In early June 2025, several countries introduced major changes to their immigration policies, reflecting ongoing efforts to manage foreign labor needs and domestic priorities. These updates range from visa waivers and new application rules to income thresholds and migration caps.
China has expanded its visa-free travel policy. Starting June 9, citizens from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days. This follows similar deals with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. From June 1, China also began offering 30-day visa-free entry to travelers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. The country already allows short-term visa-free visits from multiple nations across Europe, Asia, and Oceania, including France, Japan, and Australia.
Poland rolled out new rules for foreign workers from June 1. Employers must now submit work permit applications electronically, with no paper submissions accepted. Authorities may reject applications for jobs that benefit third parties outside formal temporary work arrangements, for employers lacking financial legitimacy, or for jobs that are too limited in scope. Work permits for roles under half-time are valid for just one year. Priority processing will be given to key sectors or roles that continue existing employment terms. Employers must inform authorities within seven days if a foreign worker fails to start within two months, leaves early, or takes a long break. Heavy fines will apply for non-compliance, and foreign nationals cannot work in Poland on visas issued by other Schengen countries.
Australia is reducing its annual migration intake to 250,000 by June 2025, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Official data show that net overseas migration added 446,000 people in 2023–24, a decrease from the previous year’s 536,000.
In Sweden, the government will soon require most migrants to earn at least 80% of the median salary—currently 35,600 kronor—to qualify for work permits. This change, expected by June 2025, aims to limit low-skilled migration. Exceptions will be made for domestic care workers. Although many Indians have recently left Sweden, they still rank as the second-largest group of new arrivals.
The United Arab Emirates will launch a new visa for skilled professionals starting June 30. This Visit Visa for Work Purposes allows entry without employer sponsorship and permits short-term job exploration or temporary work for up to 120 days. Eligible applicants must either hold qualifications at designated skill levels, have a university degree, be recent graduates from top global institutions, or show proof of financial stability.
In the United States, student visa interviews have been paused, and social media screenings have expanded. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered U.S. embassies to halt all appointments for F, M, and J visa categories. However, a federal judge stopped the Trump administration from blocking Harvard from enrolling international students, protecting roughly 7,000 visa holders.
The UK is seeing a sharp rise in American citizenship applications, with more than 6,600 submitted in the year ending March 2025—the most since 2004. Nearly 2,000 of those applications came in the first quarter of the year. At the same time, the UK government released a White Paper outlining proposed immigration reforms. Key changes include limiting Skilled Worker visa eligibility to high-level roles, raising the employer Immigration Skills Charge by 32%, tightening English proficiency standards, shortening the Graduate Route to 18 months, and potentially extending settlement periods to 10 years.
Spain has made it easier for foreign workers and students to live and work in the country. Study permits now cover the full duration of academic programs, and students can work up to 30 hours per week. Graduates may switch directly to work permits and sponsor family members if eligible.
Portugal has introduced new fingerprint checks at air and sea borders. Third-country nationals with short-stay visas must now provide biometric data on arrival, which may lead to longer processing times.
France has revised its rules for the Talent – EU Blue Card program. Highly qualified workers with contracts as short as six months may now qualify, even without a university degree, if they have three years of experience. Validity of Talent Passports has been extended, and those who already hold an EU Blue Card from another country may transfer more easily to France. A new shortage occupation list removes the need to advertise jobs locally and may allow undocumented workers in these fields to apply for residency.
Italy now requires applicants for long-stay national visas to provide fingerprints in person, unless they have already done so for a Schengen visa within the past 59 months. These national (D) visas allow non-EU citizens to stay in Italy for over 90 days for work, study, or family reasons.
Together, these policy shifts signal a renewed global focus on skilled migration, labor market protection, and border control.
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