Eurostat: 64 902 non-EU nationals had residence permits in Bulgaria in 2019
A total of 64 902 non-EU nationals had residence permits in Bulgaria in 2019, according to a report by European Union statistics agency Eurostat on January 19.
It was the fourth consecutive year that the number increased.
In 2016, the total was 36 085, rising to 51 021 in 2017 and 53 132 in 2018.
Bulgaria granted a total of 13 500 first residence permits to nationals of countries outside the European Union in 2019, Eurostat said on November 27, as The Sofia Globe reported at the time.
The total number of residence permits for non-EU nationals in Bulgaria in 2019 included 19 315 issued for family reasons, 1964 for educational reasons, 5460 because the applicants were working in the country, while four were for refugee status.
A total of 38 159 were held for “other” reasons, Eurostat said.
The total included 21 892 held by citizens of Turkey, 15 762 Russians and 6669 Ukrainians.
Others included 4842 citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia, 1301 citizens of Moldova, 947 from the United States, 820 citizens of the State of Israel, 130 Canadians, 114 South Africans, 78 Australians and 23 New Zealanders, according to the Eurostat data.
(Photo: Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry)
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