The Guardian
BriefingNine EU countries delay full EES biometric border checks
France, Greece, Portugal, Italy and others keep flexibility after the 6 September deadline, citing airport congestion while EES rolls out.
2026-09-14Open article
Atlas de pasaportes
Travel, immigration and PR handbooks
Pick a destination by travel, immigration or PR. Each handbook says who it is for, how popular passports enter, and links through to visa explainers, policy playbooks and paperwork tools.
Por propósito
Viaje · 12
Tailandia
TH · #59 · Viaje
Thailand is one of the most-searched travel handbooks here: visa exemption has lengthened, while long stays run through Elite, LTR and DTV rather than a classic skilled-migration grid.
Japón
JP · #144 · Viaje / Inmigración
Japan splits tourism, work and PR: a temporary visitor cannot switch to work in-country, but Highly Skilled Professional points can cut PR from ten years to one–three.
Corea del Sur
KR · #60 · Viaje / Inmigración
Korea uses K-ETA for visa-free visitors and points plus D-class visas for people who stay. F-5 PR and nationality are a separate bar.
Emiratos Árabes Unidos
AE · #88 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
The UAE uses visa-free or on-arrival entry for visits, and Golden Visas plus remote-work permits for long stays. Citizenship is largely closed.
Singapur
SG · #32 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Singapore splits tourism, work passes and PR. An Employment Pass or S Pass does not guarantee PR, and PR is not citizenship.
Francia
FR · #101 · Viaje / Inmigración
France layers Schengen tourism, the VLS-TS long-stay visa and the Talent Passport. PR and nationality follow years and assimilation — not a passport-for-investment product.
Italia
IT · #106 · Viaje
Italy is searched more for travel than immigration: decreto flussi work quotas are tight, while elective residence and the digital-nomad visa serve a smaller long-stay set.
España
ES · #99 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Spain is a southern Schengen gateway and a frequent search for digital-nomad visas and faster Latin-American naturalisation. Golden-visa routes have tightened.
Australia
AU · #163 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Australia is a travel, skilled-migration and PR hotspot here: ETA / eVisitor for short stays, 189 / 190 / 491 for invitations, then PR and citizenship as separate steps.
Nueva Zelanda
NZ · #157 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
New Zealand uses NZeTA for visa-free visitors, a skills-shortage list and Accredited Employer work visas for jobs, then a resident visa and a permanent travel condition as two steps.
Reino Unido
GB · #131 · Viaje / Inmigración
Post-Brexit Britain uses ETA for visa-free visitors, a points-based work route for jobs, and ILR for settlement. A six-month visit cannot be switched to work.
Estados Unidos
US · #162 · Viaje / Inmigración
The United States splits ESTA visa-waiver travel, non-immigrant B / H / L / F status and immigrant green cards. Overstaying a visit can poison later immigrant filings.
Inmigración · 12
Canadá
CA · #161 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Canada is the textbook points destination in this atlas: temporary and permanent residence are separate filings, and Express Entry CRS cut-offs move every year.
Australia
AU · #163 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Australia is a travel, skilled-migration and PR hotspot here: ETA / eVisitor for short stays, 189 / 190 / 491 for invitations, then PR and citizenship as separate steps.
Alemania
DE · #96 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Germany is the EU Blue Card and Opportunity Card hub: Schengen for short stays, Blue Card or §18 residence for work, and settlement faster than the usual EU five years.
Reino Unido
GB · #131 · Viaje / Inmigración
Post-Brexit Britain uses ETA for visa-free visitors, a points-based work route for jobs, and ILR for settlement. A six-month visit cannot be switched to work.
Estados Unidos
US · #162 · Viaje / Inmigración
The United States splits ESTA visa-waiver travel, non-immigrant B / H / L / F status and immigrant green cards. Overstaying a visit can poison later immigrant filings.
Nueva Zelanda
NZ · #157 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
New Zealand uses NZeTA for visa-free visitors, a skills-shortage list and Accredited Employer work visas for jobs, then a resident visa and a permanent travel condition as two steps.
Singapur
SG · #32 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Singapore splits tourism, work passes and PR. An Employment Pass or S Pass does not guarantee PR, and PR is not citizenship.
