Policy changes
By Sam Parks · Most recent change:
Each entry summarises the change, links to the primary government source, and lists the visa routes affected. Also available as RSS.
·Republic of Armenia·material
Armenia's new law on foreigners takes effect
A new Armenian law on foreigners, effective 1 August 2026, modernises residence processing with online filing, biometric cards, and a revised permanent-residence framework.
- — The new framework introduces online filing and biometric residence cards and replaces the former 10-year special-residence status with a 5-year permanent-residence permit.
- — A 183-day annual presence expectation and updated quotas apply under the new rules.
- — Armenia still has no separately named digital-nomad visa; remote workers typically use an entrepreneur or work-based residence.
Full details →Primary source
Migration and Citizenship Service (Armenia) ↗ · Migration and Citizenship Service (Armenia)
Link last verified:
·Canada·significant
Canada: PR fees rise (30 Apr 2026), category-based Express Entry, Start-up Visa closed, arranged-employment points removed
A run of IRCC changes through 2025-26 reshaped Express Entry economics and closed the Start-up Visa to new applicants.
- — Permanent-residence fees rose on 30 April 2026: the principal-applicant processing fee from CA$950 to CA$990 and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee from CA$575 to CA$600.
- — Express Entry continues category-based selection in 2026, with rounds targeting categories such as French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, education, trades, and STEM, alongside general and PNP draws.
- — The 50/200-point arranged-employment CRS bonus was removed for all candidates on 25 March 2025.
- — The Start-up Visa closed to new applications on 31 December 2025; permanent-residence applications already in the queue are accepted until 30 June 2026.
Full details →Primary source
IRCC — Permanent residence fees increasing (30 April 2026) ↗ · Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Link last verified:
·United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland·significant
UK: Skilled Worker English raised to B2, CoS fee £525, Immigration Skills Charge up 32%
A run of Skilled Worker changes from late 2025 into early 2026 raised the language bar, sponsor costs, and tightened salary assessment.
- — The Skilled Worker English-language requirement rose from B1 to B2 (CEFR) on 8 January 2026.
- — The Certificate of Sponsorship fee rose to £525 under the 8 April 2026 Home Office fees table.
- — From 8 April 2026, workers must be paid the required salary in each pay period — back-loading pay to meet the annual threshold is no longer allowed.
- — The Immigration Skills Charge rose 32% on 16 December 2025: small/charity sponsors from £364 to £480 per year, medium/large from £1,000 to £1,320 per year.
Full details →Primary source
GOV.UK — Home Office immigration and nationality fees (8 April 2026) ↗ · UK Home Office
Link last verified:
·New Zealand·significant
New Zealand: SMC reform from 24 August 2026 and a higher immigration median wage
Immigration New Zealand raised the immigration median wage and announced a Skilled Migrant Category overhaul taking effect in August 2026.
- — The immigration median wage rose to NZD 35.00/hour, effective 9 March 2026; it governs Green List pay rates and SMC income points.
- — The blanket median-wage requirement for the Accredited Employer Work Visa was removed in March 2025 — roles must instead be paid at the market rate for the job.
- — A Skilled Migrant Category reform takes effect 24 August 2026, adding Skilled Work Experience and Trades & Technician pathways, simplified median-wage settings, and a points advantage for NZ-completed qualifications; the current 6-point system stays in force until then.
- — 47 occupations were added to the National Occupation List at skill levels 1-3, effective 9 March 2026.
Full details →Primary source
Immigration New Zealand — News centre (SMC changes & annual median-wage increase) ↗ · Immigration New Zealand (INZ)
Link last verified:
·Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka·material
Sri Lanka launches a Digital Nomad Visa
Sri Lanka introduced a Digital Nomad Visa in February 2026 for remote workers earning income from outside the country.
- — The Digital Nomad Visa is for remote workers serving non-Sri-Lankan clients or employers and is issued for up to 12 months, renewable annually.
- — Holders must notify the Department of Immigration and Emigration of material changes to income, employment, or dependents.
- — Sri Lanka does not offer permanent residence; the Digital Nomad Visa is a renewable temporary route.
