All Official Changes
Every verified rule change Diplonaut has tracked, in one place — each dated, sourced, and linked to the government page that made it. Not a curated highlight reel: the full record.
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Coming
New Zealand opens a 6-month work visa for graduates of shorter qualifications
Immigration New Zealand (INZ), the government agency that issues visas, opens a new Short-Term Graduate Work Visa on 16 November 2026. It gives 6 months of open work rights (work for any employer) to students who hold a qualification at Level 5 to 7 of the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), studied full time in New Zealand for at least 24 weeks, have at least NZ$5,000 to support themselves, and apply within 3 months of their student visa ending. English language, foundation and bridging qualifications do not count, and holders cannot support a partner’s work visa or children’s student visas, although partners can apply for a work visa on their own merit.
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Coming
UK raises the student living-cost requirement
£1,171 / mo → £1,203 / mo
£1,570 a month in London and £1,203 outside London, for applications from 30 November 2026, set in the Statement of Changes HC 584 published on 3 September 2026.
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Coming
Denmark opens a work permit with a lower minimum salary for citizens of 16 countries
From 1 January 2027 Denmark adds a new way to get a work permit, called the Collective Agreement Scheme. It is for citizens of 16 countries outside the EU, on a list published by the immigration ministry (the bill names the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, China and Japan among them), who are offered a job that pays at least DKK 322,000 a year (2026 level) and is covered by a collective agreement, meaning a pay deal between a trade union and employers. The employer must first be certified by SIRI, the Danish agency that handles work and study permits, which expects to open certification applications in early December 2026. The existing Pay Limit Scheme, which needs a salary of at least DKK 552,000 a year (2026 level), stays in place.
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Coming
UK Graduate Route shortens to 18 months
24 months → 18 months
For bachelor’s and master’s graduates applying from 1 January 2027. It stays 24 months until then. Update 28 October 2026: the Budget says the visa will stay at two years for graduates of “high-compliance universities”, with no start date yet; the 18-month rule still applies until the Immigration Rules are changed.
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Coming
Japan tightens the rules for permanent residence
Spouses: 3 years married and 1 year in Japan → 5 years married and 3 years in Japan
Japan’s Immigration Services Agency revised its permanent residence guidelines on 1 October 2026, and the full new rules apply to applications filed from 1 April 2027. Applicants will be checked for household income above the Japanese average for their household size, an expected pension based on 30 years of contributions, Japanese at B1 level (intermediate, with some exemptions), and long trips abroad (one absence of 6 months or more, or 2 years 6 months in total over 10 years, counts against them). Children of Japanese citizens and permanent residents will need 3 years in Japan instead of 1. The income and public burden checks already apply to applications filed since 1 April 2026 that were still pending on 1 October 2026.
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Canada: Express Entry adds points for high-wage jobs and drops the LMIA for job offers
qualifying job offer: LMIA required → no LMIA required
Express Entry is the online system Canada uses to pick skilled workers for permanent residence. From 3 November 2026, candidates get extra points for at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation (20, 40 or 70 points, depending on whether the job’s median wage is at least 1.3, 1.5 or 2 times the Canadian median) or for a qualifying job offer in such an occupation (50, 70 or 100 points), whichever is higher, not both. A job offer no longer needs a labour market impact assessment (LMIA, the employer’s proof that no Canadian was available for the job). Profiles already in the pool are rescored automatically, which can take up to two weeks while invitation rounds pause; study permits and work permits do not change, and extra points do not guarantee an invitation.
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New Zealand ends unlimited work hours for research master’s students and gives graduates two months after the course
research master’s: no work limit → 25 h/week · visa ends 1 month → 2 months after the course
Immigration New Zealand (INZ), the government agency that issues visas, changed four student visa rules on 27 October 2026. New master’s by research students who applied on or after 27 October 2026 can work 25 hours a week during term and full time in the holidays, the same as other students; before, they had no limit. English ability is now a key factor when INZ checks whether a student can meet their visa conditions, and INZ can pause student visa processing in more situations, including while an education provider is being investigated. Student visas that used to end 1 month after the course now end 2 months after it, so graduates have more time to plan their next step; visas that end on 31 March do not change.
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US narrows the weekend extension for immigration filing deadlines
any paper deadline on a weekend or holiday moves to the next business day → only deadlines counted in days move
From 23 October 2026, USCIS, the agency that decides immigration applications inside the US, applies its “next business day” rule only to deadlines written as a number of days, for example 30 days to appeal a decision. If a deadline is set by an event, such as filing before your current status ends or before a child’s 21st birthday, and that day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, a paper application must now arrive by that day, not the next working day. Online filings count as received when submitted, so they are not affected. This reverses a 2023 USCIS policy; anyone on an F-1 student visa or a work visa planning a paper filing close to the end of their status should file early.
