Affluent nations are increasingly employing citizenship regulations to outline what they expect from newcomers regarding integration, a major international migration study released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicates.
The Paris-based international organisation published its 50th annual international migration outlook this week, showing a growing migration trend alongside integration policy entering a more constrained and politically contested phase. Constrained public finances, strain on housing and civic infrastructure, and a diminished political enthusiasm for comprehensive integration funding have decelerated policy changes and shifted their nature, according to the findings.
Across 2025 and 2026, a significant number of the 38 OECD member nations enacted citizenship overhauls that signal tougher criteria, featuring elevated demands concerning linguistic ability, civic awareness, economic contributions, length of residency, and financial independence. The analysis highlights the removal of the fast-track route to citizenship in Germany and higher requirements for knowledge of language and society in Sweden.
Labour Market Focus and Civic Integration
Integration in the labour market remains the principal objective of integration policies across member states, driven by shifts in Nordic nations and beyond.
“Labour migration schemes are becoming more selective and integration policies are getting more and more focused on the very rapid entry in the labour market, particularly in the Nordic countries,” said Mark Pearson, OECD Deputy Director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, at the UK presentation of the report.
Civic integration is also becoming more prominent through stronger requirements regarding language, civic knowledge, and shared values. The study points to the introduction of a civic exam for first applications for multi-year residence permits in France and values-and-orientation courses introduced in Austria.
Meanwhile, Sweden is considering the feasibility of an Integration Barometer, a survey designed to test trust in institutions, democratic participation, social networks, language use, belonging, and perceptions of discrimination.
“There are differences in the level of efforts that is going on [in integration policy] across different countries. The furthest North you go in Europe, the greater is the effort usually made by policy makers to try and get rapid labour market integration, for instance in Sweden,” Pearson said.
“There is a kind of north-south gradient, but the most striking policy change recently has been the Spanish experience of trying to regularise a large number of migrants as a way to improve more rapid integration,” he added.
Member Countries See High Numbers of New Citizens
The OECD estimates that over 3 million people acquired the nationality of a member country in 2005. The United States registered the largest number at 895,000—a 9 percent increase from the previous year—followed by Germany at 309,000 and Spain at 300,000, both reaching record high levels.
Canada ranked fourth with 294,000 new nationals, marking a 22 percent drop compared to 2024, while the United Kingdom placed fifth at 235,000. Canada maintains the highest share of foreign residents who acquired citizenship at 7.7 percent, followed by Norway at 5.5 percent, Sweden at 4.5 percent, and Spain at 4.3 percent.
Across OECD countries, 6.1 million new permanent immigrants were recorded in 2025, representing a 1.6 percent decline compared to the previous year. Despite this second consecutive annual drop, overall migration levels remain historically high, sitting 12 percent above figures recorded in 2019.
The United States remains the leading destination with 1.2 million new permanent immigrants, followed by Germany, Spain, Canada, and France. Major destination countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Austria, recorded notable declines compared to past figures, whereas Southern Europe experienced strong growth driven by regularisation measures, the processing of large numbers of pending applications, and expanded labour migration opportunities.
