European Citizenship & Residency News
English briefings for the European citizenship and residency tracks hosted on Prep2Go.
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Weekly update on July 11, 2026: IND freezes family reunification decisions, Council of State orders fraud-case reassessments, and 45-day
The IND has suspended decisions on a large share of family reunification applications pending a court ruling on retroactive application of EU Migration Pact rules. Separately, the Council of State ruled the IND must always reassess asylum eligibility on other grounds even after
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Weekly update on July 10, 2026: Quiet policy week — official German residence rules still in force
No major headline immigration changes this week. Below are the official German residence and naturalisation rules still in force. A quiet policy week for Germany immigration: no new legislation passed. EU Blue Card, Opportunity Card, and employer-sponsored permits remain the acti
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Weekly update on July 9, 2026: Quiet policy week — official Spanish residence rules still in force
No major headline immigration changes this week. Below are the official Spanish residence, extranjería, and nationality rules still in force. A quiet policy week for Spain immigration. No new laws or decrees were issued. Here is what remains in force: the real-estate Golden Visa
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Weekly update on July 8, 2026: French court orders ANEF overhaul as permit delays force residents into court
A French administrative court ruled the Interior Ministry's inaction on ANEF platform failures illegal, giving the state 6–12 months to fix the system. Meanwhile, foreign residents facing months-long permit delays are increasingly turning to emergency legal procedures costing
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Weekly update on July 7, 2026: Italy's Albania detention centre blocked from EU inspection; 14,464 sea arrivals recorded as Pope visits
EU parliamentarians were denied access to cells and headcount data at Italy's offshore detention centre in Gjadër, Albania, where six suicide attempts have been logged since mid-May. Separately, UN figures show 14,464 migrants have reached Italy by sea in 2026, with over 1,400
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Weekly update on July 6, 2026: 1,260 ARI investors challenge nationality law change; AIMA task force winds down with 30,000 cases left
A consortium of 1,260 Golden Visa investors has filed a formal complaint with Portugal's Ombudsman over a law that doubled the citizenship waiting period from 5 to 10 years. Separately, AIMA's emergency backlog task force is closing before August 2026 with 30,000 complex cases tr
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Weekly update on July 5, 2026: Sweden abolishes permanent residency for asylum holders, reporting duty, teen-deportation bill to parliament
Sweden's immigration overhaul takes effect from 12 July: permanent residency ends for asylum-based permit holders, six agencies must report suspected undocumented residents from 13 July, and a bill raising the dependent age to 21 goes to parliament on 13 August.
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Weekly update on July 4, 2026: EU Asylum Pact reshapes Dutch work rights, start-up permit rules clarified, and IND deadline enforcement upda
The EU Asylum and Migration Pact, in force since June 12, 2026, cuts the work-waiting period for likely-approved asylum seekers from six months to three, while barring applicants from safe-origin countries from working at all. Separately, IND updated guidance on start-up personne
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Weekly update on July 3, 2026: Germany skilled-worker salary thresholds in force since January
A quiet policy week for Germany immigration. No new rules broke this period — but the January 2026 salary floor increases for skilled-worker permits remain the operative standard every applicant must meet.
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Weekly update on June 30, 2026: Spain's regularization program closes with 1 million applications — double the forecast
Spain's extraordinary regularization scheme shut its registration window on June 30, 2026, drawing over 1 million applications against an official estimate of 500,000. The one-year renewable permit covers undocumented migrants who lived in Spain for at least five months before De
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Weekly update on July 1, 2026: France Talent Visa & Civic Exam Rules
France has updated its Talent visa salary thresholds for 2026, setting the EU Blue Card minimum at approximately €59,373 and the qualified employee route at €39,582. Additionally, the mandatory civic exam is now a strict requirement for multi-year residency and citizenship.
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Weekly update on June 29, 2026: Golden Visa Complaints & Fund Redemptions
Golden Visa investors filed a formal complaint with Portugal's Ombudsman over the new Nationality Law. Meanwhile, investment funds see massive redemptions, and the government declares immigration under control.
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Weekly update on June 28, 2026: Swedish five-year permits and Danish legislative proposals
Sweden grants five-year residence permits to long-term residents and outlines salary requirement exceptions. Denmark publishes information on a proposed legislative amendment for Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60.
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Weekly update on June 27, 2026: Netherlands Tightens Visa Overstay Rules
The Netherlands joins other European nations in ending leniency for visa overstays. Strict enforcement of stay limits highlights the need for a flawless immigration record for future residency applicants.
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Weekly update on June 26, 2026: Family Reunification & Visa Limits
Germany is expanding family reunification benefits in 2026 while tightening short-term visa limits. Meanwhile, high visa demand continues to strain processing capacities.
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Weekly update on June 25, 2026: Spain's Visa Shifts and Processing Delays
Spain faces massive immigration processing delays amid 900,000 regularization applications. Meanwhile, Golden Visa real estate changes loom and the Digital Nomad Visa surges in popularity.
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Weekly update on June 24, 2026: French Visa Disputes & EU Migration Reforms
France passes a bill extending detention for dangerous foreigners, while a visa dispute with Spain impacts Russian citizens. Meanwhile, the EU approves stricter migration reforms including new return hubs.
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Weekly update on June 23, 2026: Schengen Visa Delays & Wealth Mobility
Europe faces a Schengen visa processing crisis with rising rejection rates, while Italy remains a key destination for global wealth mobility amid ongoing EU travel restriction debates.