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US makes permanent the end of automatic work permit extensions
Renewal filed on or after 30 Oct 2025: automatic extension of up to 540 days → no automatic extension
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made final a rule that ended the automatic extension of EADs (Employment Authorization Documents, the card that proves someone may work in the US). Until 30 October 2025, a worker who applied on time to renew an EAD could keep working for up to 540 days while the renewal was pending; renewals filed on or after that date get no automatic extension, so the person must wait for the new card before working again. The final rule, in force from 14 October 2026, adopts the October 2025 interim rule without changes. Renewals filed before 30 October 2025 keep their extension, and extensions set by law or by a Federal Register notice (for example for Temporary Protected Status, TPS) do not change; the rule does not mention the separate 180-day extension that F-1 students on STEM OPT get while their extension is pending, which comes from a different regulation. This mainly affects people who renew a work permit, such as spouses of H-1B workers and people waiting for a green card.
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UK lets recognised modern slavery victims on Skilled Worker visas leave their sponsor
Tied to the sponsoring employer → any employer until the visa ends
From 9 October 2026, a person on a Skilled Worker visa (a UK work visa that ties you to the employer that sponsors you) who is formally recognised as a victim of modern slavery can leave that employer and take any lawful work for the rest of their visa. Until now, leaving an abusive sponsor could cost a worker both their immigration status and their income. The rules for other Skilled Worker visa holders do not change: they remain tied to a sponsoring employer.
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Erasmus+ exchange student rules take effect ahead of UK’s January 2027 return
Under Statement of Changes HC 584 (3 September 2026), Erasmus+ exchange students at participating UK sponsors get eased course-level requirements, an exemption from standard work-placement duration limits, and permission to attend state schools, from 8 October 2026. This is the first concrete implementing date for the UK’s announced return to Erasmus+ in January 2027.
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Most student visa applicants can no longer bring a partner or children
From 2 October 2026, most Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children in their application. Exemptions apply for PhD students, government- or Defence-sponsored scholars, and some Pacific/ASEAN nationals. Most current Student visa holders without an exemption also can no longer apply for a further Student visa while in Australia.
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Most temporary visa holders can no longer apply for a Student visa from inside Australia
From 2 October 2026, most people who are in Australia on a temporary visa can no longer apply for a Student visa or a Student Guardian visa while they are in the country. If the new rules stop you applying in Australia, you must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the visa is granted. Current Student visa holders are also affected unless an exemption applies, for example PhD study or moving up to a higher-level course. Student visas already granted are not affected, and applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are still assessed under the old rules.
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Japan raises the fees to renew or change a residence status
¥6,000 → ¥10,000 to ¥75,000, by length of stay
From 1 October 2026, foreign residents in Japan, including students, pay more to extend their stay or to change their status of residence (the category of permission to live in Japan). The old fee was ¥6,000 at the counter. The new fee depends on the length of stay granted: ¥10,000 for 3 months or less, ¥33,000 for 1 year and ¥75,000 for 5 years or more, with lower fees for most online applications. The permanent residence fee rises from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000, and applications received by 30 September 2026 still pay the old fee.
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Sweden raises the income needed to bring a partner or child
SEK 6,243/mo → SEK 8,116/mo (single adult, after tax and rent)
From 1 October 2026, a person in Sweden who wants a non-EU partner or child to join them on family grounds must have more money left each month after tax and rent: SEK 8,116 for a single adult (was SEK 6,243) or SEK 13,408 for a couple (was SEK 10,314), plus an amount for each child. The income check now also applies when the family member extends the permit, but permits granted before 1 October 2026 keep the old amounts if the extension is applied for by 1 October 2027. A person with a temporary permit must now also have lived in Sweden for two years before family can apply, with some exceptions. Swedish and EU/EEA citizens can be exempt from the income rule if the relationship is well established, and families of students and of work permit holders follow separate rules.
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Sweden: families of work permit holders face an income check at every extension
From 1 October 2026, families of work permit holders in Sweden must show they have enough money to live on not only at the first application but also each time they extend their permits. A family member’s own income can count, but income from subsidised jobs and unemployment benefits does not. Family members who stay for one year or less with a holder of an ICT permit (for staff moved within a company) or an EU Blue Card (a permit for highly qualified workers) must now have comprehensive health insurance. The amount of money needed depends on family size and housing costs.
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Sweden adds a health insurance rule for students’ family members
From 1 October 2026, a family member who joins a student in Sweden for one year or less must have comprehensive health insurance that covers medical and hospital care in Sweden. If a child is not the student’s own child, the child can only get a permit together with the accompanying family member if that parent is also the child’s legal guardian. The amount of money a student must show to support family members does not change.
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Denmark cuts the job-search period after graduation to 1 year
3 years → 1 year
For non-EU students in state-approved bachelor’s and master’s programmes who apply for their study permit on or after 1 October 2026, the job-seeking permit after graduation is 1 year, down from 3. Their spouses, partners and children can no longer get a residence permit as accompanying family. Students who applied before 1 October keep the old rules, and PhD students are not affected.
