Immigration rule changes — Q1 2026 review.

Two procedural updates from the State Migration Service quietly reorder how a long-stay file is assembled. The headlines are minor; the operational implications, less so.

The updates shift the sequencing of address registration relative to biometric capture for first-time TRP applicants entering on type D visas. Applicants currently between visa issuance and physical arrival are unaffected; applicants whose entry is scheduled after 1 March should plan address registration earlier in the in-country sequence.

Cases already filed under the prior ordering remain valid. Our intake checklists have been updated accordingly. The substantive eligibility framework is unchanged.

Operationally, this means the address-registration step now precedes biometric capture for new TRP files. For applicants relying on hotel addresses pending lease, expect additional documentation requirements at the regional office.