From May 1, 2026, France will increase a number of immigration fees and introduce new payments for foreigners, which will increase the cost of moving and legalizing in the country. The changes are provided for in the French budget law for 2026, and the increase in stamp duty on citizenship applications is already reflected on the official Service-Public portal.
According to the updated rules, the cost of the first residence permit will increase from €200 to €300, the preferential rate for certain categories will increase from €50 to €100, and the cost of obtaining a duplicate or making changes to a residence permit card will increase from €25 to €50. At the same time, the renewal of most residence permits will remain at €200, and €50 for preferential categories.
One of the most notable changes will be the increase in the stamp duty for applying for French citizenship to €255 from €55. In addition, a new fee of €100 will be introduced for an autorisation provisoire de séjour (temporary residence permit), as well as a €40 fee for exchanging a foreign driver’s license for a French one.
The increase in fees comes against the backdrop of broader budget consolidation in France. The country’s budget for 2026 is designed to reduce the deficit to 5% of GDP from an estimated 5.4% a year earlier. Against this backdrop, part of the administrative costs are being passed on to applicants.
The Swedish government has announced the end of the “minimum citizenship” period and has prepared a package of changes that raises the requirements for applicants for a Swedish passport.
According to the government’s announcement, the basic residence requirement for applying for citizenship is planned to be increased from five to eight years. It is also proposed to introduce stricter requirements for “lifestyle,” self-sufficiency, knowledge of the Swedish language and the basics of society, as well as to reduce the use of the notification procedure so that more applicants fall under the new conditions.
In terms of financial criteria, the government explicitly states a benchmark – a requirement for self-sufficiency at a level of approximately SEK 20,000 per month. The majority of the changes are scheduled to come into force on June 6, 2026, with certain elements related to language tests possibly being introduced later.
According to Statistics Sweden (SCB), in 2024, there were 2,200,238 people living in the country who were born outside Sweden, accounting for about 20% of the population.
In terms of the structure of new arrivals, 116,197 people immigrated to Sweden in 2024. The largest group was immigrants from Ukraine (28,065 people), followed by “Sweden” (re-emigration, i.e., the return of those who had previously left) with 11,907 people. Among the most notable groups are also India (5,801), Germany (3,647), China (3,558), Syria (2,985), Poland (2,844), Pakistan (2,477), Turkey (2,107), Iran (1,972), as well as Russia (1,721) and Iraq (1,500).
In 2025, 14,124 foreigners permanently residing in Finland obtained citizenship, which is a new record, according to preliminary data from the Tilastokeskus statistical service.
According to this data, the largest number of Finnish citizenships in 2025 were granted to citizens of Iraq (1,960), followed by citizens of the Russian Federation (1,491) and citizens of Syria (1,282).
Tilastokeskus provides figures for the top three countries in its publication, but does not disclose the number of Ukrainians who obtained citizenship or their place in the overall ranking. A more detailed breakdown by citizenship in the official statistics is usually published later as a separate data set.
According to Tilastokeskus, the largest group of arrivals in Finland in 2025 were citizens of Ukraine (8,388), followed by citizens of the Philippines (2,701) and Sri Lanka (2,435).
In France, new requirements for a number of procedures related to multi-year residence permits, 10-year resident cards, and citizenship have come into force on January 1, 2026: language thresholds have been raised and a mandatory citizenship exam has been introduced.
According to explanations from French government resources, the first multi-year residence card (carte de séjour pluriannuelle) now requires proof of French language proficiency at a level of at least A2, and for the first 10-year residence card – no lower than B1 (in particular, for applicants under 65 years of age in categories covered by the rule).
For procedures for accessing French citizenship, from January 1, 2026, language requirements will be raised to level B2, according to information from the French Ministry of the Interior.
In addition, from January 1, 2026, passing the citizenship exam will become mandatory for naturalization, as well as for the first application for a long-term residence permit or resident card for citizens of non-EU countries. The exam lasts up to 45 minutes, includes 40 multiple-choice questions, and is considered passed with a score of at least 80% (at least 32 correct answers).
Service-Public specifies that the exam is not required when renewing a long-term card or residence card, and does not apply, in particular, to beneficiaries of international protection.
The German Bundestag has passed new laws that facilitate the deportation of individuals to so-called safe countries of origin and tighten the conditions for obtaining citizenship, reports Die Welt.
Under the new rules, the German government will be able to designate countries as safe countries of origin by means of a regulatory act without the approval of the Council of Federal States. This will simplify the deportation of individuals from such countries, although the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) retains the option of granting protection in exceptional cases.
In addition, the law abolishes state funding for mandatory lawyers for persons in deportation detention. The German Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association have criticized this decision. “Deprivation of liberty is one of the most serious restrictions on fundamental rights. To date, more than half of all detentions are unlawful. The state must undergo particularly thorough scrutiny,” the association said.
A ten-year ban on obtaining citizenship is also being introduced for individuals who deliberately provide incomplete or false information during the procedure, particularly in connection with the scandal involving fake language proficiency certificates. “Anyone who tries to cheat during the citizenship procedure does not deserve a German passport,” said Alexander Trom (CDU), a representative of the Union faction on internal policy.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno (Ohio) has announced his intention to introduce the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 to Congress, which effectively abolishes dual citizenship for US citizens. The bill stipulates that Americans will not be able to hold US citizenship and the citizenship of any other country at the same time.
According to specialized media reports, the bill contains two key provisions. First, any person who applies for foreign citizenship after the law comes into force will automatically be considered to have renounced their US citizenship. Second, current dual citizens will be given a one-year transition period during which they must either renounce their foreign passport or notify the authorities in writing of their renunciation of US citizenship. Failure to do so will result in the loss of US citizenship.
Enforcement of the law will be entrusted to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, which will be required to create systems for registering individuals who have lost their citizenship and mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the new rules. The initiative has already sparked debate in the media, particularly because it could affect well-known public figures who hold dual citizenship.
Experts note that the bill will face challenges from both a political and legal standpoint. The US Supreme Court, in a series of decisions, including Afroyim v. Rusk (1967) and Vance v. Terrazas (1980), has clearly established that a citizen cannot be deprived of citizenship without voluntarily renouncing it, and that the mere existence of dual citizenship cannot automatically be interpreted as grounds for its loss.
Given these precedents, as well as the political situation in Congress (resistance from Democrats and likely reservations from some Republicans), the chances of the bill being passed in its current form appear slim. Most likely, the initiative will become part of the domestic political debate on immigration and citizen loyalty.
