Finland
Visa and residence permit applications in Qatar
Effective 1 October 2025, the embassy of Finland in Doha, Qatar will start providing residence permit services within its consular district for Qatar and Kuwait. In addition, the Doha Embassy will replace the Finnish Embassy in Abu Dhabi in the provision of consular services to Pakistani nationals and complement the services of the Finnish Embassy in Ankara to provide residence permit services to Iraqi citizens.
Residence permit applications for Finland are accepted from Qatari, Kuwaiti and Pakistani nationals as well as from applicants residing legally in these countries (with a residence permit etc.). Iraqi nationals and applicants residing legally in Iraq (with a residence permit etc.) can submit their residence permit application for Finland either in Ankara or Doha.
Visa applications for Finland are accepted from Qatari nationals as well as applicants residing legally in Qatar (with a QID). Iraqi nationals can submit their visa application either in Ankara or Doha.
Visa and residence permit application submissions in Qatar are outsourced to an application centre operated by VFS Global. Visa applications will be received on behalf of Finland at the VFS application centre starting 30 September 2025, and residence permit applications starting 1 October 2025.
- All applicants must visit the Application Centre personally to be identified and to give biometric identifier information.
- All visa and residence permit applicants are served by appointment only.
- Residence permit applications should be filled online beforehand at https://migri.fi/enter-finland. To guarantee a smooth and quick identification visit at VFS Doha, the embassy recommends online applications and online payment in the online service Enter Finland. In addition, paper applications are accepted. The Finnish Immigration Service is the responsible authority in residence permit matters.
- Visa applications can be filled online at https://finlandvisa.fi/ or on paper. The embassy of Finland in Doha processes visa applications according to the Visa Code.
- A service fee (20 EUR paid in QAR) will be charged at the Application Centre together with the residence permit fee (if not paid online) or visa fee.
- All confirmed residence permit and/or visa application appointments under the Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi or Embassy of Finland in Ankara will remain as agreed. For those who have started their residence permit process in Abu Dhabi or Ankara or submitted their visa application in Ankara, the process will continue in the same embassy where it started.
Iceland
Icelandic language test for applicants for citizenship
The Directorate of Immigration has announced that the next Icelandic language tests for applicants for Icelandic citizenship will be held from 10 to 25 November 2025.
Registration is possible from September 17 to October 19 on the website of Mímir.is.
One of the conditions for obtaining Icelandic citizenship is to take and pass a test in Icelandic for applicants for citizenship. It is the Directorate of Education and School Services that prepares and reviews the tests, while Mímir conducts the tests.
The purpose of the test is to be an objective measure of whether applicants meet the requirements for Icelandic proficiency set out in the regulation on Icelandic language tests for applicants for Icelandic citizenship. According to the regulation, the Directorate of Immigration may exempt an applicant from the language test requirement, if it is considered unreasonable to make this a condition.
This may apply for example to individuals who are over 65 years of age; children who study in an Icelandic elementary school or are under the age of elementary school; individuals who have been confirmed by a certificate of a doctor or specialist that they cannot undergo a test for serious physical or mental reasons; and individuals who can confirm with an appropriate certificate from an Icelandic school or educational institution that they have skills that correspond to the requirements listed in the regulation.
An applicant who believes they qualify for an exemption must provide supporting documentation, such as a medical certificate or a certificate of school attendance or diploma. Written statements made by friends, family, employers or others are not sufficient to base an exemption. Applicants with good knowledge of Icelandic may find it unreasonable to have to take a test to demonstrate their knowledge of the language. Without the relevant certificates, however, this is not an unreasonable requirement within the meaning of the regulation
Sweden
Digital passport check expanded
The Swedish Migration Agency has expanded eligibility for digital passport checks from 23 to 74 visa-exempt nationalities.
The digital passport check pilot opened in May 2024 to allow visa-free students and workers applying for residence permits to avoid time-consuming and sometimes expensive journeys to a Swedish mission abroad.
Eligible applicants receive an offer of a digital passport check via email within a few days of an online application for a work or study permit. The email contains a personal link to the Digital Passport Check e-service, valid for seven days.
The passport check is completed using the Freja app to scan the passport.
United Kingdom
Changes to family reunion rules
On 4 September 2025, the government published a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, amending the process for applications from a partner or dependent child of a person in the UK with protected status.
The changes introduce a temporary pause to Appendix Family Reunion (Sponsors with Protection) while the government undertakes a full review and reform of the current family rules, as proposed in the recent Immigration White Paper.
Pending applications will continue to be considered under the Appendix Family Reunion (Sponsors with Protection) rules in place prior to the commencement of the suspension.
Meanwhile, Appendix FM has been amended to allow applications from a partner and dependent child of a person with protection status in the UK. In line with other applications under Appendix FM, but unlike applications under Appendix Family Reunion, a person will need to pay the fee or obtain a fee waiver and meet the core requirements of the route (for example English language and financial requirements).
The Appendix FM rules require the parent of a dependent child to have a sole responsibility where the child is not accompanying or joining both parents in the UK, which is different than the approach under Appendix Family Reunion (Sponsors with Protection).
The policy intention is to ensure that where both parents have parental responsibility for a child, the child remains with the parents to ensure the UK is not brought into custody battles and a child is not brought to the UK against the wishes of the other parent. However, where an applicant is unable to demonstrate sole responsibility under Appendix FM, the child will still be granted permission if there are serious and compelling family circumstances that make exclusion of the child undesirable.
The changes came into effect on 4 September 2025.
