Insights

Colombia has constantly sought to update its immigration laws according to recent global trends. The latest update in 2022 was clearly intended to streamline the process, attract highly skilled workers through new types of visas and requirements, foster a dynamic environment for remote workers, and better utilise technology.

The digital nomad visa was introduced to encourage remote workers to the country, while a mandatory requirement to have a bachelor’s degree was added to the Colombian work visa application to attract highly skilled workers. Colombia also strengthened the use of technology to assist with the immigration process and updated its regulations on nationality in 2023.  An online platform is now used to apply for Colombian nationality through adoption, and this has also helped stabilise the Colombian general knowledge test that forms part of the final step to obtain nationality.

Colombia is constantly reviewing its immigration regulations. In fact, the Colombian government recently announced the creation of a ‘visa waiver’ for Chinese nationals. There are more details to come, but this emphasises the Colombian government’s openness to continuously check and adapt its immigration laws.

Croatia introduced significant amendments to its immigration law in March 2025 through comprehensive changes to the Foreigners Act (the ‘Act’), the key legislative framework for immigration matters in the country. The Act introduces new opportunities and obligations which are expected to decrease administrative burdens and enhance the adaptability, efficiency and ultimately transparency of the labour market.

Key changes include the possibility to issue residence and work permits for a period of up to three years, instead of the previous one-year maximum period, while residence and work permits for seasonal employees can now be issued for up to nine months, instead of the previous six-month maximum. It is also expected to be easier for foreign employees to change occupations with the same employer or change employers entirely as they will not be required to obtain a new residence and work permit where the existing permit is valid.

The conditions for obtaining a ‘positive opinion’ from the Croatian Employment Service where this is needed have also changed. Employers are now required to have at least one employee from the Republic of Croatia, the EEA, or the Swiss Confederation employed on a permanent, full-time basis for at least one year.

Other changes include: (i) in certain cases, employers must provide a guarantee to the Ministry of Interior as a condition for employing third-country nationals; (ii) the conditions and procedures for issuing the EU Blue Card have been amended, aimed at improving the system for employing highly qualified non-EEA workers. This will now be valid for four, rather than two years and be available to individuals in the IT Sector who may not have formal qualifications but can demonstrate professional skills; (iii) the introduction of a new two-year residence permit for returning Croatian nationals. After three years, they can apply for permanent residence and employment without the requirement to obtain residence and work permits. This aligns with the government’s goal of a return of Croatian emigrants to the country.

Following a fundamental shift in approach in 2002, Denmark generally applies strict rules on immigration for third country nationals, including strict requirements for asylum, permanent residence and citizenship. Although there have been some adjustments over the years, there is a consensus on the general approach across most of the political spectrum. Broadly, permanent residence now requires eight years of residence in Denmark as well as compliance with several other criteria, including on work, self-support (i.e. not receiving public benefits) and having a clean criminal record. For citizenship, similar conditions must be met together with requirements for passing language tests and general knowledge tests on Denmark and Danish values. Applicants for Danish citizenship must also sign a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to Denmark and Danish society.

At the same time, successive Danish governments as well as businesses in Denmark have sought to attract highly skilled third country nationals to come to work in the country. As such, there are several different schemes available in Denmark for labour migration, including pay limit schemes and schemes for certain job categories (such as those experiencing shortages, included on the ‘Positive Lists’). Moreover, certified companies in Denmark can benefit from fast-track application procedures, enabling them to recruit third country nationals and let them commence employment in Denmark within days or weeks. The normal application procedure usually takes one to three months. In recent years, various initiatives have been taken to ease the access to Denmark for highly skilled third country nationals, e.g. by introducing a special version of the Pay Limit scheme with a slightly lower income threshold.

Similar trends can be observed in France. In 2024, the immigration framework was significantly reformed with the introduction of a new law. As in Belgium, certain immigration permits now require satisfactory knowledge of the French language, verified by a language test and a civic education test, to facilitate and accelerate the integration of foreign nationals into society. These requirements apply to applicants for permanent residence or naturalisation, and to individuals seeking employment immigration status.

France has also recently implemented the provisions of the EU’s 2021 Blue Card Directive to promote the mobility of highly skilled workers. Eligibility conditions have been revised to be more favourable, notably through the introduction of a new criterion for professional experience in certain sectors (to be specified in a decree), and intra-EU mobility for EU Blue Card holders will be encouraged and facilitated.

