Austria
New residence permit for cross-border commuters
On 24 October 2025, the Austrian parliament approved amendments to the Settlement and Residence Act (NAG) and the Foreign Employment Act (AuslBG) which create a new residence permit for cross-border commuters.
Effective 1 December 2025, the new procedure enables third-country nationals workers who live in a neighbouring country to work in Austrian border districts. Prerequisites are a positive report from the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) and a permanent residence permit in the neighbouring country.
The AMS report is an expert opinion that no suitable candidate in Austria can be found for the position.
A transitional regulation until the end of 2025 ensures that already employed cross-border commuters can continue to work in Austria.
United Kingdom
Planned reforms to permanent settlement rules
On 20 November 2025, the Home Office announced significant changes to the legal migration system, including much longer qualifying periods and contribution-based criteria for obtaining permanent settlement.
The changes will apply to almost two million migrants who arrived in the UK from 2021, subject to consultation on transitional arrangements for borderline cases. It will not apply to those with existing settled status.
- Earlier this year, the government announced it would double the permanent settlement qualifying period for migrants to 10 years, with reductions for those “making a strong contribution to British life”.
- Low-paid workers, such as the 616,000 people and their dependants who came on health and social care visas between 2022 and 2024, would be subject to a 15-year baseline. The route was closed earlier this year following widespread abuse.
- There will be penalties for immigrants exploiting the system.
- Migrants reliant on benefits face a 20-year wait for settlement – quadruple the current period.
- Another proposal would allow migrants to become eligible for benefits and social housing only after they become British citizens, rather than upon being granted settlement as is currently the case.
- Illegal migrants and visa overstayers would have to wait up to 30 years to settle, removing the prospect of long-term residence and security in the UK.
- In contrast, doctors and nurses working in the NHS will be able to settle after five years. Certain international talent could have settlement fast-tracked – with high earners and entrepreneurs able to stay after just three years.
Other key proposals include:
- Migrants should have a clean criminal record if they wish to settle – work will take place to consider the precise threshold at which this is applied, building on rules announced earlier this year to reduce the deportation threshold.
- Immediate family members of UK citizens, and Hong Kong BN(O)s will retain their existing five-year pathway to settlement.
- Five-year pathway for skilled frontline public service workers.
- Migrants on Global Talent or Innovator Founder visas for at least three years could only have to wait three years for settlement, a seven-year reduction on the 10-year baseline.
- Migrants making national insurance contributions will receive settlement after 10 years, but higher and additional rate taxpayers will benefit from reduced periods in recognition of their contribution.
- Migrants could also receive a discount for integration – this includes speaking English to a high standard and volunteering.
Under the current system, settlement is typically granted with few conditions after five years in the UK, which allows access to public funds. This includes those who arrived on economic routes, including Skilled Worker visas, as well as family and humanitarian routes.
Citizenship can be granted a year later but bestows few additional benefits. Restricting benefits to British citizens only would mean even those granted settlement after meeting the tougher conditions would not automatically be entitled to public funds.
As part of the asylum reforms announced earlier this week, recognised refugees who came to the UK legally will now be subject to a 20-year settlement qualifying period.
Refugees will still retain their eligibility for public funds, subject to stricter conditions.
