Ireland
English Language Students Stamp 2 Bridging Permission 2026 Update
Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) has announced bridging permission for English Language course students who have successfully completed a second or third course and subsequently enrolled in a Higher Education Programme commencing by end of October 2026.
The bridging permission will be a short-term Stamp 2 permission granted until 30 September 2026, from the date of expiry of their current IRP card, on the basis that applicants will be in a position to provide documentary evidence of a confirmed and fully paid Higher Education Programme listed on the Interim List of Eligible Providers (ILEP) commencing September 2026.
The Stamp 2 Bridging Permissions will be granted as follows:
- Students who have successfully completed a third English Language course (the maximum allowable) and have enrolled in and paid fees for a Higher Education Programme listed on the ILEP, commencing by end of October 2026, can avail of a bridging permission by applying via ISD’s online portal, provided all other criteria are met.
- Where students have successfully completed a second English Language course on or after 1 July and have enrolled in and paid fees for a Higher Education Programme listed on the Interim List of Eligible Providers (ILEP) commencing by end of October 2026, they can avail of this bridging permission by applying via ISD’s online portal, provided all other criteria are met.
This bridging permission does not apply to students who have successfully completed a second English Language course prior to 1 July regardless of the date of application. These students have the option to undertake a third English language course and renew a permission on that basis, should they wish to.
Students wishing to avail of this bridging permission must have:
- An in-date Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card or a card that has expired within one month when applying for the bridging permission;
- Successfully completed a third English Language course listed on the ILEP or successfully completed a second English Language course listed on the ILEP on or after 1 July;
- Adhered to the conditions attached to their current residence permission;
- Enrolled in and paid fees in full for a Higher Education Programme listed on the ILEP;
- Applied for a renewal (bridging permission) via ISD’s online portal.
Students will be required to:
- Satisfy renewal criteria;
- Provide evidence of their enrolment in a Higher Education Programme listed on the ILEP;
- Provide evidence that the course fees have been paid in full.
Students whose second or third English language course finished on or after 1 July wishing to avail of this bridging permission will be fee-exempt. (Applications made via ISD’s online portal will have the fee refunded when the application is processed).
Students whose third English language course finished prior to 1 July wishing to avail of this bridging permission will pay the standard fee of EUR 300.
Students who avail of this bridging permission will be required to renew their immigration permission prior to the bridging permission expiring on 30 September 2026.
The notice is valid from 1 May 2026 to 31 August 2026 only.
Italy
Italy-Japan bilateral working holiday work agreement comes into force
The working holiday agreement with Japan, ratified by Law no. 136, of 17 September 2025, came into force on 1 April 2026.
The agreement allows young Italian and Japanese citizens, aged between 18 and 30 to stay in the other country for up to a year and to carry out professional activity without a work permit, for a period not exceeding six months.
To be eligible, applicants must not have previously benefited from the agreement, must not have a criminal record and must have health insurance as well as adequate resources to support themselves in the host country.
Netherlands
Change in application process for the granting of a provisional residence permit (MVV)
Applicants for a provisional residence permit (MVV) were, until 2 March 2026, required to complete an MVV issue form at the Dutch representation abroad. From 1 April 2026, this will be unnecessary. There is a transition period until 31 March 2026.
Applications from 2 March 2026 onwards
For all MVV applications approved from 2 March onwards, the MVV issue form is no longer required.
Applications from before 2 March 2026
The IND is working on processing applications from before 2 March. This could take some time. This process is expected to be completed by 31 March. From 1 April 2026, all applications can be submitted without the MVV issue form.
Online application form for renewal of highly skilled migrant permit changed
Applicants for renewal of the residence permit for the highly skilled migrant no longer need to enter the salary of the highly skilled migrant in the online application form. The self-declaration is sufficient. Applicants must declare the following:
- The highly skilled migrant meets the applicable salary criterion;
- The salary is in line with the market. ‘In line with the market’ means that the highly skilled migrant earns the same as what people earn on average in the same job;
- The salary is transferred to a bank account in the highly skilled migrant’s name. The payment is made within one month.
No longer filling in the salary means less administrative burden for you and the IND. The new form does not change the rights and obligations of a recognised sponsor.
Poland
Launch date announced for online residence application system
The Polish Minister of the Interior has announced that government has announced that the full functionality of the MOS system (Case Handling Module), enabling the electronic submission of applications for a temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit, and EU long-term resident permit, will be made available to users on 27 April 2026.
