UK and France tighten immigration rules as Georgia eases residence requirements for new businesses

Europe

United Kingdom

Nikita Khodkov (Coventry Street Advisors) noted that the proposed ten-year baseline for settlement, from the November 2025 consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, is still not in the Immigration Rules; he expects the final policy later this year, so existing five-year routes remain in force. Several changes are already confirmed: under HC 1691 of 5 March 2026, settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027 on most routes need English at B2, while citizenship stays at B1; HC 1691 also opened a Global Talent design industry pathway from 1 July 2026; and a suspended sentence of 12 months or more is now treated like a custodial one, which in his view can block settlement and citizenship.

His conclusion: the UK is becoming more selective rather than closed. Highly skilled workers, founders and established talent can still settle in three to five years, while lower- and medium-skilled routes face longer periods or tighter restrictions. Clients already in the UK should be assessed for settlement before the reform is finalised and the B2 requirement takes effect.

France

Ann Déla Victoria (EasyStart Relocation) sees French immigration becoming stricter overall, not only on language. She walked through the integration rules in force since 1 January 2026: French at A2 for a first multi-year residence permit (the Talent passport is outside this rule), B1 for a first ten-year resident card and B2 for naturalisation, together with a civics test of 40 questions with an 80 per cent pass mark. In her practice the move to the online platform for foreign nationals (ANEF) has created backlogs, with renewals taking up to nine months in some prefectures, so renewal applications should be submitted well in advance. She also flagged the presidential election of spring 2027, in which several candidates propose tighter rules on asylum and family immigration.

Spain

Yaroslav Sudakov (EU Consulting) reported progress in the extraordinary regularisation. When filing closed on 30 June, Spain's Ministry of Inclusion counted 1,174,978 applications, of which 609,737 had been processed. His firm received its first approvals for adult applicants in early October and has seen no refusals so far, only requests for additional documents. With a general election called for 29 November, he expects the next government to shape what follows.

Georgia

Giorgi Bezhitashvili (Register in Georgia) reported a change that matters for new businesses under the work permit system in force since 1 March 2026. Government Decree No. 317 of 9 July 2026 lets a company no more than three months old, employing no more than three foreigners and applying for a labour residence permit for the first time, submit its own certificate instead of evidence of the usual turnover threshold of GEL 50,000 per foreign employee. In his experience, the company then has about six months to reach that turnover. CBC Group pointed to the sector's growth: according to the National Bank of Georgia, exports of computer and information services rose 65.7 per cent year on year to US$441.3 million in the first quarter of 2026.

Russia

Maxim Blynsky (TaxFinEasy Advisory) described Bill No. 617-9, tabled by the Russian government on 30 September 2026 with the 2027–2029 budget; most of its measures would apply from 1 January 2027 if passed. For non-residents, it removes the reduced 15 per cent rate on Russian dividends and Russian bank deposit interest, leaving the general 30 per cent rate. For residents, it moves dividends, deposit interest and controlled foreign company profits onto the single progressive scale of 13 to 22 per cent, abolishes the RUB 10 million tax-free allowance for controlled foreign company profits and raises the fine for a missed notification from RUB 500,000 to RUB 754,000. The tax service also increasingly determines tax residence from data shared between agencies, so a declared move abroad is no longer enough.

He expects the market to feel it within two to three months: a move will have to include genuine tax residence in the new country, more property and assets will leave Russia, and relocations will be planned more carefully.

Americas

Argentina

Ekaterina Romero (Latam Mercado) followed up on the programme covered in our September recap: applications are expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026, as Argentina's Economy Ministry announced on 2 October. According to her firm, the national commission is considering a preliminary cap of 5,000 applications, a figure now under discussion with licensed operators.

Middle East

Israel

Valentin Kogan (Eli Gervits Law Offices) highlighted an approaching deadline. Eligible new immigrants and veteran returning residents becoming Israeli tax residents between 5 November 2025 and 31 December 2026 may qualify for temporary income-tax relief on qualifying Israeli-source employment, business and professional income, subject to statutory conditions. Annual exempt-income caps are NIS 600,000 in 2026, prorated for the period of Israeli tax residency; NIS 1 million in each of 2027 and 2028; NIS 350,000 in 2029; and NIS 150,000 in 2030. Lower caps apply to related-party income through 2029. The existing ten-year exemption for qualifying foreign-source income remains, but the foreign-income and asset reporting exemption no longer applies to those becoming Israeli tax residents from 1 January 2026.

He also discussed the Bank of Israel's amendment to Proper Banking Conduct Directive No. 411, reportedly taking effect on 1 May 2027. It provides for individual risk assessment rather than automatic refusal solely because funds derive from cryptoasset transactions. Anti-money-laundering obligations still apply, and banks may still decline. He recommended preparing a source-of-funds report for such funds.

Oceania

Vanuatu

Davron Negmatov (PA Citizenship) reported that investment options are unchanged but files take longer in his practice: timelines have grown from two to three months before August to three and a half to four and a half months. Documents for family members are checked more strictly, banking clearance now takes about 20 working days, twice as long as before August, and he expects due diligence to tighten further after the Citizenship Investment Unit's October visit to Australia.

What it means for practice

Treat language level, conduct history and tax residence as part of eligibility from the first consultation, and allow for longer processing times in France and Vanuatu. Clients already in the UK, and those weighing aliyah, should be advised before their windows close. The thread running through the meeting: a residence permit is no longer the finish line, and what comes after it increasingly decides the outcome. This recap reflects members' reports as of 14 October 2026 and is not a substitute for advice on an individual case.