Finland
Changes to permanent residence conditions take effect
Effective 8 January 2026, the requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit have been made stricter. New integration requirements for permanent residence permit applicants have been added to the Aliens Act.
The amendments made to the Aliens Act apply to all applications for a permanent residence permit submitted on or after 8 January 2026, including those for a long-term resident’s EU residence permit.
Period of residence requirement extended to six years
As a rule, the period of residence requirement will now be six years, whereas the earlier requirement was four years. The period of residence of an applicant is usually counted starting from the day when the applicant arrived in Finland under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit.
In some cases, a shorter period of residence is sufficient:
- Those who have an annual income higher than EUR 40,000, and those who have at least three years of work history in Finland and a particularly good (C1 or above) level of Finnish language, need only to have lived in Finland for at least four years to meet the period of residence requirement.
- Those who have a master’s degree or a licentiate or doctoral degree recognised in Finland and at least two years of work history in Finland do not need to meet any period of residence requirement.
- A child under 18 years of age can obtain a permanent residence permit without having to meet the period of residence requirement if the person who has custody of the child has a permanent residence permit or a P-EU permit or is a Finnish citizen.
- Applicants can obtain a P-EU permit after a period of residence of five years if they meet the language and financial requirements:
- If they have an EU Blue Card, their period of residence in Finland may in some cases also include residence in another EU country.
- There is no work history requirement for obtaining a P-EU permit.
- Being sentenced to unconditional imprisonment will affect the calculation of the period of residence, both in the case of a permanent residence permit and a P-EU permit.
New integration requirements: sufficient language skills and two-year work history
As a rule, applicants who apply for a permanent residence permit will be required to prove that they have good Finnish or Swedish language skills. Language skills have not been required for the permit before.
Moreover, applicants must also have worked or pursued a trade for two years before submitting an application. The duration of the required work history depends on the grounds for the customer’s application for a permanent residence permit. Work history has not been required before.
During the period in question, the customer must not have received unemployment benefit or social assistance for longer than three months. During the same time period, a maximum of three months of absence from work is permitted.
Sweden
Migration Agency promises improved services for family members of Swedes living abroad
As of 12 January, the Migration Agency is promising that fully completed digital applications by family members of Swedes living abroad who want to move back will be processed within 90 days.
To ensure an efficient service with shorter waiting times, a single unit will take charge of all such matters.
Last year, the Government assigned the Swedish Migration Agency the task of putting together and implementing more efficient methods of processing applications from family members of Swedes living abroad. The effort led to significantly shorter waiting times.
Who is considered a relative of a Swede living abroad?
A Swede residing abroad can move back to Sweden at any time. If the person has family members who are non-EU citizens who wish to move with them, these individuals need to apply for a residence permit due to family ties.
In order to receive a quick decision, the person needs to submit an e-application and fulfil a number of requirements to be included in the category “relative of a Swede living abroad”. It must be an established relationship where the person and the anchor person, who is a Swedish citizen, have cohabited for two years or cohabited for at least one year and have a child together. And they must have resided together abroad for at least twelve months and be residing together at the time of application.
Switzerland
Thresholds to restrict free movement with Croatia not reached
Croatian nationals coming to work in Switzerland will no longer be subject to quotas. At its meeting on 14 January 2026, the Federal Council was informed that the number of L and B permits issued to Croatians in 2025 remained below the thresholds which would have permitted an activation of the unilateral safeguard clause. Croatia now benefits from full free movement of persons.
In accordance with the transitional arrangements provided for in the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), the Federal Council decided on 26 November 2025 that it would invoke the unilateral safeguard clause with regard to Croatia in 2026 if the number of workers from that country exceeded the relevant thresholds.
From 1 January to 31 December 2025, Switzerland granted Croatian workers 1,701 residence permits (B permits) and 792 short stay permits (L permits). The number of permits granted in 2025 thus remained below the thresholds calculated using the method defined in the AFMP (2,004 B permits and 1,116 L permits). The conditions for activating the unilateral safeguard clause in 2026 were therefore not met.
The AFMP was extended to Croatia by an additional protocol, which entered into force in 2017. The protocol provides for the gradual opening of the Swiss labour market to Croatian nationals over a period of ten years. Switzerland would have had the option to invoke the unilateral safeguard clause one last time before the end of the transitional arrangements on 31 December 2026. Croatian nationals now enjoy full free movement of persons as it applies to nationals of the other European Union (EU) member states.