From that date, applications for temporary residence permits, permanent residence permits, and EU long-term resident permits may be submitted only electronically, via the MOS portal.
Applications for the following temporary residence permits cannot be submitted via the new MOS portal. (These applications should still be submitted in paper form under the existing rules.)
- For the purposes of work as an intra-corporate transferee;
- for the purposes of long-term mobility of a manager, specialist or graduate trainee, under the intra-corporate transfer;
- for the purposes of family reunion – when a foreigner concerned resides outside Poland;
- for a family member of a citizen of Poland, of an EU Member State or of the United Kingdom, referred to in Article 10(1)(b) and (d) of the Withdrawal Agreement – when the foreign national concerned resides outside Poland;
- for a foreign national having a family life in the meaning of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms with a citizen of Poland, of an EU Member State or of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, referred to in Article 10(1)(b) and (d) of the Withdrawal Agreement – when the foreign national concerned resides outside Poland.
Persons whose legal stay expires before 27 April 2026, or approximately within two weeks after this date, are advised not to delay submitting their application for a residence permit in Poland and to submit it as soon as possible in paper form. Paper applications must be received by the Voivodeship Office before the launch date of the new MOS portal, i.e. by 26 April 2026. If an application is received after this date, it will not be processed (it will be left without consideration) – the date of posting will not be taken into account.
In the new MOS portal, it will be necessary to create a new user account. User accounts from the current version of MOS will not be transferred to the new MOS portal. The current version of the MOS portal will be disabled on 17 April 2026. User data will be deleted.
The applicant must sign the application electronically. For this they will need to have a trusted profile, qualified electronic signature or personal signature.
Access to the MOS system will be free of charge. Users can apply themselves, without the paid services of an agent. The only costs are the stamp duty at the time of applying (in the amount depending on the type of permit – between PLN 340 and 640) and a fee for issuing a residence card (PLN 100).
Following the verification and approval of the application by the voivodeship officer, the applicant will be able to download and print the certificate of application for a residence permit in Poland, which will replace the existing stamp in the passport. The services responsible for controlling legality of residence will receive information on the application submitted.
The voivod handling the case will request the applicant to appear in person to provide their fingerprints and specimen signature and present the original passport and, if needed, supplement information provided in the application or attach additional documents.
The voivod handling the case will send the decision to the delivery address provided by the applicant.
Further official information is available here, here and here.
Spain
Government approves extraordinary regularization of immigrants in Spain
The Council of Ministers has approved the Royal Decree that will begin the process of extraordinary administrative regularization for thousands of irregular migrants who already reside in Spain. The rule is published in the Official State Gazette on 15 April 2026, and will enter into force the day after its publication, on 16 April 2026.
The application period will run from 16 April 2026 until 30 June 2026.
From 16 April 2026, the application can be submitted electronically. The appointment system for in-person submission of applications will also be opened that same day, although face-to-face attention is scheduled to begin on 20 April 2026.
The Royal Decree enables people with an irregular immigration status and those requesting international protection to access a legal residence and work authorization, valid for one year, if they meet the requirements.
To qualify, applicants will have to prove that they have been in Spain since before 1 January 2026 and have stayed in Spain continuously for at least five months before the time of submission of the application. In addition, it will be an essential requirement to have no criminal record and not to pose a threat to public order, public safety or public health.
Acknowledgement of the start of the procedure automatically permits work throughout Spain and in any sector of activity. The applicant will be provided with a personal Social Security number. Within one month of having received the final favourable resolution, the beneficiary must submit their application to obtain the Foreigner Identification Card (TIE).
The regularization process grants special protection to minors, granting a residence permit for five years. In addition, applications for members of the same household can be managed at the same appointment and simultaneously.
To justify the stay in Spain, both applicants for international protection and people with an irregular immigration status may present public or private documents or a combination of both that contain personal data that can prove their identity and that are dated.
People with an irregular immigration status must also prove one of the following:
- having worked with a legal contract as an employee or self-employed in Spain;
- having a family unit composed of minor children, adults with disabilities or first-degree ascendants; or
- a situation of vulnerability.
For the latter, they will be able to download a vulnerability certificate hosted on the website of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. For its presentation, this document must be accredited and stamped by the competent authorities, either the Entities registered in the Electronic Registry of Foreign Collaborators (RECEX) or the social services.
