Ukraine: More citizens granted EU residence than any other non-EU country
Half a million Ukrainians received EU residence in 2015, more than any other non-EU country, according to data on first residence permits released from Eurostat on 27 October. Employment was the main reason for Ukrainians moving into the EU, with 75% moving for work, 6% moved for education and family reasons respectively, while a third moved for other reasons.
EU Member States issued a record number of 2.6 million first residence permits for non-EU citizens in 2015. Polandwas by far the first destination for employment related permits, while the United Kingdomwas the primary destination in the EU for education related reasons.
The number of first residence permits issued in the European Union (EU) to non-EU citizens was up 12.1% compared with 2014. This increase was mainly due to the higher number of first permits issued for employment reasons. Accounting for 28.9% of all first residence permits issued in the EU in 2015, family remained the main reason of deliverance, followed by employment, other and education.
With over 100 000 permits each, Germany (18%), Italy (15%) and Spain (14%) were the three Member States with the highest number of permits issued for family reasons in 2015. They were closely followed by France (12%) and the United Kingdom (12%).