August 17th, 2023 at 07:58 pm
EU Grant 3.7 Million Residence Permits
According to current figures from the EU Office for Statistics, Eurostat, about 3.7 million initial residence permits were given to non-EU nationals by European Union member states last year.
Also, according to Eurostat, the statistic indicates a 26% increase over 2021. According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, the amount is the highest reported since 2009, surpassing even the pre-pandemic level of 3.0 million.
Furthermore, data shows that almost 42% of the first residence permits awarded in 2022 (243,617) were for employment reasons, marking an 18% increase over 2021.
According to Eurostat statistics, family reasons accounted for 24% of all permits issued, while other reasons, including categories such as international protection, accounted for 21%.
At the same time, educational reasons accounted for 13% of all permits issued.
Other Reasons
Other reasons increased by 37%, resulting in an additional issuance of 209,074 permits; education reasons increased by 33%, contributing an additional 183,524 permits; and family reasons increased by 26%, contributing an additional 183,524 permits.
Germany led the list of EU states in terms of initial residence permits granted, with 538,690 issued.
With almost 300,000 first licenses granted; Spain issued the second-highest number of first residency permits. Italy leads with 337,788 first licenses issued, followed closely by France, which issued 324,200 initial permits.
Furthermore, Germany had the greatest rise in the total number of licenses issued in 2022, with a +190% increase (increasing from 185,570 in 2021 to 538,690 in 2022).
According to Eurostat statistics, this increase in Germany’s population is mostly due to a significant increase in permit issuing for family and other reasons.
Following Germany came Malta, which experienced a +164 percent rise (increasing from 14,358 in 2021 to 37,851 in 2022), and Ireland, which saw a +146 percent increase (growing from 34,935 to 85,793).
Certain nations, on the other hand, had a decrease in the overall number of licenses issued last year as compared to 2021.
Czechia is one of the countries that had a significant fall of -28%. Slovakia had a relatively modest 6% reduction, while Hungary experienced a 1% decrease.
Most Popular Destinations
According to Eurostat, the most popular work destinations last year were Spain (145,314 permits), Germany (81,795 permits), and Italy (66,791 permits).
In terms of family grounds, Germany issued the most licenses in 2022, with 188,367, Spain issued 168,804 permits, and Italy issued 131,275 permits.
In terms of other reasons, Germany was the leading issuer, with 198,456 licenses granted, followed by Italy with 114,256 permits.
Furthermore, France took the lead in the issuance of education-related permissions, granting 104,777 permits, followed by Germany with 70,072 permits and Spain with 58,636 permits.