Países Bajos
NL · #113 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
The Netherlands uses the highly skilled migrant scheme and the 30% ruling for salary-qualified hires, and DAFT as a US founder exception. Short stays remain Schengen.
Irlanda
IE · #140 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Ireland is EU but not Schengen: an Irish visitor visa is not a UK ETA. Work is Critical Skills; settlement is Stamp 4.
Japón
JP · #144 · Viaje / Inmigración
Japan splits tourism, work and PR: a temporary visitor cannot switch to work in-country, but Highly Skilled Professional points can cut PR from ten years to one–three.
Corea del Sur
KR · #60 · Viaje / Inmigración
Korea uses K-ETA for visa-free visitors and points plus D-class visas for people who stay. F-5 PR and nationality are a separate bar.
Francia
FR · #101 · Viaje / Inmigración
France layers Schengen tourism, the VLS-TS long-stay visa and the Talent Passport. PR and nationality follow years and assimilation — not a passport-for-investment product.
Residencia permanente · 12
Portugal
PT · #116 · Residencia permanente
Portugal is one of the most-searched EU PR/citizenship destinations in Chinese: D7, D8 and the tightened golden visa are three different residences.
España
ES · #99 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Spain is a southern Schengen gateway and a frequent search for digital-nomad visas and faster Latin-American naturalisation. Golden-visa routes have tightened.
Canadá
CA · #161 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Canada is the textbook points destination in this atlas: temporary and permanent residence are separate filings, and Express Entry CRS cut-offs move every year.
Australia
AU · #163 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Australia is a travel, skilled-migration and PR hotspot here: ETA / eVisitor for short stays, 189 / 190 / 491 for invitations, then PR and citizenship as separate steps.
Nueva Zelanda
NZ · #157 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
New Zealand uses NZeTA for visa-free visitors, a skills-shortage list and Accredited Employer work visas for jobs, then a resident visa and a permanent travel condition as two steps.
Alemania
DE · #96 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Germany is the EU Blue Card and Opportunity Card hub: Schengen for short stays, Blue Card or §18 residence for work, and settlement faster than the usual EU five years.
Singapur
SG · #32 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Singapore splits tourism, work passes and PR. An Employment Pass or S Pass does not guarantee PR, and PR is not citizenship.
Emiratos Árabes Unidos
AE · #88 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
The UAE uses visa-free or on-arrival entry for visits, and Golden Visas plus remote-work permits for long stays. Citizenship is largely closed.
Hong Kong
HK · #39 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Hong Kong is a separate immigration system: short visa-free stays, the Top Talent Pass, Quality Migrant admission and seven-year ordinary residence are different tracks.
Brasil
BR · #72 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Brazil is visa-free or eVisa for many passports, with a fast Mercosur residence track. Chinese passports must check whether eVisa has been reinstated.
Irlanda
IE · #140 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Ireland is EU but not Schengen: an Irish visitor visa is not a UK ETA. Work is Critical Skills; settlement is Stamp 4.
Países Bajos
NL · #113 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
The Netherlands uses the highly skilled migrant scheme and the 30% ruling for salary-qualified hires, and DAFT as a US founder exception. Short stays remain Schengen.
Guías de destinos populares
Japón
JP · #144 · Viaje / Inmigración
Japan splits tourism, work and PR: a temporary visitor cannot switch to work in-country, but Highly Skilled Professional points can cut PR from ten years to one–three.
Corea del Sur
KR · #60 · Viaje / Inmigración
Korea uses K-ETA for visa-free visitors and points plus D-class visas for people who stay. F-5 PR and nationality are a separate bar.
Singapur
SG · #32 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Singapore splits tourism, work passes and PR. An Employment Pass or S Pass does not guarantee PR, and PR is not citizenship.
Hong Kong
HK · #39 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Hong Kong is a separate immigration system: short visa-free stays, the Top Talent Pass, Quality Migrant admission and seven-year ordinary residence are different tracks.
Taiwán
TW · #145 · Viaje / Inmigración
Taiwan uses visitor visas or visa-free entry for trips, and work permits, the Employment Gold Card and an ARC to stay. Mainland Chinese residents use a different document set.
China
CN · #136 · Viaje
China has widened transit without visa and some unilateral visa-free lists, but work, residence and the Chinese green card remain a strict, separate system.
