In 2025, immigration policies across various countries and regions worldwide underwent significant evolution, with a series of major reforms drawing continuous attention. To systematically review the core trends of this year, WorldWay, based on comprehensive research and extensive consultation with immigration experts, policy scholars, senior industry professionals, and various investors from multiple countries, has selected and published the "Top 10 Immigration Events of 2025," adhering to the assessment principles of being "objective, impartial, authoritative, and professional." Since 2014, WorldWay has conducted an annual review of major events in the immigration field for twelve consecutive years, aiming to provide investors and the industry with a summary of annual information that holds reference value.
1. Traditional paths to studying in the U.S. tighten sharply, making EB-5 the "only certain channel"
In 2025, as the U.S. F-1 visa entered a strict review mode, OPT restrictive measures increased, the H-1B allocation mechanism tilted toward high salaries while imposing a $100,000 cost threshold for overseas applicants, and a large number of companies suspended PERM applications, traditional paths to studying in the U.S. faced unprecedented impact. In stark contrast, the EB-5 investment immigration program, bolstered by the dividends of the new policy, not only experienced explosive growth but also became the preferred choice for a certain path to status. According to data released by USCIS, in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2025, both the volume of I-526E applications and approvals under the new law exceeded the total for the entire year of 2024, with 1,047 approvals in the third quarter, setting a new historical record for a single quarter. Furthermore, the three reserved visa categories for EB-5 continued to maintain no backlog, with rural project processing cycles stable at 3-11 months, and some high-quality rural projects frequently seeing cases approved in 4-5 months with zero requests for evidence, significantly improving efficiency. In 2025, facing the multi-pronged tightening of traditional U.S. immigration policies, those seeking to study in the U.S. were forced to adjust their strategies to seek more certain alternatives, turning their attention to EB-5 investment immigration. Rural projects, due to their lack of backlog, priority processing, and fast adjudication, became the preferred channel for those anxious about their status.
2. Trump's "Gold Card Immigration" program launched, sparking widespread discussion in the immigration industry
On September 19, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order for a program called the "Gold Card" initiative, which is divided into three categories and bypasses traditional investment or job creation logic. Individuals who contribute $1 million and meet certain conditions can obtain ordinary green card status; companies must contribute $2 million to process applications for employees; and a $5 million "Platinum Card" level was also established. On December 10, Trump announced the official acceptance of applications for the "Gold Card Immigration" program. Although the implementation details of this program remain to be further clarified, this new immigration pathway, which allows for the acquisition of U.S. status through donated funds, sparked widespread discussion in the immigration industry as soon as it was launched.
3. Portugal's Golden Visa backlog accelerated for clearance, setting a historical record for approval speed
In 2025, to address the issue of long processing cycles for Golden Residence permits, the Portuguese immigration authority implemented multiple systemic optimizations to accelerate case processing. AIMA expanded its reception centers to 25, increased its staff by 10%, and boosted daily reception capacity by nearly 6 times. Furthermore, it continued to promote digital reform, breaking down data barriers between departments, and significantly shortened the approval cycle after materials are complete compared to the previous waiting period of up to 3 years. As of November 2025, the Portuguese immigration authority had advanced the clearance of 93% of the backlog of regularized immigration cases, setting a record for the largest scale of case processing in Portuguese history within a short period! In addition, as of the end of October 2025, the number of Golden Visas issued by Portugal had increased by over 60% compared to the same period last year, reaching a new historical high. With the accelerated clearance of the Portugal Golden Visa backlog and significantly improved processing efficiency, it marks the entry of the Portuguese Golden Residence program into a predictable stage.
4. Cyprus's progress toward joining Schengen sees a major breakthrough, drawing widespread attention
In 2025, Cyprus completed its preparations for joining Schengen at the legislative, system, and evaluation levels, with positive feedback from EU evaluations, leaving only the question of timing for its accession. In January, the President of Cyprus announced that all technical preparations required for joining the Schengen Area would be completed in 2025; in April, Nicosia hosted a national forum where representatives from the Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the European Commission delegation declared their determination for Schengen; in May, the President reaffirmed the commitment in the capital, Nicosia, to join the Schengen Area by 2026 at the latest; in July, the Parliament passed the "EU Visa Information System (VIS) Implementation Act" with a high vote, completing the core legislative alignment; in December, a 25-member EU evaluation team conducted a "final round" of on-site compliance audits, providing positive feedback. In 2025, Cyprus's progress toward joining Schengen saw a major breakthrough, drawing high attention from global immigration investors.
5. Malta's Permanent Residence Programme undergoes major adjustments, with application thresholds dropping sharply
On July 22, 2025, the Maltese government officially promulgated Decree No. 146/25, making several adjustments to the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP). The government contribution was uniformly reduced to 37,000 euros, saving 23,000 euros compared to the original rental model; the new policy added a temporary residence permit stage, allowing applicants and their dependents to obtain a 1-year valid temporary permit before submitting the MPRP, permitting them to live and study in Malta; at the same time, the property policy was simultaneously relaxed, allowing applicants who choose to rent to sublet after 5 years of renting, and allowing investors who choose to purchase property to rent it out on a short-term basis; in addition, the accompanying policy was also relaxed, allowing parents or grandparents who are economically dependent on the main applicant and not in full-time employment to accompany the application. The overall threshold for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme has dropped significantly, signaling that permanent residence in a Schengen country has broken through high asset investment requirements and returned to a range accessible to the middle class, sparking widespread attention.
