In summer 2026, key changes affected EU asylum rules, residency and Golden Visa conditions in Spain, Portugal and Greece, labor migration in Georgia, residence permit fees in Turkey, US visa issuance, and the launch of the ETIAS system.
In short
- The EU’s new package doesn’t affect legal migration by professionals and investors — it targets asylum and irregular migration.
- Spain’s investor Golden Visa has been inactive since April 3, 2025, but the digital nomad residence permit remains a working option — with renewal risks.
- Since May 19, 2026, the residence period before naturalization in Portugal for most non-EU countries has grown from 5–6 to 10 years.
- Rumors of a sharp fee hike for Turkish residence permits have been officially denied — the 2026 residence permit card costs 964 lira.
- ETIAS launches in the last quarter of 2026 and will cost €20 instead of the previously announced €7.
New EU Asylum and Migration Rules From June 12, 2026
The package deals primarily with asylum, irregular migration and the EU’s external border — it does not affect legal migration by skilled workers, entrepreneurs, investors, digital nomads or their family members.
The first major change is faster procedures. If an applicant’s nationality belongs to a country where the average EU recognition rate for international protection is 20% or lower, their application can be handled under the mandatory border procedure. It must be completed within 12 weeks at most, including any appeal; if no decision is reached within that time, the case moves to the regular procedure.
The second change strengthens the principle that a specific country is responsible for reviewing an application. If an applicant filed in one EU state and then moved to another on their own, the new rules make it faster to determine the responsible country and, where grounds exist, return the applicant there. The room for a “rejected in one country, apply in another” strategy is narrowing.
The room for a “rejected in one country, apply in another” strategy is narrowing.
The third change is a solidarity mechanism between EU states. Countries on the external borders are no longer left alone with high migration pressure: other member states contribute through relocation of applicants, financial contributions, or other forms of support. At the EU level, an annual minimum of around 30,000 relocations and €600 million in financial solidarity is envisioned — exact parameters should be checked as the mechanism is rolled out.
The new EU package targets asylum and irregular migration, not legal migration by professionals, investors and digital nomads.
Spain: Investor Residency Scrapped, Renewal Risks for Digital Nomad Visa Holders
The Golden Visa for investors in Spain no longer exists: the legal provision governing this visa was repealed back on April 3, 2025, and as of 2026 the program is inactive. This doesn’t mean Spain has closed its doors to wealthy clients, entrepreneurs and professionals — other pathways have simply moved to the forefront. One of the main ones is the residence permit for international remote workers, the digital nomad visa.
By law, this residence permit is issued for up to 3 years and can then be renewed for another 2 years — but only if the conditions under which it was originally granted still hold.
A telling pattern emerged in 2026: applicants who successfully obtained a Spanish digital nomad residence permit a few years ago are now facing rejection at the renewal stage or running into serious questions from immigration authorities. The reason is that getting the status is only half the strategy: you also need to prove that the conditions for it still hold two to three years later.
getting the status is only half the strategy: you also need to prove that the conditions for it still hold two to three years later
The law explicitly requires that the conditions under which someone originally qualified must still be in place at renewal. Over a few years, an applicant’s employer, contract structure, income, or work format can easily change.
So already at the initial application stage it’s worth thinking through: how income will be documented at renewal, what happens to the status if the employer or client changes, and which records are worth keeping from year one — not for getting the visa, but for renewing it.
Spain’s digital nomad residence permit is issued for 3 years and renewed for 2 more, but only if the original conditions still hold — a change of employer or income can lead to rejection.
From year one, keep records that document your income and think through what happens to your status if your employer or client changes — you’ll need this at renewal.
Portugal: Naturalization Wait Grows to 10 Years
Portugal’s Golden Visa keeps running: residential real estate has long been off the list of qualifying options, but investment routes remain. These are investments of at least €500,000 in qualifying investment funds, or at least €250,000 in cultural sector projects.