It is interesting to note that the Belgian agreement specifically addresses concerns about waiting periods in an effort to reduce processing times. In France, backlogs and delays in the processing of immigration applications, including renewal applications, often escalate, leading to uncertainty for individuals and the potential disruption of their rights. The Defender of Rights (“Défenseur des Droits”) published a report at the end of 2024 with a list of 14 recommendations on this issue. It will be important to monitor whether the government takes new measures in response to the practical difficulties faced by applicants and, by extension, their employers.

Immigration is always a hot topic in Italy during political campaigns and governments often touch upon immigration rules.

The current right-wing government has always stated that they would fight against illegal immigration and, since it entered office in October 2022, it has put significant focus on measures to try and reduce the number of foreign nationals that arrive in Italy via boat. In particular, it has invested in detention centres both within the country and abroad for foreign nationals seeking asylum. The lawfulness of the transfer of asylum seekers to other countries has, however, recently been contested in court.

At the same time, conscious of the shortage of workers in several sectors, the government has increased the number of quotas for employment and seasonal work permits for workers who cannot otherwise access one of the available routes outside of the quota system, such as for highly skilled workers. The government plans to assign quotas, with priority given to countries that ‘support the fight’ against illegal immigration. The quotas are, however, still insufficient to satisfy the requests of employers; immigration application procedures remain excessively long and unpredictable, despite some changes. The system is therefore often viewed as incompatible with business needs.

Finally, requirements to obtain citizenship for people with Italian ancestors have been significantly tightened, in response to the very high number of requests made by foreign nationals with often far-removed Italian origins and no effective link with the country.

The current Kazakhstan policy on labour immigration is intended to protect the domestic labour and employment market for local people and develop the country’s talent capacity in accordance with its economic requirements. This approach is visible in the latest legislative amendments on foreign labour engagement that were adopted on 28 March and will take effect from 1 September 2025.  Among other things, the amendments introduce: (i) an obligation on employers to conduct preliminary searches for relevant candidates on the domestic labour market, 15 days prior to applying to the authorised agency for a foreign labour engagement permit; (ii) a requirement to ensure that the education and practical experience of foreign nationals engaged by employers aligns with local qualification requirements and occupational standards; and (iii) a prohibition on engaging a foreign employee in a profession or specialty that is inconsistent with those specified in their permit. Doing so can lead to revocation of the issued permit and other potential sanctions.

In terms of the registration and monitoring of foreign nationals in Kazakhstan, this has recently shifted to a digital system known as ‘migration.enbek.kz’ (a sub-system of the Electronic Labor Exchange (enbek.kz)). For employers looking to engage foreign nationals, this has significantly expedited and optimised the issuance and extension process. In fact, the period required to obtain a permit has been reduced by up to six business days. Furthermore, in-person participation of local governmental agencies has been removed, reducing the risk of corruption when it comes to decision making on issuing permits. For employers engaging foreign nationals, they must input data into this system regarding the relevant employment contracts entered into and permits obtained, including information on special conditions under which the permits have been issued (e.g. vocational training or the creation of additional workplaces for them etc.). Finally, it has been clarified that special conditions for issuing permits do not cover small-scale business entities with less than 20 employees (this exception previously applied to companies with less than 30 employees).

Over the past two years, Luxembourg has taken significant steps to make the country more attractive to third-country nationals, particularly in sectors hit hardest by labour shortages, and for highly qualified professionals. In 2023, the country implemented a major overhaul of its immigration law. One of the key changes now allows family members of third-country nationals residing in Luxembourg under family reunification permits to freely access the labour market—without the need for a separate work permit.

In another major shift, the National Employment Agency (ADEM) is no longer required to conduct a labour market test for jobs listed among the country’s ‘highly in-demand professions.’ This streamlines the hiring process and speeds up the issuance of employment certificates.

Since 2024, Luxembourg has also simplified the application process for highly qualified foreign workers and recently overhauled its tax legislation to attract highly skilled professionals from abroad.

As in Belgium, the Dutch government announced a series of both temporary and structural reforms to limit (labour) migration to the Netherlands, restructure the asylum system, and tighten conditions for residence and naturalisation.

