Denmark
New Working Holiday quota period for citizens of Chile and Argentina
On 1 March 2025, a new quota period for Working Holiday residence permits for citizens of Chile and Argentina begins. Working Holiday for citizens of Chile and Argentina is covered by a quota of 150 residence permits annually.
A quota year runs from March of a given year to February of the following year.
From March to August (the first quota period) SIRI can grant residence permits corresponding to half of the annual quota (up to 75), and from September to February (the second quota period) SIRI can grant a maximum of the remaining part of the quota (up to 150). Permits will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Once the quota of 75 Working Holiday residence permits for both Chilean and Argentinian citizens has been used up, no more residence permits can be granted until 1 September 2025, when the next quota period begins.
Once 75 Working Holiday residence permits have been issued to both Chilean and Argentinian citizens, any remaining applications will be rejected and the processing fee to SIRI will be refunded. Applicants should be aware that any fee paid to VFS or the representation in Chile will not be refunded if the application is rejected.
As the quota period this year opens on Saturday 1 March 2025, applicants should be aware that VFS Santiago, Chile opens for appointments via their online booking system Monday 3 March 20259 AM (UTC -4). VFS Buenos Aires, Argentina opens for appointments via their online booking system on Wednesday 5 March 202 at 9 AM (UTC -3), as 3 and 4 March 2025 are public holidays.
European Union
Further details of ETIAS timeline
The European Commission has published information clarifying the timeline for the introduction of the ETIAS online travel authorisation system.
ETIAS is currently not in operation and will not start in the first half of 2025.No action is required from travellers at this point.
The launch of ETIAS will take place a few months after the introduction of the Entry Exit System (the EES), now expected to be later in 2025. The implementation of ETIAS will be gradual.
- The launch of ETIAS will be followed by a transitional period of at least six months. This means that, for travel during this time, travellers should already apply for their ETIAS travel authorisation, but those without one will not be refused entry as long as they fulfil all remaining entry conditions.
- This will be followed by a grace period of at least six months. During this period travellers must have an ETIAS travel authorisation to enter the 30 European countries.
- As an exception, during the grace period, those coming to Europe for the first time since the end of the transitional period will be allowed to enter without an ETIAS provided they fulfil all remaining entry conditions. All other travellers will be refused entry if they do not hold an ETIAS travel authorisation.
Once the new system is in place, nationals of 59 countries and territories who do not need a visa to travel to any of the 30 European countries, will have to apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation before starting their trip. Similar entry requirements for visa-free nationals are currently in place in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Travellers will have to submit their ETIAS applications online using either the official ETIAS website europa.eu/etias or the official mobile app.
Finland
Backlog in processing of family applications
The Finnish Immigration Service (“Migri”) has announced that there is a backlog in the processing of applications on the basis of family ties. Currently, more than 15,000 applications are awaiting a decision.
Those who have not yet received a decision on their application will be contacted if Migri needs more information for their application.
Background
Nearly 50,000 applications on the basis of family ties were submitted in 2024, which is almost 10,000 more than in 2023.
More than 46,000 decisions were made in 2024, which is more than 6,000 more than in 2023.
65% of applications on the basis of family ties submitted in 2024 were resolved in less than three months.
In 2024, some 91% of first permits and 97% of extended permits received positive decisions.
Most applications are processed in less than three months. The average processing time for the applications of minor children is shorter than for adults.
According to the law, the applications of students’ family members must be processed within a maximum of 90 days from the date the applicant has submitted a fully completed application. Other applications on the basis of family ties must be processed within a maximum of nine months.
Currently, around 2000 applications on the basis of family ties have been pending for more than nine months and around 1200 applications of students’ family members have been pending for more than 90 days. Migri will prioritise applications whose statutory processing time has expired.
Migri states that the absence of a passport is currently the main reason for the delay in processing.
- Applicants must have a valid passport issued by the country of nationality in order to be granted a residence permit. Applicants are advised to renew their passport if it is about to expire. The expiry of a passport is not a valid reason for faster processing of a residence permit application.
- Those who do not have a valid passport issued by the country of nationality usually need to obtain one. The lack of a passport significantly slows down the processing of the application.
There is also a backlog in applications for which further clarification is requested.
- Applicants should check that they have completed all the necessary information in the application form and submitted all the requested attachments, such as a report on sufficient financial resources if a condition for issuing the permit is having sufficient resources.
- Applicants must also legalise the documents, before submitting the application.
- The processing of the application is often also delayed in situations where a family member already residing in Finland does not have a valid residence permit. In this case, the application cannot be resolved until the family member has been granted a residence permit.