Full details →Primary source
Department of Immigration and Emigration (Sri Lanka) ↗ · Department of Immigration and Emigration (Sri Lanka)
Link last verified:
·United States of America·significant
US: premium processing rises to $2,965 and H-1B moves to wage-weighted selection
Two USCIS changes land for the FY2027 H-1B season: the Form I-907 premium-processing fee rises with inflation, and cap-subject H-1B selection switches from a random lottery to a wage-weighted process.
- — Premium processing (Form I-907) rose from USD 2,805 to USD 2,965 on 1 March 2026 for I-129 (H-1B, L-1, O-1, E, P, TN) and I-140 petitions.
- — Cap-subject H-1B registrations are selected by a wage-weighted process (entered 1-4 times by OEWS wage level) from FY2027, replacing the random lottery; the rule took effect 27 February 2026.
- — The separate USD 100,000 H-1B supplemental fee (19 September 2025 proclamation) remains in force — upheld by a federal district court in December 2025, appeal pending; it applies to certain new petitions for beneficiaries abroad and generally not to in-US change-of-status cases.
Full details →Primary source
Federal Register — Premium processing adjustment (2026-00321) & wage-weighted H-1B selection (2025-23853) ↗ · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Link last verified:
·Kingdom of the Netherlands·material
Netherlands publishes 2026 Kennismigrant salary thresholds
IND confirmed the 2026 age-tiered Kennismigrant (highly skilled migrant) salary thresholds and reduced post-Zoekjaar thresholds.
- — The under-30 Kennismigrant threshold, the over-30 threshold, and the reduced graduate threshold were all uplifted in line with the statutory index from 1 January 2026.
- — EU Blue Card thresholds in the Netherlands continue to be set at a higher level than the Kennismigrant over-30 figure and were uplifted in parallel.
- — Orientation-year graduates transitioning to Kennismigrant within three years of graduation continue to qualify at the reduced graduate threshold.
Full details →Primary source
IND — Salary requirements for highly skilled migrants ↗ · Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)
Link last verified:
·Republic of Bulgaria·significant
Bulgaria adopts the euro and completes Schengen accession
Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, having already joined the Schengen area in 2025, changing the travel and currency context for residents.
- — The euro replaced the Bulgarian lev as legal tender on 1 January 2026, with the lev fixed at 1.95583 to the euro during conversion.
- — Bulgaria is a full member of the Schengen area, so residence-permit holders can travel within Schengen under the standard 90/180-day rule.
- — Bulgaria no longer operates a citizenship-by-investment programme; residence-by-investment remains available.
·State of Kuwait·significant
Kuwait overhauls expatriate residency rules
Kuwait's new Executive Regulations on the Residence of Foreigners (Ministerial Resolution 2249/2025) took effect on 23 December 2025, introducing a tiered residency model and an exit-permit requirement.
- — The reform introduces a tiered residency model (commonly described as 5, 10 and 15-year tiers) and tightens issuance of private-sector (Article 18) work residency.
- — An exit-permit requirement for private-sector expatriates has been in force since 1 July 2025, requiring employer approval to leave the country.
- — Kuwait still offers no permanent residence to expatriates; all residency remains fixed-term and sponsor-tied.
·Republic of Slovenia·material
Slovenia launches a Digital Nomad residence permit
Slovenia introduced a Digital Nomad residence permit on 21 November 2025 for non-EU remote workers serving foreign employers or clients.
- — The permit is granted for up to one year and is non-renewable; holders must wait six months before reapplying.
- — It is for remote work for employers or clients outside Slovenia and does not lead to permanent residence.
- — Slovenia separately eased its EU Blue Card rules on 21 May 2025.
Full details →Primary source
gov.si - Entry and residence ↗ · Ministry of the Interior (Slovenia)
Link last verified:
·United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland·significant
UK: "earned settlement" proposal would double the ILR qualifying period to 10 years — NOT YET LAW
The May 2025 Immigration White Paper proposed doubling the standard settlement qualifying period from 5 to 10 years under an "earned" contribution model. This is a proposal that was consulted on — it is not law.