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H-1B petitions now face employer-layoff scrutiny
An executive order directs the State, Labor, and Homeland Security departments to coordinate with Commerce, Education, and the SBA when reviewing H-1B petitions, and requires agencies to factor in whether the sponsoring employer has conducted or plans layoffs affecting similarly-situated American workers. The Labor Department must also begin reviewing past labor condition applications within 30 days for possible enforcement action. This doesn’t change the H-1B cap or fees directly, but adds real friction to employer sponsorship — relevant to anyone counting on H-1B after graduating.
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US ‘duration of status’ rule postponed
A federal court blocked the DHS rule replacing open-ended student stays with fixed periods of up to four years, a day before it was due to take effect. Duration of status remains in place while the case continues.
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Canada raises proof of funds to CA$23,448
CA$22,895 → CA$23,448
For study permit applications outside Quebec, on top of first-year tuition and travel.
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2026–27 academic year
Belgium: €1,062 a month for 2026–27
The indexed amount students must show for the 2026–27 academic year.
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France: €877.50 a month to show
€615 / mo → €877.50 / mo
Up from €615 and now tied to the minimum wage, so it will rise automatically.
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Australia raises visa charges
Student visa from A$2,000 to A$2,500; graduate visa from A$4,600 to A$5,750.
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France ends housing aid for most non-EU students
Non-EU students without a means-tested scholarship no longer receive APL housing benefit.
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US: Parent PLUS loans capped at $65,000 per student
up to the full cost of attendance → $65,000 in total per student
Parent PLUS loans are federal loans that parents of US undergraduates can take out to pay for college. Since 1 July 2026, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, everything a student’s parents borrow together in Parent PLUS loans is capped at $65,000 per student, starting with the 2026-27 school year; university financial aid offices also report a yearly limit of $20,000 per student. Some students who already had federal loans in their current program before 1 July 2026 keep the old limits for a time. International students are not affected, because only US citizens and eligible non-citizens can borrow these loans.
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South Korea makes its digital nomad visa permanent, and easier to get
2 years, flat income floor → 3 years, tiered income floor
After a 2.5-year pilot, the F-1-D ‘Workation’ visa became a permanent category effective 30 June 2026. The flat income requirement (2x national GNI per capita) is now tiered: applicants under 35 outside Seoul can qualify at 1x GNI, while those 35+ in the Seoul metro area still need up to 2x. Maximum stay extends from 2 to 3 years, and holders can now switch status without leaving the country to reapply.
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Sweden limits student work to 15 hours a week
No limit → 15 h / wk
Bachelor’s and master’s students granted a permit from 11 June 2026 may work at most 15 hours a week during term, with no limit in June, July and August. Working more can lead to the permit being withdrawn, and study-progress requirements are stricter.
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Portugal doubles the wait for citizenship
5 years → 10 years
Under Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026, most foreign residents — including Americans on a D7, D8 digital nomad, or former Golden Visa route — now need 10 years of legal residence before applying for citizenship, up from 5 (7 years for CPLP/EU citizens). The clock also now starts the day your residence card is issued, not the day you apply, which matters given AIMA’s own backlog routinely runs 12–24 months. The regulation meant to clarify how pre-2026 residence time counts was due within 90 days of the law and still hadn’t appeared by late September — so anyone mid-process genuinely doesn’t know where they stand yet.
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France caps fee waivers and sets 2026–27 fees
€3,941 / yr, often waived → €3,950 / yr
Universities may waive the non-EU fee for at most 30% of these students in 2026–27, 25% in 2027–28 and 20% from 2028. The 2026–27 master’s fee is €3,950.
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Mexico roughly doubles residency fees
1-year temporary resident card: 5,328 → 11,140.74 pesos
Effective 1 January 2026, Mexico’s immigration authority (INM) raised nearly every residency-related fee by about 109%, per a schedule published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación. A 4-year temporary resident card rose from 11,984 to 25,057.82 pesos, and permanent residency from 6,494 to 13,578.96 pesos. INM referenced a 50% fee reduction for certain applicant categories, but as of mid-2026 had not published guidance on how to actually claim it — treat that discount as not yet usable in practice.
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Austria raises the amount students must show
€1,273.99 / mo → €1,308.39 / mo
Students aged 24 and over must now show €1,308.39 a month (€722.58 under 24), following the 2026 update of the official reference rate.
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US suspends new student visas for 38 countries
A presidential proclamation fully suspends entry for nationals of 19 countries, including Iran, Haiti and Syria, and suspends new F, M and J student visas for nationals of 19 more, including Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. Visas valid before 1 January 2026 are not revoked.
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Canada: no attestation letter for master’s at public institutions
Master’s and doctoral students at public designated institutions no longer need a provincial or territorial attestation letter, and fall outside the study permit cap.
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Netherlands sets its 2026 funds amount
€1,130.77 a month for university students, €13,569 a year.
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South Korea extends its job-seeker visa for graduates to 3 years
Up to 2 years → Up to 3 years
Graduates of Korean universities can now stay up to 3 years to look for work, renewed one year at a time instead of every 6 months, and internships are no longer capped at 1 year in total.
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US reviews the online presence of every student visa applicant
All F, M and J applicants must set their social media profiles to public so consular officers can review their online presence.