Record Number of Residence Permits in the European Union: Who Are the Main Beneficiaries and Why?

🇺🇦 Ukrainians Lead Among Recipients

According to Eurostat, in 2023, the majority of residence permits were issued to Ukrainian citizens—307,313 permits. Belarusian citizens followed in second place (281,279), and Indian citizens in third (207,966). A significant number of permits were also issued to Russian citizens (116,142).

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Reasons for Receiving Permits

The largest share of permits (33.8%) was granted for work purposes, followed by 26.4% for family reasons, and 25.6% for humanitarian grounds. 14.3% of the total permits were issued to students.

🎓 Growth in Student Permits

The number of permits granted for students saw a notable increase compared to 2022 (+63,674). The largest groups of students receiving permits were from India (38,157), China (35,620), and the United States (26,821).

🌍 Moroccans and Humanitarian Reasons

Moroccans make up over 50% of those receiving permits for family reasons. For humanitarian reasons, Belarus, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine top the list, with the largest numbers for Belarus (148,957), Syria (127,043), Afghanistan (97,339), and Ukraine (53,186).