EUROSTAT: Nearly four million residence permits granted in the EU, with Ukrainians as the top recipients
In 2025, the European Union issued nearly 3.9 million residence permits to non-EU citizens, up from over 355,000 more than the previous year. According to data published by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, citizens of Ukraine, India, and Morocco were among the primary recipients of these permits.
Employment was the main reason for issuing new residence permits, accounting for about one-third of all documents granted—1.3 million permits, or 33.6%.
Family reunification ranked second, with 1.1 million permits issued, or 28.1%. This was succeeded by other reasons, including international protection, which accounted for 0.9 million permits, or 22.8%.
The remaining permits, totaling 0.6 million or 15.5%, were issued for study purposes.
Compared to 2024, permits related to employment increased by 16.1%, family reunification permits rose by 14.1%, and study permits grew by 9%. In contrast, the category labeled "other reasons," which includes international protection, experienced a slight decline of 0.9%.
Ukrainian citizens lead in issuance of new residence permits
In 2025, Ukraine granted the most initial residence permits (335,100), followed by India (227,600) and Morocco (202,100).
By the end of 2025, non-EU citizens held 27.8 million residence permits valid within the European Union.
Family reunification was the main reason for most of these permits, accounting for 32.4% of the total. By year-end, Moroccan citizens held the most valid permits at 2.2 million, followed by Turkey with 2 million and Ukraine with 1.7 million.
In 2025, data shows that a 10% increase in employment and family reunification permits was the primary driver for this growth compared to 2024.
Currently, around 130,000 Ukrainian citizens reside in the Republic of Moldova, with 53,964 benefiting from temporary protection. This mechanism provides access to essential rights and services for the duration of their stay.
Moldovan authorities have announced that individuals displaced from Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova will be eligible for temporary protection until March 1, 2027. This extension, granted by government decision, will not be automatic as it was for 2024–2025; instead, it will depend on submitted applications.
