Ukrainians are in first place in terms of the number of residence permits received in the EU
In 2023, the European Union issued more than 3.7 million first residence permits to non-EU citizens, an increase of 4.7% compared to 2022, setting a record. This is evidenced data Eurostat.
Citizens of Ukraine received the largest number of residence permits — 307,313, followed by citizens of Belarus (281,279) and India (207,966). Among the top 10 countries whose citizens received residence permits in the EU, the most common reason for Ukrainians (71.7%), Belarusians (52.3%), Indians (45.2%) and Turks (31.8%) there was employment. On the other hand, for citizens of Syria (77.3%) and Afghanistan (85.1%), the reason for international protection prevailed.
Family circumstances were the main reason for nationals of Morocco (50.3%), Russia (39.4%) and Brazil (35.3%), while Chinese nationals were most often granted study permits (37.8%).
Employment remained the main reason for issuing residence permits in 2023, accounting for 33.8% (1.3 million) of all first permits, a slight decrease compared to the previous year (-0.4%). At the same time, the number of permits due to family circumstances increased by 6.4%, reaching 26.4% (986,453) of the total number. Education was also a big reason, accounting for 14.3% of all permits issued, the largest increase at 13.5%.