- — The proposal would raise the baseline Indefinite Leave to Remain qualifying period from 5 to 10 years, with reductions for contribution.
- — A formal consultation ("A Fairer Pathway to Settlement") ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026; as of mid-2026 the government is analysing feedback and no change is in force.
- — No effective date has been set. The current 5-year qualifying period for ILR remains in force.
·Republic of Ireland·material
Ireland refreshes Critical Skills Occupation List
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment published a refreshed Critical Skills Occupation List, adding several construction and care-related roles and tightening criteria for some ICT roles.
- — Several construction-trade and senior care-sector roles were added to the Critical Skills Occupation List, unlocking the fast-track Critical Skills Employment Permit for these occupations.
- — Minimum annual remuneration for Critical Skills permits rose from EUR 38,000 to EUR 40,904 for listed occupations with a relevant degree, and from EUR 64,000 to EUR 68,911 for roles not requiring a degree, effective 1 March 2026 — the first step of a phased roadmap DETE published on 2 December 2025.
- — Spouses and partners of Critical Skills permit holders retain immediate access to the Irish labour market via Stamp 1G without a separate work permit.
Full details →Primary source
DETE — Critical Skills Occupation List ↗ · Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland)
Link last verified:
·Republic of Guatemala·material
Guatemala removes the guarantor requirement and streamlines residence
Guatemala's 2024-2025 immigration reform removed the guarantor (garante) requirement, created worker sub-categories, and shortened background checks.
- — New IGM rules effective October 2025 eliminated the garante (guarantor) requirement for residence applications.
- — Worker residence was split into sub-categories (Guatemalan employer, foreign employer, self-employed), and the background-check lookback was cut.
- — A Digital Nomad residence created in 2024 (Acuerdo Gubernativo 127-2024) operates alongside the rentista, investor and permanent-residence routes.
Full details →Primary source
Instituto Guatemalteco de Migracion (Guatemala) ↗ · Instituto Guatemalteco de Migracion (Guatemala)
Link last verified:
·People's Republic of China·significant
China launches the K visa for young science and technology talent
China introduced a new K visa for young STEM graduates, allowing entry without a domestic employer sponsor, effective 1 October 2025.
- — The K visa targets young science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates and does not require a Chinese employer or invitation for entry.
- — The K visa does not by itself grant work authorisation in China, and it is not permanent residence; the rules on what holders may do are still being clarified.
- — Standard employment continues to require the employer-sponsored Z visa plus a Foreigner Work Permit and a residence permit.
Full details →Primary source
National Immigration Administration (China) ↗ · National Immigration Administration (China)
Link last verified:
·Republic of Fiji·significant
Fiji tightens naturalisation and pauses citizenship applications
Fiji suspended naturalisation applications from October 2025 pending a 2026 reform that raises the residence requirement and makes permanent residence a stepping-stone to citizenship.
- — Naturalisation applications have been suspended since October 2025 pending the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026.
- — The reform raises the naturalisation residence requirement from 5 to 8 of the last 10 years.
- — Permanent residence is becoming a required stepping-stone to citizenship - for spouses from 2030 and for all applicants from 2035.
·Republic of Moldova·material
Moldova launches a Digital Nomad Visa
Moldova introduced a Digital Nomad Visa in September 2025 for remote workers earning income from outside the country.
- — The Digital Nomad Visa is for remote workers serving foreign employers or clients and provides temporary residence of about one year, extendable.
- — The Moldova IT Park 7% tax regime is not available to digital-nomad-visa holders.
- — Moldova's former citizenship-by-investment programme is suspended and is not accepting applicants.
Full details →Primary source
General Inspectorate for Migration (Moldova) ↗ · General Inspectorate for Migration (Moldova)
Link last verified:
·Republic of Peru·material
Peru passes a new citizenship law moving to a five-year naturalisation
Peru passed a new citizenship law (Law 32421) in 2025 that moves to a uniform five-year residence requirement for naturalisation once its regulations are in force.