6. Canada's immigration policy framework reshaped, with entry thresholds raised across the board
2025 was a year of reshaping for Canada's immigration policy, with the federal and provincial governments focusing on "precise screening, regional balance, and language priority" to intensively adjust policies. The year's actions can be summarized as two reductions, two increases, and two closures. First, a reduction in temporary residents: quotas for study permits and work permits were both lowered, and the path for domestic temporary residents to convert to permanent residents was tightened. Second, a reduction in provincial nominations: the federal government uniformly cut quotas, the Saskatchewan entrepreneur/farm stream was directly closed, and provincial employer sponsorships simultaneously removed low-demand occupations. First, an increase in the weight of human capital: federal EE completely canceled LMIA bonus points, with education, language, and work experience becoming the only levers; simultaneously, targeted invitations for education and healthcare were added, and the proportion of French-language quotas was significantly raised. Second, an increase in community pilots: the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) were launched, with employers and communities jointly sponsoring to precisely channel immigrants to regions with labor shortages. Two pilots were closed: the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots reached their caps instantly, and the Agri-Food Pilot closed ahead of schedule, with low-end labor channels officially giving way. In addition, the SUV immigration program stopped accepting new work permit applications from December 19, and stopped issuing new letters of support after December 31; the self-employed immigration program remained suspended throughout 2025. In 2025, the Canadian immigration system entered a stage of structural adjustment, with overall entry thresholds raised across the board.
7. Nauru's new investment citizenship program enters the actual operation stage, with the first batch of passports issued
In 2025, the Nauru government officially completed the approval and passport issuance for the first batch of applicants for the "Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program." The first applicant was approved in June, the President signed the first citizenship certificate and issued the passport in August, and by the end of the year, multiple families had successfully received Nauru citizenship certificates and passports. In November, a U.S. investor visited the country holding a Nauru passport and traveled to multiple countries with this status, completing the first "usage verification" case, which became a landmark milestone for the program. Since its official relaunch, the Nauru investment citizenship program has continued to rise in popularity due to its advantages of fast approval, low cost, high international credibility, and convenient access to Australia and New Zealand, becoming a new choice in the 2025 immigration market.
8. Panama launches the act for obtaining a travel passport through permanent residence, opening the era of "three-in-one certificates"
On October 29, 2025, the President of Panama signed "Law No. 493," clarifying that applicants approved through the Qualified Investor Permanent Residence program can obtain a national ID card and a travel passport at the same time as obtaining permanent residence, forming a process where one application leads to three certificates. This act took effect from the date of its promulgation, and the executive branch is required to issue implementation rules within six months. According to the new policy, investors can choose a $300,000 real estate investment, and after holding the investment for 5 years, they can freely dispose of the assets without affecting their permanent residence status. Panama's launch of the act for obtaining a travel passport through permanent residence is the first institutional breakthrough in Latin American countries that "links residency rights with travel rights," becoming a major focus of attention in the 2025 immigration market.
9. Japan's Business Manager Visa undergoes major policy changes, with application thresholds becoming stricter
On October 10, 2025, the Japanese Immigration Services Agency officially announced the new policy for the Business Manager Visa (including the Highly Skilled Professional category), which was officially implemented on October 16. The core adjustments include: the registered capital was raised directly from 5 million yen to 30 million; the company must hire at least 1 full-time Japanese national or permanent resident employee; at least 1 person among the applicant or employees must reach the N2 level of Japanese proficiency; and the applicant is required to have at least 3 years of management experience or a master's degree or higher in a management-related field. In addition, the new policy allows existing visa holders a 3-year transition buffer period, and renewals after 2028 will need to fully adapt to the new regulations; those who do not meet the standards will affect their permanent residence application. Japan's tightening of the Business Manager Visa policy officially closes the window for "obtaining status through low-cost operation" and is the most extensive adjustment to this program since its inception.
10. Turkey cancels YUVAM exchange rate protection accounts, ending the "capital preservation era" for deposit immigration
On January 2, 2025, the Central Bank of Turkey officially implemented a new policy, stopping the opening of new YUVAM capital-protected deposit accounts for immigration applications, and existing accounts will no longer be capital-protected upon maturity. After this adjustment, the core threshold for 3-year fixed deposit immigration remains unchanged, and investors can deposit the equivalent of $500,000 in Lira in a local Turkish bank to apply for a Turkish passport for the whole family, but the capital preservation commitment originally guaranteed by the Central Bank to hedge against Lira depreciation has been canceled, and investors must bear the risk of exchange rate fluctuations themselves. Turkey's cancellation of YUVAM exchange rate protection accounts marks the end of the "capital preservation era" for Turkish deposit immigration.
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