobility functions will need to work in closer coordination with HR, immigration, and tax to overcome these challenges. Assignment budgets may need to consider the upfront costs and longer lead times associated with different immigration options, as well as potentially alternative relocation locations.

Transferees themselves may experience longer lead times, more complex immigration pathways, and potential challenges with relocating family members. Employers may also need to allocate additional resources for employee communications and support to ensure a positive mobility experience.

When Sellers Won’t Budge: Rethinking Mobility Strategies in a Sticky Housing Market

While housing activity has softened across U.S. real estate markets, prices remain high, often higher than what economists have predicted. The explanation is simple, yet perhaps surprising: buyers are no longer bidding against each other to drive up prices. Instead, homeowners who have already locked in ultralow mortgage rates are refusing to sell or list their homes for less than they paid or even close to it, according to CNN. The resulting decrease in housing supply coincides with waning demand as buyers withdraw from markets and the seller’s market erodes, all of which should theoretically drive prices down. However, in many markets, more deals are being walked away from than countered or rescinded, as buyers often hold the upper hand in price negotiations. This mismatch between seller expectations and reality, along with the “anchor” effect on asking prices, continues to keep housing prices in an upward trend.

The Impact: As inventory levels decline and unit turnover slows, finding suitable housing for transferees becomes increasingly difficult, as there are fewer properties available in the market. Conducting a realistic local housing assessment will be increasingly important to understand where “right-priced” housing is in each market and to reduce misalignment in the relocation process. Mobility, HR, and finance teams will need prepare for higher cost of living (COLA) in many areas and consider more customized and creative packages to enhance the attractiveness of a relocation offer. These may include home sale assistance, extended benefit timelines that provide employees greater flexibility to determine the best time to list, temporary housing, and bonus or salary adjustments.

CapRelo helps clients navigate these changes through market-sensitive housing benchmarking. We offer structuring that is responsive to current market conditions and timing realities, and strategic relocation incentives designed to respond to local market housing conditions, while ensuring that transferees can land in places where they can succeed.

Rental Listings Under Pressure: The FTC’s Zillow-Redfin Case Could Reshape Housing Options

As reported by Bloomberg, in late September 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Zillow and Redfin, charging the two real-estate platforms with entering into an illegal agreement to remove Redfin from the multifamily rental advertising market. The FTC’s complaint alleges that Zillow paid Redfin an estimated $100 million to end its contracts with advertising customers, eliminating multifamily rental listings for up to nine years, and serve as an exclusive syndicator of Zillow listings on its platforms. The agency argues that the deal could lead to higher advertising costs, fewer options for property managers, and lower-quality service for renters. Zillow has contested the FTC’s allegations, defending the arrangement as pro-competitive and pro-consumer, citing enhanced exposure and efficiencies. Redfin denied the charges of wrongdoing but maintained that the deal was necessary in the face of unsustainable rental ad costs.

The Impact: The lawsuit centers on how rental listings are aggregated and advertised, frameworks that relocation specialists rely on when finding housing for transferees in multifamily markets. A decrease in listing diversity or increased advertising costs could lead to lower visibility of qualified units, resulting in higher listing fees that are ultimately passed on to landlords (and then to tenants or clients). Markets with a limited number of homes for sale may feel the most significant impact, particularly in metro areas where multifamily rentals account for the majority of housing. As platforms consolidate, mobility teams may have fewer vendor options or less leverage to negotiate pricing, and may need to look harder for housing in nontraditional or secondary channels.

CapRelo offers customized home finding assistance both domestically and internationally, providing employees with counseling, local area information, and a focus on properties that meet their specific price, location, and amenity requirements. We can also help clients forecast and mitigate listing cost escalations, create flexible housing strategies that hedge against future volatility in the listing market, and ensure a competitive sourcing model even if the online listing landscape tightens.

Global Mobility Radar

CapRelo’s Mobility Radar provides valuable insights into trends worth monitoring. This month, we have detected important global mobility updates in Poland, the Czech Republic, and India.

Poland has made digital work permit applications and employment contracts mandatory. They will be processed through the MOS portal, making digitization required for both foreign nationals and employers. A penalty for noncompliance can include a fine and a potential ban on entering Poland in the future. The Polish government hopes this will speed up processing times; however, it may create short-term challenges for companies trying to ensure compliance.
The Czech Republic is one of a few countries ready to implement the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) from day one. The new system, which will replace manual passport stamping for non-EU nationals, will record biometric data and track the entry and exit information of travelers as they enter and leave the Schengen area. This is part of a series of projects aimed at modernizing external border processing by simplifying travel verification.
Salaries in India are expected to grow by 9% in 2026, marginally higher than the projected increase of 8.9% in 2025. Despite uncertainties on the global economic front, the country’s overall compensation growth remains robust. Rising salary trends will be significant for corporate decision makers when it comes to sourcing talent, estimating costs, and implementing mobility projects in the country.