- — Law 32421 sets a uniform five-year continuous-residence requirement for naturalisation, plus language and civics tests.
- — The change ends the historically faster (around two-year) work-visa citizenship track.
- — The new rules take effect once implementing regulations are published - confirm the current position with Migraciones.
Full details →Primary source
Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones (Peru) ↗ · Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones (Peru)
Link last verified:
·United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland·significant
UK: Skilled Worker threshold to £41,700, skill level to RQF 6, overseas care-worker route closed
The 22 July 2025 Statement of Changes (HC 997) raised the Skilled Worker bar materially and closed overseas care-worker recruitment.
- — The Skilled Worker general salary threshold rose from £38,700 to £41,700 per year on 22 July 2025.
- — The required skill level was lifted back to RQF 6 (degree level), reversing the 2020 reduction to RQF 3.
- — Entry clearance for overseas care workers and senior care workers (SOC 6135/6136) closed on 22 July 2025; in-country switching continues until 22 July 2028.
Full details →Primary source
GOV.UK — Review of salary requirements (Statement of Changes HC 997) ↗ · UK Home Office
Link last verified:
·Commonwealth of Australia·material
Australia: Skills in Demand thresholds indexed (1 Jul 2025, again 1 Jul 2026) and the MATES scheme for India
The subclass 482 income thresholds were indexed for FY2025-26, with a further rise scheduled for 1 July 2026, and the MATES early-professionals scheme for India is running its annual ballots.
- — The subclass 482 income thresholds were indexed on 1 July 2025: the Core Skills Income Threshold to A$76,515 and the Specialist Skills threshold to A$141,210.
- — A further indexation is scheduled for 1 July 2026 — Core Skills A$79,499 and Specialist A$146,717 — applying to nominations lodged on or after that date; the FY2025-26 figures remain in force until then.
- — The MATES scheme (subclass 403, for early-career Indian professionals) launched on 1 November 2024 and runs an annual ballot; the 2025-26 ballot opened in November 2025 with selection from December 2025.
Full details →Primary source
Department of Home Affairs — Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa ↗ · Australian Department of Home Affairs
Link last verified:
·Slovak Republic·material
Slovakia caps business-residence permits
A Slovak reform effective 1 July 2025 placed a hard annual quota on business and entrepreneurial residence permits and tightened their requirements.
- — Business and entrepreneurial residence permits are now capped by a sharply reduced annual global quota.
- — Applicants must submit a detailed business plan, and the permit is issued for a fixed three years.
- — Slovakia continues to have no official digital-nomad visa; remote workers use the business-residence route.
Full details →Primary source
Ministry of the Interior (Slovakia) ↗ · Ministry of the Interior (Slovakia)
Link last verified:
·Republic of Uzbekistan·material
Uzbekistan launches a Golden Visa for investors
Uzbekistan introduced a five-year Golden Visa granting residence to qualifying investors, effective 1 June 2025.
- — The Golden Visa grants five-year residence to foreign nationals who make a qualifying investment, with the option to include family members.
- — It sits alongside the IT Visa, which lets IT Park founders and specialists work without a separate work permit.
- — Investment thresholds are set by the government and should be confirmed on the official portal before applying.
Full details →Primary source
Government Services Portal (Uzbekistan) ↗ · Ministry of Internal Affairs (Uzbekistan)
Link last verified:
·Kingdom of Spain·significant
Spain closes its Golden Visa programme
Spain’s residence permit for investors (Golden Visa) closed to new applications on 3 April 2025 following Organic Law 1/2025.
- — New applications under the residence-by-investment route are no longer accepted as of 3 April 2025.
- — Permits already granted remain valid under the previous regime; renewals continue to be assessed under the original framework.
- — Spain continues to operate the Digital Nomad Visa, Non-Lucrative Visa, Highly Qualified Professional and Entrepreneur routes introduced or expanded by the 2022 Startups Law.
·Republic of El Salvador·significant
El Salvador ends Bitcoin legal-tender status
El Salvador removed Bitcoin's legal-tender status in January 2025; the US dollar remains the official currency and Bitcoin use is now voluntary.
