Denmark
Working Holiday quotas for citizens of Chile and Argentina have opened
The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) has announced that, on 1 September 2026, a new quota period began for residence permits under the Working Holiday agreements for citizens of Chile and Argentina.
VFS Global in Santiago, Chile, and VFS Global in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will be open and available for appointment bookings on 1 September 2026 at 9:00 a.m. (local time).
A total of 150 residence permits per year are available to citizens of Chile and Argentina under the Working Holiday agreements.
A quota year lasts from March through February of the following year and is divided into two quota periods. From March through August (the first quota period), SIRI may grant residence permits corresponding to half of the annual quota, which means up to 75 residence permits for each of the two countries.
Residence permits are granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the quota (up to 150 residence permits) under the Working Holiday scheme for both Chilean and Argentine nationals has been exhausted, no further residence permits will be issued until 1 March 2027, when the next quota year begins.
Once 75 residence permits have been granted to citizens of each country, any remaining applications will be refused. In such cases, the case processing fee paid to SIRI will be refunded. Any fee paid to VFS Global or to the Danish representation in Chile will not be refunded if the application is refused because the quota has been reached.
New rules for Ukrainian men of military age (23-59 years)
The Danish Parliament has adopted a new Act amending the Ukraine Special Act, which enters into force on 3 September 2026.
The legislative amendment concerns Ukrainian men between the ages of 23 and 59, who will in future only be granted a residence permit under the Act on Temporary Residence Permits for Persons Displaced from Ukraine (hereinafter the Special Act) if they can document that they have fulfilled their military obligations and are exempt from military service in Ukraine.
The legislative amendment affects:
- All applications for a residence permit under the Special Act submitted on or after 25 June 2026.
- Residence permits granted under the Special Act to Ukrainian men between the ages of 23 and 59 who applied for a residence permit on or after 25 June 2026 and were granted the residence permit before the Act enters into force on 3 September 2026. These residence permits will be revoked unless this would be contrary to Denmark’s international obligations. The Danish Immigration Service will contact persons whose residence permits may be revoked as a result of the legislative amendment. The persons concerned will be consulted and given the opportunity to submit comments and any relevant information before the Danish Immigration Service makes a decision in their case.
- Ukrainian men under the age of 23, who will in future only be granted a residence permit until they turn 23. After that, their residence permit cannot be extended unless they can document that they have fulfilled their military obligations and are exempt from military service in Ukraine.
The legislative amendment will not affect persons who have already been granted a residence permit under the Special Act and submitted their application before 25 June 2026. This also applies if they subsequently apply for an extension of their residence permit.
United Kingdom
New statement of changes in immigration rules to protect skilled workers and expand Erasmus+
On 3 September 2026, the Home Office published a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 584). An explanatory memorandum accompanied the statement of changes, as well as a written statement to the House of Commons.
Changes to Appendix Skilled Worker to support victims of modern slavery
The Skilled Worker route exists to allow people to work in a specific, sponsored job. Visa holders cannot normally take up other work if they are not working in the job they were originally sponsored to do. These changes lift that restriction for Skilled Workers who are identified by the Home Office Competent Authorities as victims of modern slavery, allowing them to work for any employer for the remaining duration of their existing permission. This aims to incentivise victims to come forward early and guards against those who seek to weaponize the sponsorship system in order to exploit vulnerable workers.
Changes to facilitate the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ programme
At the May 2025 UK-EU summit, the UK and the European Union (EU) agreed that the UK would seek to rejoin the Erasmus+ programme, which is the EU’s main programme for education, training, youth, and sport activities. Protocol I to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement was amended on 15 April 2026 to implement the UK’s association.
Changes have been made to Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules to permit visitors to study at UK state funded schools and academies where they are participating in an Erasmus+ project. This will permit state funded schools and academies to host Erasmus+ participants on short-term study placements (up to 6 months).
Additionally, new eligibility requirements have been introduced to ensure Erasmus+ participants are legitimate and, where applicable, have permission from their parent or legal guardian and their home institution to undertake Erasmus+ activities under the Visitor route. This is to prevent any potential abuse of the Visitor route and safeguard Erasmus+ participants who are under the age of 18.
The range of activities permitted under the Visitor route has been expanded to facilitate participation in Erasmus+. Under the Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, all visitors will now be able to partake in workshops, debates and attend Skills Competitions, provided they meet the relevant eligibility requirements outlined in Appendix V: Visitor.
Additionally, a new sub-section entitled “Erasmus+ Activities” has been added to the Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, setting out a new permitted activities section reserved only for those on the Erasmus+ programme.
To facilitate participation in Erasmus+ by international students coming to the UK, a number of amendments are being made to Appendix Student and Appendix Child Student. These changes will enable students undertaking programmes as part of Erasmus+ to meet the requirements of the Student and Child Student routes where they would otherwise fall outside the existing rules.
An update is also being made to Appendix Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) visa schemes to add the “Erasmus+” scheme.
Other changes
The changes will enable a small number of pre-settle status holders who no longer meet the requirements of the EUSS, e.g. due to a sudden change in family circumstances, but where it is not proportionate to remove their PSS, to remain in scope of the EUSS and qualify for settled status in due course.
The EUSS allows a biometric residence permit (BRP) (which may have expired by up to 18 months) to be used as proof of identity and nationality. As almost all BRPs expired by 31 December 2024, there is no benefit in keeping this provision beyond June 2026 and therefore the scope to apply with a BRP is being removed.
The EUSS allows a biometric residence permit (BRP) (which may have expired by up to 18 months) to be used as proof of identity and nationality. As almost all BRPs expired by 31 December 2024, there is no benefit in keeping this provision beyond June 2026 and therefore the scope to apply with a BRP is being removed.
The changes will enable a child who has obtained PSS as a family member to retain their PSS (and go on to qualify for settled status), and will enable their primary carer (and any dependant under the age of 18 of that person) to obtain or retain PSS (and go on to qualify for settled status), where this is necessary for the child to complete their education in the UK.
The changes will delete the EUSS travel permit route, which enabled an EUSS status holder to return to the UK on a new passport. It has been replaced by scope for an EUSS status holder to use the Update My Details service from outside the UK, including to link their EUSS status to a new passport.
Another change removes the requirement for dependent children on the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route to complete a five-year continuous residence period before qualifying for settlement. This will enable eligible dependent children to settle alongside their parents, where their parents meet the settlement requirements, and where they would otherwise be prevented from doing so by the continuous residence requirement. This aligns the BN(O) route with the well-established approach under other immigration routes.
Further minor changes are described in the explanatory memorandum.
The changes will come into effect on 8 October 2026, 29 October 2026, 30 November 2026, and 9 December 2026, as detailed in the Statement of Changes.
