Belgium
Government approves changes for highly qualified workers
The Council of Ministers has approved a preliminary draft law amending the rules governing highly qualified workers.
The amendments, which are intended to align Belgian national laws with EU law, include:
- The partial transposition of Directive (EU) 2021/1883 on the European Blue Card for highly qualified workers, namely:
- processing time for applications will be reduced to a maximum of 90 days;
- the rules on family reunification for this group will be simplified; and
- mobility within the EU will also be facilitated.
- Changes to the single permit, namely:
- the grounds for refusal and end of stay will be extended; and
- better protection will be established for workers who are victims of certain social offences committed by the employer;
- An administrative simplification of the application process for the job search year for students and researchers;
- Other technical corrections.
The proposals are explained here by the Minister for Asylum and Migration.
European Union
EU adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Thailand
On 18 May 2026, the Thailand delegation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced that, on 8 May 2026, the European Commission approved the application of the European Union’s Visa Cascade regime to Thai nationals residing in Thailand who apply for short-stay Schengen visas at the embassies or consulates of Schengen States in Thailand.
This was confirmed by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This measure, which has now come into effect, will facilitate the issuance of longer-validity short-stay visas to Thai passport holders who have previously obtained Schengen visas and maintained a good travel record, thereby reducing the need for frequent visa applications and saving both time and costs.
Under the Visa Cascade scheme, applicants who have previously obtained and lawfully used a Schengen visa may be eligible for multiple-entry visas with progressively longer validity accordingly:
- For a validity period of one year, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used one visa within the previous two years.
- For a validity period of two years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for one year within the previous three years.
- For a validity period of five years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for two years within the previous four years.
The Visa Cascade is not a Schengen visa exemption. Thai passport holders will continue to be required to apply for Schengen visas through the normal process, and the applicable requirements remain unchanged. To be eligible for longer-validity visas, applicants must maintain a good travel record, including full compliance with the laws and regulations of destination countries.
Thailand is currently one of seven countries to have been granted the Visa Cascade regime, following India, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman in 2024, and Turkey and Indonesia in 2025.
Schengen visas allow the holder to travel freely in the Schengen area for short stays of a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The visas are not purpose-bound, but they do not grant the right to work.
The Schengen area consists of 29 European countries (of which 25 are EU states): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Ireland
Changes to acknowledgement of posted documents
Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) has announced that it will no longer issue acknowledgements for documents or letters sent to us by post. This includes additional documents and queries about the progress of your application.
All post ISD receives will still be added to the applicant’s file and considered when the application is assessed.
Applicants who wish to confirm that their documents have reached ISD, or who are sending original documents, should use registered post and use the tracking number to confirm delivery.
ISD recommends that, where possible, applicants send copies of documents through the Customer Service Portal.
ISD states that it is currently receiving a high number of applications and postal items. Therefore, it is focusing on processing cases for decision and streamlining background processes to help it make decisions as quickly as possible.
United Kingdom
Right to work check guidance clarified
On 20 May 2026, the government updated its guidance for sponsors of overseas workers to clarify right to work check requirements.
Previous amendments, published on 6 March 2026 and 8 April 2026, suggested that sponsors were required to undertake right to work checks on unsponsored workers ‘(directly) engaged’ but not employed by them.
Following user feedback, this reference has now been deleted and any reference in those versions to unsponsored workers ‘engaged’ or ‘directly engaged’ by the sponsor should be disregarded.
The newly amended guidance states that sponsors are required to undertake right to work checks on:
“…any worker you wish to sponsor (including a worker who is not your direct employee), or any worker you otherwise wish to employ (whether sponsored or not).”