- — Bitcoin is no longer legal tender in El Salvador and is not accepted for tax payments; its use is voluntary.
- — The US dollar remains the country's official currency.
- — The Freedom Visa citizenship-by-investment programme, funded by a cryptocurrency contribution, continues to operate.
Full details →Primary source
Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria (El Salvador) ↗ · Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria (El Salvador)
Link last verified:
·Romania·significant
Romania becomes a full Schengen member
Romania lifted land-border checks and became a full Schengen member on 1 January 2025, following the lifting of air and sea checks in 2024.
- — Land-border controls with other Schengen states were lifted on 1 January 2025, completing Romania's accession to the Schengen area.
- — Romanian residence-permit holders can travel within the Schengen area under the standard 90/180-day rule.
- — A standalone golden-visa scheme was proposed in late 2025 but did not proceed.
Full details →Primary source
General Inspectorate for Immigration (Romania) ↗ · General Inspectorate for Immigration (Romania)
Link last verified:
·Brunei Darussalam·material
Brunei introduces a multi-year Long-Term Pass
Brunei launched a multi-year Long-Term Pass effective 31 December 2024, with social, business and professional sub-categories.
- — The Long-Term Pass offers up to five years of multiple-entry stay across social-visit, business and professional sub-categories.
- — It does not by itself grant permanent residence, which remains slow and discretionary (around 15 years).
- — Brunei has no golden visa or investment-based permanent residence.
Full details →Primary source
Immigration and National Registration Department (Brunei) ↗ · Immigration and National Registration Department (Brunei)
Link last verified:
·Republic of Vanuatu·significant
EU removes Vanuatu from its visa-free Schengen list
The EU removed Vanuatu from its visa-free Schengen list in December 2024 over citizenship-by-investment due-diligence concerns; a Vanuatu passport no longer gives visa-free Schengen access.
- — Following an EU Council decision in December 2024, Vanuatu passport holders need a visa to enter the Schengen area.
- — The Development Support Program (citizenship by investment) continues to operate, with tightened due diligence and new e-passports.
- — The Development Support Program grants citizenship, not residence, and is administered separately from Vanuatu residence visas.
Full details →Primary source
Department of Immigration and Passport Services (Vanuatu) ↗ · Department of Immigration and Passport Services (Vanuatu)
Link last verified:
·Commonwealth of Australia·significant
Australia replaces 482 TSS with the Skills in Demand visa
Australia launched the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, replacing the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) framework with three income-based streams.
- — The SID visa has three streams: Specialist Skills (income above AUD 135,000), Core Skills (occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List and indexed income), and Essential Skills (lower-paid essential roles).
- — Pathways to permanent residence through subclass 186 (ENS) were broadened for SID holders.
- — Employer sponsorship, English-language, and skills-assessment requirements continue.
Full details →Primary source
Department of Home Affairs — Skills in Demand visa ↗ · Australian Department of Home Affairs
Link last verified:
·Canada·significant
Canada tightens Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility
IRCC introduced significant changes to PGWP eligibility, including field-of-study restrictions for most programmes and new language-test requirements.
- — Field-of-study restrictions were introduced for most PGWP applicants, mapped to occupations facing long-term shortages.
- — A CLB/NCLC language test became a mandatory eligibility criterion for most PGWP applicants.
- — Private-college PPP (public-private partnership) programmes are excluded from PGWP eligibility.
Full details →Primary source
IRCC — Post-Graduation Work Permit Program ↗ · Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Link last verified:
·Portuguese Republic·material
Portugal tightens D8 digital-nomad documentation requirements
AIMA clarified documentation expectations for the D8 digital-nomad visa, standardising how contract income, remote-work arrangements, and minimum income evidence are assessed.
- — Minimum monthly income for D8 applicants is fixed at four times the Portuguese minimum wage, recalculated each January with the statutory minimum wage update.
- — Contracts must be with non-Portuguese clients or employers; Portugal-source income is excluded from the qualifying income calculation.
- — AIMA may require apostilled contracts and notarised translations into Portuguese where originals are not in an EU language.
