The European Commission has set out a new Schengen visa strategy that could open the door to multiple entry visas lasting more than five years for a narrow category of “trusted travellers” with clean legal records and no security flags.
The plan pairs longer visas with tighter controls, including fully digital border management using the EU’s entry exit system and ETIAS, and a wider use of the visa suspension mechanism to respond to irregular migration.
It also cites June 2026 start dates for mandatory screening of irregular arrivals and a solidarity system requiring states to either host migrants or pay financial contributions.
Migration researcher Hassan Ben Taleb said Europe is not shifting course but “imposing more pressure, restrictions and toughness”, calling visas a “weapon” against irregular migration. Demographer Abdelhamid Jmour said the change is deeper, recasting visas inside a broader governance framework linking security, third country cooperation and economic interests.
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