Turkey is streamlining certain administrative procedures for foreign investors participating in the citizenship-by-investment program, while the basic eligibility requirements for the program remain unchanged. The most popular option still involves purchasing real estate worth at least $400,000 with a commitment not to sell the property for three years; alternative routes include a bank deposit, the purchase of government bonds, stock market investments, or fixed capital investments starting at $500,000.
According to industry consultants, in 2026 the program continues to operate without requiring long-term residence in the country or a language exam, and the total processing time for citizenship is typically about six months after investment confirmation. Market participants cite clearer and more centralized coordination of procedures through investment and immigration authorities as one of the practical simplifications, which reduces some of the bureaucratic burden on applicants.
Interest in the Turkish program remains steady amid overall foreign demand for local real estate, although the market itself cooled significantly in 2025. According to Daily Sabah, citing official statistics, foreigners purchased 21,534 residential properties in Turkey in 2025—the lowest figure in nine years.
Russian citizens led the list of buyers, followed by Iran, Ukraine, Germany, and Iraq. The top 10 also included Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan.
The Romanian authorities have extended the transition period for submitting applications to regain Romanian citizenship without the mandatory B1-level Romanian language certificate by one more year.
The transition period itself has been moved from March 15, 2026, to March 15, 2027. Thus, over the next 12 months, applicants under this procedure will still be able to begin the process without providing a language certificate at the application stage.
The requirement to demonstrate proficiency in Romanian at the B1 level was introduced by Law No. 14 of March 12, 2025, and the agency’s leadership initiated steps to postpone its practical implementation.
This does not mean the cancellation of the language requirement itself, but rather an extension of the transition period for another year.
Source: https://relocation.com.ua
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.
