EU Residence Permits for Non-EU Nationals Rebound in 2021, Approaching Pre-Pandemic Levels

Despite the health crisis related to Covid-19, the number of first residence permits issued in the EU to third-country nationals including Morocco increased by 31% in 2021 compared to 2020, reaching 2,952,300, just a little less than the 2,955,300 permits issued in 2019.

In detail, 1.3 million permits were issued for work and study reasons in 2021. Poland issued 790,100 work-related residence permits, including 666,300 to Ukrainians, while France authorized many foreign students (90,600) including Moroccans to access its territory.

Moroccans, Brazilians and Colombians also benefited from first residence permits in Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands. These four states, in addition to Poland and France, accounted for about three-quarters of all permits issued in the EU in 2021.