Denmark
New rules mean that SIRI cannot grant residence permits for the purpose of obtaining authorization as a doctor (quota system)
On 15 December 2025, the Danish Patient Safety Authority introduced a quota on the number of applications for authorisation as a doctor, valid until 31 December 2026. The quota is set at 0, which means that residence permits cannot be granted for the purpose of obtaining Danish authorisation as a doctor. Accompanying family members of persons covered by the quota scheme will also no longer be able to obtain a residence permit on that basis.
However, accompanying family members of persons who have been granted a residence permit in Denmark before 15 December 2025, for the purpose of obtaining Danish authorisation as a doctor, will still be able to apply for and be granted a residence permit as accompanying family members.
The aim is to create a balance between the number of foreign healthcare professionals from third countries who travel to Denmark to obtain Danish authorisation and the estimated future need for healthcare professionals within the relevant professional group in regions and municipalities.
Throughout the entire period, all applications for residence permits for the purpose of obtaining authorisation as a doctor and accompanying family members to those applicants, will be rejected. This applies regardless of when the application was submitted and therefore also includes all pending applications. However, an exception applies to accompanying family members if the main applicant has obtained a residence permit for the purpose of obtaining Danish authorisation as a doctor before 15 December 2025.
The full fee paid in connection with the submission of the application will be refunded if the application is rejected due to the quota system.
There will be no change to the possibility of applying for an extension of an already granted authorisation to reside as a doctor and as an accompanying family member, nor will pending extension applications be affected by the changes.
Authorities publish updated income statistics applicable from 1 January 2026
The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) uses income statistics made by the Confederation of Danish Employers (DA) in the case processing of applications to decide if an offered job is within the Danish standards for salary. This applies to the Pay Limit Scheme, the Positive List and the Fast Track Scheme, among other routes.
An updated version of the income statistics contain information from the third quarter of 2025 and will take effect for applications submitted from 1 January 2026. The income statistics are updated each quarter and It is expected that the next update will take effect from 1 April 2026.
Applications for a residence and work permit submitted after 31 December 2025 will be assessed based on the income statistics for Q3 2025. Applications submitted between 1 October and 31 December 2025 will be assessed based on the income statistics for Q2 2025.
SIRI will usually assume that the salary corresponds to Danish standards, and will not make further assessment, if it is stated in the application form and employment contract that the employer is covered by a collective agreement.
SIRI will assess whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards when the employer is a member of an employers’ organisation, but the employment relationship is not covered by a collective agreement. If the salary is just above the regular pay limit, SIRI will generally assume that the salary corresponds to Danish standards.
In cases where the employment relationship is not covered by a collective agreement and the employer is not a member of an employers’ organisation, SIRI will assess whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards up to approximately DKK 74,958, using the income statistics from the DA as a guideline.
Finland
Changes to citizenship rules take effect
Amendments to the Citizenship Act entered into force on 17 December 2025. A person applying for Finnish citizenship is now required to have sufficient financial resources.
Applicants are not considered to have sufficient financial resources if they have resorted to unemployment benefits or social assistance for more than three months in total during the past two years. Applicants must also provide a reliable account of the source of the money they have received for living in Finland during the past two years.
Amendments to the Citizenship Act also affect establishing the applicant’s identity. If the applicant has been issued an alien’s passport for the purpose of getting a national passport, he or she must present a valid national passport when applying for citizenship.
The impact of criminal offences on acquiring citizenship has also increased. The waiting period imposed in connection with negative decisions may be one to eight years. Citizenship is not typically granted during this period. It is also easier to lose citizenship if the applicant has given false information, acted fraudulently or committed serious offences.
The immigration authorities (Migri) will process all applications submitted before 17 December 2025 in the Enter Finland online service or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in accordance with the old Citizenship Act. The amendments to the Citizenship Act will not affect these applications.
Applications submitted on or after 17 December 2025, will be decided in accordance with the new requirements.
United Kingdom
Migration Advisory Committee publishes review of salary thresholds
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published a government-commissioned review of salary requirements and discounts for the Skilled Worker (SW), Health and Care Worker (H&CW), Global Business Mobility (GBM) and Scale-up routes.
The government is free to accept or reject the MAC’s review. If it accepted these recommendations, it would mean lower salary thresholds for several of these routes.
The MAC was asked to consider:
- What should the general salary threshold be for the SW route?
- Should there continue to be different salary thresholds for H&CW visas and the GBM and Scale-up routes and, if so, what should these be?
- What, if any, discounts should apply to salary requirements?
- Should there be any changes to the current approach to occupational going rates?
- How frequently should salary requirements be updated?
The MAC made the following recommendations:
- Occupation-specific salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker route should be set at the 25th percentile of occupational earnings, rather than the median. The general threshold should be maintained at £41,700.
- A single new entrant rate for the Skilled Worker route should be set at £33,400 and should last longer than the current four years, depending on how the general and occupation-specific thresholds are set.
- The PhD discount should be abolished.
- If the government wishes to maintain a discount for postdoctoral positions, the discounted salary should be set at £41,700 for four years.
- The general threshold for the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) should be set at least as high as the 30th percentile of the UK’s full-time annual earnings distribution (approximately £30,900). The occupation-specific thresholds should be set at the median of each eligible occupation’s full-time annual earnings distribution.
- Under the Global Business Mobility (GBM) Senior or Specialist route, the general threshold should continue to be set at the median of the full-time annual earnings distribution of eligible occupations. The occupation-specific thresholds should be set at the median of each eligible occupation’s full-time annual earnings distribution.
- Under the GBM Graduate Trainee route, a single salary threshold should be set at £33,400, mirroring the Skilled Worker new entrant threshold.
- Under the GBM UK Expansion Worker route, the general threshold should continue to be set at the median of the full-time annual earnings distribution of the route’s eligible occupations. Occupation-specific thresholds should be set at the median of each eligible occupation’s full-time annual earnings distribution.
- Salary thresholds for the Scale-up route should be aligned with those for the Skilled Worker route.
Immigration Skills Charge increased
On 16 December 2025, the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) was increased, as proposed in the government’s immigration white paper in May 2025.
The ISC for the first 12 months has increased from GBP 364 to GBP 480 for small and charitable sponsors, and from GBP 1000 to GBP 1320 for medium and large sponsors. The charge for each additional six months has increased from £182 to £240 for small sponsors and from £500 to £660 for medium and large sponsors.
A sponsor must pat the Immigration Skills Charge when they assign a certificate of sponsorship to someone applying for a Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker visa from outside the UK to work in the UK for six months or more, or from inside the UK to work for any length of time.
There are exemptions, including for certain occupations, for those switching from a study route and for worker’s dependents.
The amount the sponsor must pay is based on the size of the organisation and the length of time the worker will be employed, using the start and end dates of their certificate of sponsorship.
