Eurostat: EU countries issued more than 3.7 million first residence permits in 2023
More than 3.7 million first residence permits were issued in the European Union to non-EU citizens in 2023, a 4.7 per cent increase compared with 2022, and the highest number recorded to date, EU statistics agency Eurostat said on September 12.
Employment remained the main reason for issuing residence permits in 2023, accounting for 33.8 per cent (1.3 million) of all first residence permits issued, indicating a modest decrease compared with 2022 (-0.4 per cent; -4 662).
Family reasons accounted for 26.4 per cent (986 453) of all permits, reflecting a 6.4 per cent increase (+58 943) compared with 2022.
Other reasons, including international protection, made up nearly the same share (25.6 per cent; 956 646), with a 5.3 per cent rise (+48 406).
Education reasons represented 14.3 per cent (534 558) of all first residence permits, representing the largest overall increase of 13.5 per cent (+63 674).
In 2023, the highest number of first residence permits was issued to citizens of Ukraine (307 313), followed by Belarus (281 279) and India (207 966).
Eurostat said that, looking at the top 10 countries of citizenship of those granted residence permits, employment was the most frequent reason for nationals of Ukraine (71.7 per cent), Belarus (52.3 per cent), India (45.2 per cent) and Türkiye (31.8 per cent).
Other reasons, including international protection, dominated for citizens of Syria (77.3 per cent) and Afghanistan (85.1 per cent).
Family reasons accounted for the largest share of permits for nationals of Morocco (50.3 per cent), Russia (39.4 per cent) and Brazil (35.3 per cent), while nationals of China were mostly granted permits for education reasons (37.8 per cent).
As The Sofia Globe reported on July 4 2024, Bulgaria issued a total of 19 375 first residence permits with a validity of at least three months to non-EU nationals in 2023, an increase of 22.3 per cent compared with 2022, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said.
(Photo: Council of the EU)
Please support The Sofia Globe by becoming a subscriber to our page on Patreon:
