The European Commission has launched a paired package intended to guide EU action on migration and visas over the next five years, setting priorities on border management, returns, cooperation with third countries, and legal pathways tied to skills and mobility.
The measures were published on 29 January 2026 and framed as the first European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy alongside the EU’s first Visa Strategy.
The Commission’s migration strategy is presented as a political blueprint for 2026–2030, building on the Pact on Migration and Asylum, whose new procedures at the external border are due to apply from June 2026. It identifies three overarching objectives: preventing irregular migration and disrupting smuggling networks; maintaining protection for those fleeing war and persecution while addressing abuse of asylum systems; and attracting talent to the EU in response to labour shortages.
While the Commission points to a fall in irregular arrivals, it argues that political pressure remains high and that implementation of the Pact will be decisive. Media reporting citing Frontex data described irregular crossings as down by more than a quarter during 2025.
Border systems and Frontex revision
On border management, the Commission’s strategy prioritises the roll-out of digital systems designed to tighten checks at the EU’s external frontier. It cites implementation of the Entry/Exit System and the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), and says all irregular arrivals should be screened with the Pact’s border procedure applied at external borders from June 2026. It also signals a revision of Frontex’s founding regulation to strengthen the agency’s role.
Migration diplomacy and leverage
Cooperation with third countries is placed at the top of the Commission’s five priorities under what it calls “migration diplomacy”. The strategy describes a “whole-of-route” approach and proposes using incentives and leverage across policy areas, explicitly including visa policy, trade, and financial support, alongside efforts against smuggling networks and measures to support returns from third countries.
This emphasis aligns with the Commission’s parallel Visa Strategy, which sets out how visa policy should support security and migration management while also facilitating legitimate travel and talent mobility.
Returns and a proposed “common European system”
A central element of the five-year migration strategy is “more effective return and readmission”. The Commission states that “only about one in four” of those ordered to leave the EU actually return, and describes improving return rates as urgent for the credibility and functioning of the system.
It points to work towards a “common European system for return” based on a proposed Return Regulation that is currently under negotiation, with “digitalised processes” and exploration of additional measures “such as the establishment of return hubs”. It also proposes strengthening leverage to improve readmission cooperation by third countries.
Legal pathways and labour mobility
Alongside enforcement and returns, the Commission frames labour and talent mobility as a core priority, citing expected skills gaps and demographic pressures. The strategy refers to scaling up existing and launching new “Talent Partnerships”, integrating talent attraction into broader cooperation with partner countries, and simplifying procedures including recognition of qualifications and skills. It also references action against illegal employment and exploitation, and support for integration backed by EU funding.
Visa strategy: security, competitiveness, and IT interoperability
The Visa Strategy, adopted the same day, is presented around three pillars: strengthening Schengen security, boosting competitiveness, and advancing the EU’s strategic interests. On security, the Commission highlights a “modern system” for granting visa-free status, stronger monitoring of visa-free regimes, “stronger visa leverages”, possible targeted restrictive visa measures, and steps to strengthen travel document security.
On travel facilitation and competitiveness, the Commission points to new digital procedures for both visa-free and visa-required travellers. It states that ETIAS should simplify and partly automate pre-departure checks for visa-free travellers from the fourth quarter of 2026, and it signals a shift towards longer-validity multiple-entry visas for trusted travellers. The Visa Strategy also sets an objective for EU visa and border IT systems to become interoperable by 2028, allowing authorities to query multiple databases through a single central search.
The Commission has paired the Visa Strategy with a recommendation on attracting talent for innovation, urging Member States to streamline long-stay procedures through digitisation, fewer documents, shorter processing times, and easier transitions from study and research into work or entrepreneurship, alongside improved intra-EU mobility and coordination between authorities and education and research bodies.
Funding and next steps
The Commission links implementation to funding and to its forthcoming budget proposals, stating that its proposals for the 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework include a plan to dedicate “at least EUR 81 billion” to home affairs policies and a Global Europe instrument to support international partnerships, including on migration.
The package is non-legislative in form, but it sits alongside several live legislative files and operational deadlines, including the June 2026 start of Pact border procedures, the ETIAS launch timetable, and negotiations on return rules.