Tailandia
TH · #59 · Viaje
Thailand is one of the most-searched travel handbooks here: visa exemption has lengthened, while long stays run through Elite, LTR and DTV rather than a classic skilled-migration grid.
Malasia
MY · #31 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Malaysia is easy to visit. Long stays sit on products such as MM2H and DE Rantau — it is not a points-based skilled-migration state.
Emiratos Árabes Unidos
AE · #88 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
The UAE uses visa-free or on-arrival entry for visits, and Golden Visas plus remote-work permits for long stays. Citizenship is largely closed.
Estados Unidos
US · #162 · Viaje / Inmigración
The United States splits ESTA visa-waiver travel, non-immigrant B / H / L / F status and immigrant green cards. Overstaying a visit can poison later immigrant filings.
Canadá
CA · #161 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Canada is the textbook points destination in this atlas: temporary and permanent residence are separate filings, and Express Entry CRS cut-offs move every year.
Reino Unido
GB · #131 · Viaje / Inmigración
Post-Brexit Britain uses ETA for visa-free visitors, a points-based work route for jobs, and ILR for settlement. A six-month visit cannot be switched to work.
Alemania
DE · #96 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Germany is the EU Blue Card and Opportunity Card hub: Schengen for short stays, Blue Card or §18 residence for work, and settlement faster than the usual EU five years.
Francia
FR · #101 · Viaje / Inmigración
France layers Schengen tourism, the VLS-TS long-stay visa and the Talent Passport. PR and nationality follow years and assimilation — not a passport-for-investment product.
España
ES · #99 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Spain is a southern Schengen gateway and a frequent search for digital-nomad visas and faster Latin-American naturalisation. Golden-visa routes have tightened.
Portugal
PT · #116 · Residencia permanente
Portugal is one of the most-searched EU PR/citizenship destinations in Chinese: D7, D8 and the tightened golden visa are three different residences.
Países Bajos
NL · #113 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
The Netherlands uses the highly skilled migrant scheme and the 30% ruling for salary-qualified hires, and DAFT as a US founder exception. Short stays remain Schengen.
Italia
IT · #106 · Viaje
Italy is searched more for travel than immigration: decreto flussi work quotas are tight, while elective residence and the digital-nomad visa serve a smaller long-stay set.
Australia
AU · #163 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Australia is a travel, skilled-migration and PR hotspot here: ETA / eVisitor for short stays, 189 / 190 / 491 for invitations, then PR and citizenship as separate steps.
Nueva Zelanda
NZ · #157 · Viaje / Inmigración / Residencia permanente
New Zealand uses NZeTA for visa-free visitors, a skills-shortage list and Accredited Employer work visas for jobs, then a resident visa and a permanent travel condition as two steps.
Suiza
CH · #92 · Viaje / Inmigración
Switzerland is Schengen but not EU: 90/180 for short stays, cantonal-quota B permits to live, and C settlement whose years depend on nationality.
Irlanda
IE · #140 · Inmigración / Residencia permanente
Ireland is EU but not Schengen: an Irish visitor visa is not a UK ETA. Work is Critical Skills; settlement is Stamp 4.
Brasil
BR · #72 · Viaje / Residencia permanente
Brazil is visa-free or eVisa for many passports, with a fast Mercosur residence track. Chinese passports must check whether eVisa has been reinstated.
Policy pulse
Visas, borders and immigration law
Live feeds
Briefing · 4
Euronews
BriefingEU prepares tighter migration rules after Ceuta arrivals
Commission options include faster returns and, in extreme surges, a temporary pause on asylum processing.
2026-09-14Open article
Biometric Update
BriefingEU lets nine Schengen countries delay full EES biometric checks
France, Germany, Italy and others retain flexibility after the September deadline as kiosks and ferry ports keep failing under load.
2026-09-14Open article
European Commission
BriefingFifth Schengen cycle (2026–27) puts visa strategy and screening first
The EU Visa Strategy (Jan 2026) and the new external-border screening procedure from June 2026 shape this cycle.
2026-03-01Open article
Handbooks summarise public sources so you can cross-check the visa matrix and policy playbooks. They are not legal advice. Quotas, stay lengths and visa-free lists move — confirm with the destination government and its missions before you travel or file.