In a press release published on 12 September 2024, Eurostat shared the following findings based on data on first residence permits:

• Employment remained the main reason for issuing residence permits in 2023, accounting for 33.8% of all first residence permits issued. Family reasons accounted for 26.4% of all permits, reflecting a 6.4% increase compared with 2022. Other reasons, including international protection, made up nearly the same share (25.6%), with a 5.3% rise. Education reasons represented 14.3% of all first residence permits, representing the largest overall increase of 13.5%. 
   
• In 2023, the highest number of first residence permits was issued to citizens of Ukraine, followed by Belarus and India. Employment was the most frequent reason for nationals of Ukraine, Belarus, India and Türkiye. Other reasons, including international protection, dominated for citizens of Syria and Afghanistan. Family reasons accounted for the largest share of permits for nationals of Morocco, Russia and Brazil, while nationals of China were mostly granted permits for education reasons.

For further information, please read the press release from Eurostat and find the data on this page.