Immigration News
Stay informed on global immigration policy trends — professional insights on every opportunity and change.
New Changes to Portuguese Golden Visa Applications!
Effective April 27, 2026, there will be new changes to the visa application rules for applicants with appointments at the Portuguese Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). According to the new regulations, applicants who already hold an AIMA appointment will no longer be eligible for a standard Schengen short-stay visa when traveling to Portugal to complete residency-related procedures; instead, they must apply for an E6 category Portuguese national visa. If a Schengen visa is still applied for with this purpose, the application may be rejected. This means that Portuguese immigration applicants need to pay closer attention to visa categories, document preparation, and processing times when arranging their travel to Portugal.
Breaking! U.S. May Conduct Comprehensive Green Card Re-examination
Recently, news regarding "the U.S. to re-examine green cards approved during the Biden era" has drawn significant attention from many immigration applicants and families currently planning for U.S. residency. The source of this news is a public statement made by the current Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph B. Edlow, in an interview: USCIS will go back and re-examine green cards and other immigration benefit cases approved during the Biden administration, with a focus on old cases suspected of fraud. The official USCIS social media accounts subsequently relayed these remarks.
Saint Lucia Status: Why Were They Approved in 7 Months?
Recently, WorldWay has shared more exciting news: a large number of Saint Lucia immigration clients have successfully received approval in principle! It is worth noting that for some clients, the time from submitting their application to receiving approval in principle was only about 7 months, demonstrating a very impressive overall processing speed. Approval Record: Witnessing the Speed of Saint Lucia Residency Planning in 7 Months. Among the clients recently approved, the actual timeline for some applicants is as follows: • September 2, 2025: Application submitted• November 19, 2025: Interview completed• April 21, 2026: Approval in principle received. From submission to approval in principle, the entire process took only about 7 months. Such an impressive approval progress fully demonstrates the current efficient and smooth processing pace of the Saint Lucia immigration program.
Attention Travelers to Europe! EU Entry/Exit Rules Have Changed
Recently, the European Union officially launched its new generation Entry/Exit System (EES). The implementation of this system marks the official end of the "passport stamping era" that has persisted in the Schengen Area for decades, as border management fully enters a "digital + biometric" phase. Attention to all citizens planning to travel to Europe for tourism, visiting family, or business! To ensure your travel goes smoothly and to avoid any delays caused by a lack of understanding of the new regulations, we have summarized the core details below:
New Trends in Greek Immigration! A Must-Read for Applicants
A new phase is unfolding in the landscape of Greek immigration. For a long time, the Greek Golden Visa has been a European residency option of interest to many families. In the past, the market focused more on topics such as "investment thresholds," "regional selection," and "property types." Today, however, as the regulatory system continues to improve, the Greek Golden Visa program is welcoming global investors who are truly seeking long-term value and a future for their families with an unprecedented level of transparency, standardization, and rigor.
Children studying in the U.S. on H-1B: How many variables are there?
The start of 2026 is destined to be a cold one for those in the U.S. tech sector. In the first quarter alone, the Silicon Valley "layoff counter" has been staggering: in just three months, the U.S. tech industry has seen over 73,000 layoffs. • Block: Approximately 40% of staff laid off in a single round• Oracle: Approximately 30,000 cumulative layoffs• Amazon: Approximately 16,000 layoffs at the beginning of the year• Meta: Plans to initiate a new round of layoffs starting in May 2026, with the first round affecting approximately 10% (about 8,000 people), and has explicitly stated that further layoffs may continue in the second half of the year
Cyprus Immigration: Save a Significant Amount on Property Purchases in 2026
Great news! Recently, the Parliament of Cyprus officially passed a bill: the transition period for the 5% VAT concession policy for first-time homebuyers has been extended to December 31, 2026. In other words, the tax benefits for home purchases, which were about to be tightened, have been further extended. For those focusing on European residency planning, overseas asset allocation, and long-term family arrangements, this is not just a tax-level adjustment, but a window of opportunity that deserves close attention.
Urgent Alert! Must-Read for Chinese Citizens Traveling to the U.S.
On April 16, 2026, the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a reminder to Chinese citizens traveling to the United States regarding entry security risks: Recently, approximately 20 Chinese scholars holding valid, legal visas to attend academic conferences in the United States were subjected to unreasonable questioning by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Seattle Airport and were denied entry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in the United States remind those planning to travel to the U.S. in the near future to enhance their security awareness, avoid entering through this airport, and at the same time, please understand U.S. entry regulations in detail in advance and make all necessary preparations. If you encounter questioning by U.S. law enforcement officers, remain calm and respond rationally.
Invest 300,000 EUR in property and enjoy EU-level medical freedom for the whole family!
Among the many European immigration destinations, the reason Cyprus continues to attract the attention of high-net-worth families lies not only in the flexibility of the status itself, but more importantly in the lifestyle system behind it—especially healthcare. For those who are truly considering long-term residence, retirement planning, or family asset allocation, healthcare is never an "add-on," but one of the core decision-making factors.
H-1B Too Risky? EB-5 Provides a Direct Path to Staying in the U.S.
April 2026 is destined to be a sleepless month for countless international students and professionals harboring dreams of staying in the United States. As USCIS announces the H-1B lottery results for fiscal year 2027, reality has once again delivered a cruel response. With policies tightening and layoffs continuing, the H-1B path, once considered a stable route for staying in the U.S., is becoming increasingly precarious. When "luck" is no longer the deciding factor and "high salary" becomes the ticket to entry, the EB-5 investment immigration under the new policy is becoming an important option for many families planning their status pathways.
Drastic Changes in U.S. Status: F-1 Refusal Rate Hits a Ten-Year High
According to a study by the international education company Shorelight, the global F-1 visa refusal rate climbed to 35% in 2025, reaching a ten-year high and even surpassing the peak seen during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. I. Surge in Refusal Rates: Regional Imbalance and the Formation of "High-Refusal Zones" In 2025, F-1 visa refusals showed distinct regional concentration, with regions such as Africa and South Asia becoming "hard-hit areas," forming an insurmountable "high-refusal layer": • Africa: The refusal rate reached as high as 64%, nearly doubling from 43% in 2015. In countries like Somalia and Sierra Leone, the refusal rate even exceeded 90%. • South Asia: As a major source of international students for the United States, India saw its refusal rate soar from 36% in 2023 to 61% in 2025; countries such as Afghanistan, Nepal, and Pakistan all saw rates above 70%-80%. • China: Although it has not entered the "high-refusal zone," the number of F-1 visas issued in the first 8 months of 2025 decreased by approximately 20% year-on-year, the refusal rate has increased significantly compared to ten years ago, and applicants in sensitive majors face stricter background checks.
Professionalism Creates an Approval Wave! WorldWay Helps Clients Secure Nauru Identity in Groups
Recently, exciting news has arrived from WorldWay Immigration: a large number of clients have successfully received their letters of approval in principle for the Nauru Citizenship by Investment Program. Behind this wave of approvals lies not only the smooth progress of project processing but also a positive signal that Nauru's immigration policy continues to be optimized.