Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

Subscribe via RSS ↗ · 4 entries shown

Country All countriesFRFranceDEGermanyIEIrelandITItalyNLNetherlandsPTPortugalESSpainGBUnited Kingdom
Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 28 May 2025
In force Citizenship
ITItaly

Citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) restricted to two generations

Law Decree 36/2025 restricted the pathway to Italian citizenship by descent: applicants must now prove Italian ancestry within two generations (parent or grandparent born in Italy), closing the previously unlimited-generations route that had produced an estimated 60,000 annual citizenship grants. A contested reform: constitutional challenges are pending; existing applications filed before 28 May 2025 are processed under the prior rules.

Who it affects: Descendants of Italian emigrants (particularly in Argentina, Brazil, the US) seeking Italian citizenship.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Ministero dell'Interno ↗ · Governo Italiano ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 27 Jun 2024
In force Citizenship
DEGermany

Citizenship Modernisation Act — dual citizenship allowed, residency requirement cut

The Staatsangehörigkeitsmodernisierungsgesetz came into force on 27 June 2024. Multiple citizenship is now permitted (previously, most non-EU applicants had to renounce their prior nationality). The standard residency requirement for naturalisation was reduced from eight years to five, and to three years for applicants demonstrating exceptional integration. Children born in Germany to non-German parents acquire citizenship at birth if one parent has been lawfully and habitually resident for at least five years.

Who it affects: Non-German residents seeking naturalisation; children of foreign residents born in Germany.

BMI — New law on nationality takes effect (27 June 2024) ↗ · Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat ↗ · Bundesregierung (Federal Government) ↗ · Bundesgesetzblatt (Federal Law Gazette) ↗ · verified 2026-04-18

Announced 16 May 2024
Announced Citizenship
NLNetherlands

Naturalisation residency requirement proposed to increase from 5 to 10 years

The Hoofdlijnenakkoord included a proposal to double the standard residency requirement for Dutch naturalisation from five to ten years, and to require applicants to renounce any other nationality "where possible". The proposal remains in the parliamentary pipeline and has not yet been enacted as of 2026; the current five-year requirement continues to apply.

Who it affects: Future applicants for Dutch citizenship — monitoring only; not yet in force.

Hoofdlijnenakkoord — Coalition Agreement (May 2024) ↗ · Government of the Netherlands ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 26 Jan 2024
In force Citizenship
FRFrance

Carte de résident residency requirement raised from 5 to 7 years

The continuous legal residence required to obtain the long-term "carte de résident" (10-year renewable permit) rose from five to seven years under Law 2024-42. Applicants must also demonstrate B1-level French (up from A2), and sign the Republican Engagement Contract committing to respecting French Republican principles. Does not affect naturalisation timelines, which remain five years of residence.

Who it affects: Non-EU long-term residents seeking the carte de résident — now a longer wait.

Légifrance — French Official Legal Publication ↗ · Service-Public.fr — Official administrative portal ↗ · verified 2026-04-19