In summer 2026, the change affected not the Golden Visa itself, but naturalization. Since May 19, 2026, a new version of the citizenship law is in force: for citizens of most countries outside the EU and the Portuguese-speaking world, the standard legal residence period before naturalization has grown to 10 years — up from the previous 5–6 years. For citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries and other EU member states, the 7-year period remains unchanged.
For those whose administrative procedures were already pending when the changes took effect, the law preserves the previous rules — this transitional provision shields already-filed applications from the longer wait.
This creates an important fork in the road. The Golden Visa hasn’t gone anywhere and still suits those who want European resident status without the goal of living in the country full-time. But if the end goal is a Portuguese passport, the timeline is now built around 10 years of waiting, not 5–6.
the timeline is now built around 10 years of waiting, not 5–6
Naturalization wait time in Portugal
Since May 19, 2026, the standard residence period before naturalization for most countries outside the EU and the Portuguese-speaking world has doubled.
- Legal residence period before naturalizationFor citizens of most countries outside the EU and the Portuguese-speaking world
Portugal’s Golden Visa still grants resident status, but if the goal is a passport, naturalization now takes 10 years instead of 5–6.
Portugal’s Golden Visa and naturalization: what changed and what didn’t
| Parameter | Golden Visa | Naturalization |
|---|---|---|
| Status in 2026 | Still running | Timeline extended from May 19, 2026 |
| Minimum threshold | From €500,000 in funds or €250,000 in cultural projects | Not applicable |
| Timeline for non-EU, non-lusophone citizens | Doesn’t require permanent residence | 10 years instead of the previous 5–6 |
| Timeline for EU and Portuguese-speaking citizens | Doesn’t require permanent residence | 7 years, unchanged |
A transitional provision preserves the previous timelines for applications already filed when the changes took effect.
Greece: Golden Visa and New Real Estate Thresholds
Greece’s Golden Visa keeps running, unlike Spain’s investor program. The entry threshold depends on the region: in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini the minimum property value is €800,000, while in most other regions of the country it’s €400,000. A lower investment threshold remains in place for certain property categories.
This split isn’t a 2026 novelty: the main threshold reform happened earlier, and summer’s changes didn’t touch the program itself. So it’s more accurate to view Greece not as a country suddenly tightening its rules, but as a market with an already-established structure, where choosing the right property and the right legal deal structure matters more than it did a few years ago.
Greece Golden Visa thresholds by region
The minimum property value for Greece’s Golden Visa depends on the region.
- Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini€800,000
- Most other regions€400,000
- Certain property categoriesbelow the standard thresholdThe exact threshold depends on the category
Georgia: New System for Regulating Foreigners’ Employment
Since March 1, 2026, a new system for regulating foreigners’ work activity has been in effect in Georgia. A separate right to engage in employment has been introduced for labor migrants and some categories of self-employed foreigners.
This right doesn’t stand on its own — it must be combined with a matching basis for stay, such as a D1 visa or a suitable residence permit. In other words, the right to be in the country and the right to engage in specific work activity no longer always overlap.
In effect, Georgia is gradually moving away from its previous liberal model of foreign residence toward a more formalized system. For entrepreneurs, freelancers, and those relocating for the long term, this means checking in advance whether their existing basis for stay actually covers the work activity they plan to carry out.
Turkey: Rumors of Higher Residence Permit Fees Denied
In spring and summer 2026, reports circulated about a sharp increase in state fees for residence permits in Turkey. On May 1, Turkey’s migration authority issued an official denial: no new fee increase took place. The cost of the residence permit card itself for 2026 is 964 Turkish lira.
Other fees related to processing a residence permit are calculated according to set rates and depend on the applicant’s nationality and the length of the permit requested — there’s no single fixed amount for every case. The Turkish rumor illustrates a general rule: migration news, especially about fee hikes or tightened requirements, is worth checking against official sources rather than social media retellings.