Key asylum-related proposed changes, framed as the “strictest asylum policy ever” by the Dutch migration and asylum minister, include: (i) the abolition of permanent asylum residence permits, (ii) expanded grounds for declaring individuals “undesirable” based on criminal history, (iii) the removal of family reunification rights for adult children, (iv) the suspension of current asylum application procedures, (v) accelerated rejection procedures for so-called ‘low-prospect’ asylum applications and for individuals causing disturbances who are already residing in the Netherlands, and (vi) increased forced returns for individuals without a valid residence permit. Notably, the Netherlands has also requested an opt-out from EU asylum and migration rules, though this received little support in Brussels.

Possible restrictions on labour migration include stricter regulation of temporary employment agencies and increased powers for the Dutch Labour Inspectorate. Most significant is the tightening of the highly skilled migrant scheme. Recognised sponsors will no longer be allowed to place highly skilled migrants with third parties (i.e. to act as an employer of record (EOR)), unless a specific exception applies. The exceptions only apply, (i) if the third party is still awaiting sponsor recognition, or (ii) for innovative start-ups and scale-ups that, in their early phase, are not yet able to meet all the conditions for recognised sponsorship. Even in such cases, the residence permit will be granted only once and for a maximum duration of two years. Additionally, stricter conditions and obligations will apply for recognised sponsors acting as intermediaries. These measures have not yet been transposed into local legislation. If and when these measures do come into play though, they are expected to have a significant impact on the currently widespread and largely unregulated EOR practices in the Netherlands.

In New Zealand, immigration policy continues to develop with a focus on attracting highly skilled workers and international students, particularly in sectors facing labour shortages. The Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme, introduced in 2022, remains the central pathway for skilled labour migration and is under ongoing refinement to ensure it supports skill-needs while protecting opportunities for local workers. New Zealand has also prioritised efficiency in immigration processing, with the rollout of a digital application system allowing for faster processing times, easier application tracking, and the removal of physical document submissions for most visas.

In the area of asylum, New Zealand maintains a clear position that the system exists to protect those with a well-founded fear of persecution and not as a general migration pathway. Claims are closely monitored to prevent abuse of the process and a high bar for refugee and protection status is maintained. Trends in New Zealand reflect an overall policy direction that balances openness to skills-based migration with structured pathways and clear conditions for longer-term settlement.

Like Belgium, Sweden has also taken measures to encourage highly skilled workers to come to the country. On 29 January 2024, the Swedish Migration Agency launched a new working method for processing work permit applications, introducing a developed service for employers who recruit highly qualified workers.

The working method aims to make it easier for companies to quickly obtain the labour they need. Since its launch, the Migration Agency has prioritised service to employers that recruit highly skilled workers by introducing a new way of sorting applications for work permits based on occupation and industry, which in turn leads to faster decision-making. The legal requirements for obtaining a work permit are, however, unchanged.

Another measure adopted to attract highly skilled workers to Sweden is the implementation of the EU Blue Card Directive, which was transposed into Swedish law on 1 January 2025. The new legislation means, among other things, that the salary threshold has been reduced from 1.5 times to 1.25 times the average gross annual salary in Sweden. It is now also possible for the employee to switch from one highly skilled job to another, without being obliged to apply for a new EU Blue Card.

In Ukraine, the employment of foreign nationals is subject to specific legal requirements, primarily the necessity of obtaining a work permit. They may be employed in Ukraine for a short period, during which they may lawfully remain in the country for up to 90 days under the visa-free regime. Employment for a longer duration is permitted only upon the issuance of a temporary or permanent residence permit.

The legal framework governing the employment of foreign nationals has seen gradual improvement. Notably, in 2022, legislative amendments refined the procedure for obtaining a work permit. These included a clearer list of required documents, the formalisation of electronic submissions, and explicit instructions regarding the method and location for submitting applications. Additionally, the deadline for applying to extend a work permit was extended from 15 to 20 days, and the previously mandated minimum wage for foreign nationals, previously significantly higher than that for Ukrainian citizens, was abolished, ensuring more equitable remuneration conditions for both Ukrainian and foreign workers.

In light of martial law and the migration of a significant part of the Ukrainian workforce abroad, the legislator is trying to improve conditions for the employment of foreign nationals, thereby encouraging professionals from abroad to join the Ukrainian labour market.