Luxembourg
Residence permit applicants require D Visa from 1 October 2026
The Ministries of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs have announced that, effective 1 October 2026, third country nationals intending to acquire a residence permit in Luxembourg will need to obtain a long-stay visa (D visa) from a Luxembourg or Belgian diplomatic mission abroad before entering the country to submit their residence application.
Currently, prospective third-country residence applicants must apply for a temporary residence permit from the Directorate-General for Immigration (DGIM). The change aligns Luxembourg with the standard procedure established in other European Union countries.
The new procedure applies to all third-country nationals (from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland) wishing to settle in Luxembourg for more than 90 days (for work, study, family reunification, etc.).
It does not apply to the following:
- EU citizens and their family members and persons treated as such, namely nationals of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland;
- British nationals benefiting from the Withdrawal Agreement;
- Applications for replacement, renewal or change of category of a residence permit and applications for a residence permit in the territory;
- Applicants for international protection.
From 1 October 2026:
- The applicant submits their application personally to the consulate of the Luxembourg or, where Luxembourg is not represented, to the competent Belgian consulate, and no longer to the Directorate-General for Immigration.
- They receive a D visa valid for six months, allowing them to enter Luxembourg and move around the Schengen area until their residence permit is issued.
- After arrival, the applicant makes, within three days, a declaration of arrival to the municipality of residence and submits their application for a residence permit to the Directorate-General for Immigration.
Sweden
Migration operations in China will move from Shanghai to Beijing
The Swedish Migration Agency has announced that Migration operations at the Consulate General in Shanghai will gradually move to the Embassy in Beijing.
From 1 October 2026, the Embassy in Beijing will take over the processing of visa applications from the three Visa Application Centres (VACs) currently handled by the Consulate General in Shanghai. From the same date, the Consulate General in Shanghai will no longer receive visa applications.
From 1 November 2026, the Embassy in Beijing will take over interviews, investigations and other assignments relating to migration cases for people living in China. Other documents relating to migration cases should also be sent to the Embassy in Beijing.
From 1 January 2027, the Embassy in Beijing will handle all migration operations in China. After this date, no migration cases will be handled at the Consulate General in Shanghai.