United States: Immigrant Visas Suspended for Seven Countries, ETIAS Launches in the EU
On January 21, 2026, the US State Department suspended issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of seven countries, including Russia — the decision was explained as a revision of rules tied to the public charge standard and use of social welfare programs.
Later, District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan struck down the standing provision, calling the administration’s policy clearly unlawful: in her view, US law prohibits discrimination in immigrant visa issuance based solely on an applicant’s nationality. The administration may appeal the ruling, so the outcome isn’t final yet.
What ETIAS Is and When It Launches
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is set to launch in the last quarter of 2026. It’s not a visa or a residence permit, but an electronic authorization — similar in logic to the US ESTA. It will be required for citizens of visa-exempt countries taking short-term trips to 30 European states.
ETIAS is set to cost €20 — this figure replaces the previously announced €7, and the final amount could still change before launch. The system’s introduction doesn’t mean Europe is closing to tourists: it’s more a next step in border digitization, giving border systems more information about a traveler before arrival.
Investment Migration: Source of Funds and New Programs
For investment migration, what matters more and more isn’t just having capital, but being able to show a clear, documented source of those funds. Source of Funds and Source of Wealth paperwork is better assembled in advance, not after a bank or immigration authority sends a follow-up request: proving where the money came from “on the spot” is harder than preparing the package before filing.
Among the new competitors to the classic destinations is Argentina. It has already created a legal framework for a citizenship-by-investment program and a dedicated agency to develop and manage it. The specific investment parameters and practical rollout haven’t been disclosed yet — applying right after the first headline about the launch is premature; it’s worth waiting for a separate breakdown of the actual conditions.
Documentation on the source of funds is better gathered before filing — proving it “on the spot”, on request from a bank or immigration authority, is harder.
Frequently asked questions
Do the new EU asylum rules affect people relocating as professionals, entrepreneurs or digital nomads?
No, the package deals with asylum, irregular migration and the EU’s external border. Legal migration by professionals, entrepreneurs, investors and digital nomads, as well as their family members, is not affected by these rules.
Can you still get Spanish residency through investment in real estate or business now that the Golden Visa has been scrapped?
Spain’s investor Golden Visa no longer works — the underlying legal provision was repealed as of April 3, 2025. But this doesn’t mean the country is closed to wealthy clients, entrepreneurs and professionals: other pathways to status have moved to the forefront, such as the residence permit for international remote workers.
What happens if the employer or work format changes when renewing a digital nomad residence permit in Spain?
The law explicitly requires that the conditions under which status was originally granted still be in place at renewal. A change of employer, contract structure, income, or work format can lead to rejection or extra questions from immigration authorities, so such changes need to be ready to be documented and explained.
Is there a transition period for people who already filed for naturalization in Portugal before the law changed?
Yes, for administrative procedures already pending when the changes took effect, the law preserves the previous rules. This transitional provision protects already-filed applications from the extended 10-year wait.
Do the changes to Portugal’s citizenship law affect the Golden Visa program?
No, the summer 2026 changes affected naturalization, not the Golden Visa itself. The investment program continues to run on the same terms and still suits those who want European resident status without the goal of living in the country full-time.
Does a lower real estate investment threshold still apply to some property categories for Greece’s Golden Visa?
Yes, certain property categories in Greece retain a lower investment threshold compared to the standard €800,000 or €400,000, depending on the region.
Does a foreigner in Georgia who already holds a D1 visa or a suitable residence permit need a separate work authorization?
Yes, since March 1, 2026, the right to be in the country and the right to engage in work activity in Georgia no longer always overlap. A separate right to work has been introduced for labor migrants and some categories of self-employed foreigners, and it must be combined with a matching basis for stay, such as a D1 visa or a suitable residence permit.
How should migration news be checked to avoid falling for rumors like the Turkish fee hike?
The Turkish case illustrates a general rule: migration news, especially about fee increases or tightened requirements, is worth checking against official sources rather than social media retellings. That’s exactly how the report of a sharp residence permit fee hike, which spread in spring and summer, was officially denied on May 1, 2026.
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