Full details →Primary source
AIMA — Visto para o exercício de atividade profissional (D8) ↗ · Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA)
Link last verified:
·United Arab Emirates·material
UAE expands Green Visa eligibility for freelancers and skilled workers
ICP widened Green Visa eligibility criteria for freelancers, self-employed workers, and skilled employees, extending the 5-year self-sponsored residence option to a broader profile of applicants.
- — Freelancers and self-employed applicants can qualify for the Green Visa with proof of professional qualification and minimum income thresholds set by ICP, without an employer sponsor.
- — Skilled-employee Green Visa applicants require a valid employment contract classified in ICP occupational skill level 1, 2 or 3, plus a minimum monthly salary and a bachelor-level qualification.
- — Green Visa holders can sponsor first-degree relatives and children up to age 25, broader than the standard employment-visa family sponsorship window.
Full details →Primary source
ICP — Green Residence ↗ · Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP)
Link last verified:
·Republic of Latvia·material
Latvia requires an A2 language test to renew residence for some residents
A security-driven Latvian reform requires certain long-term residents to pass an A2 Latvian language test to renew or keep their residence.
- — Amendments to the Immigration Law require some existing long-term residents (notably affected Russian-citizen residents) to pass an A2 Latvian state-language test to retain residence.
- — The requirement is being phased in with deadlines through 2024-2025; missing it can lead to loss of residence.
- — New residence applications also face a reinforced state-language expectation; permanent residence requires A2 Latvian.
Full details →Primary source
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (Latvia) ↗ · Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (Latvia)
Link last verified:
·Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis·significant
Caribbean citizenship-by-investment states adopt a shared US$200,000 minimum price
The five Eastern Caribbean citizenship-by-investment states adopted a shared US$200,000 minimum price and common standards under the March 2024 CARICOM Memorandum of Agreement.
- — A minimum price of US$200,000 applies across all qualifying investment options in St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and Saint Lucia, in force since 1 July 2024.
- — Discounting below the agreed floor is prohibited, and an Interim Regulatory Commission oversees the programmes pending a permanent regional regulator.
- — A proposed common 30-day physical-presence requirement has not taken effect; presence rules currently differ by country.
Full details →Primary source
Citizenship by Investment Unit (St Kitts and Nevis) ↗ · Citizenship by Investment Unit (St Kitts and Nevis)
Link last verified:
·Federal Republic of Germany·material
Germany launches the Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card)
Germany launched a new points-based residence permit for job seekers under the Skilled Immigration Act reforms.
- — The Chancenkarte is a 1-year job-search permit assessed against a points test (qualification, experience, language, age, Germany ties).
- — Holders may work up to 20 hours per week and undertake 2-week trial employment periods.
- — Conversion to an EU Blue Card or §18a/18b skilled-worker residence permit is permitted once a qualifying job offer is secured.
Full details →Primary source
Make it in Germany — Opportunity Card ↗ · German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Link last verified:
·United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland·significant
UK raises Skilled Worker salary thresholds
The Home Office raised the Skilled Worker general salary threshold from GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700, with parallel increases to going rates and shortage-route adjustments.
- — General salary threshold raised to GBP 38,700 for new Skilled Worker applications (with transitional protections for earlier applicants).
- — The Shortage Occupation List was replaced by the Immigration Salary List, with a 20% general threshold discount.
- — Care-worker routes retained distinct thresholds, subject to further rule changes in subsequent Statements of Changes.
·United States of America·material
USCIS final fee rule takes effect
USCIS implemented its first major fee schedule adjustment in nearly a decade, including differentiated H-1B filing fees by employer type.
- — Form I-129 fees differ by employer size (small-employer discount for eligible petitioners).
- — New Asylum Program Fee (USD 600 for most employers) was introduced and applies to H-1B, L-1, O-1, EB-type petitions.
- — Premium processing was retained at USD 2,805 in the 2024 rule (later raised to USD 2,965 on 1 March 2026; 15 business days).
Full details →Primary source
USCIS — Final Fee Rule (2024) ↗ · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Link last verified: