1.1. Contact organisation
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
F2: Population and migration
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
2920 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
1.8. Contact fax number
2.1. Metadata last certified
24 April 2024
2.2. Metadata last posted
24 April 2024
2.3. Metadata last update
24 April 2024
Eurostat collects data series on residence permits which contain statistical information based on Article 6 of the Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 with reference to:
- First residence permits by reason.
- Residence permits valid at the end of the year by reason.
It should be pointed out that temporary protection status is considered of different administrative nature than the residence permits reported in RESPER data collection. Therefore, persons benefitting from temporary protection are not included in any of the residence permits statistics. These persons are subject of another data collection on Temporary Protection (TP).
In addition to those statistics in absolute terms, residence permits indicators provide yearly information on the share of first residence permits by reason in the total number of first residence permits, the share of valid residence permits at the end of the year by reason in the total number of valid residence permits at the end of the year, and the number of first residence permits issued during the year by thousand persons in each EU and EFTA countries. Those three indicators enable comparisons in relative terms, either geographical or over time, of the structures by reason and share in the population of residence permits in the EU and EFTA countries.
Users of Eurostat asylum statistics are:
- various policy DGs in the European Commission, like DG Migration and Home Affairs for designing, funding and implementing asylum related policies in the EU,
- European Parliament,
- national authorities (Ministries of Interior, Ministries of Justice, immigration agencies) who use Asylum data to monitor or project the development of their national asylum procedures,
- European Migration Network (EMN) which uses the Asylum data as a basis for its annual EU and national level statistical and analytical reports,
- researchers and students conducting analysis and research in the field of asylum,
- journalists and international organisations in the area of asylum and migration.
4.1. Data description
Three yearly residence permits indicators are available:
1. First residence permits per 1 000 persons
R_RP_FRST_POPt = 1 000 RP_FRSTt / POPt
With RP_FRSTt being the number of first residence permits delivered during year t and POPt the residing population on 1 January of year t.
2. First residence permits by reasons - % of total first residence permits
PC_RP_FRSTt, r = 100 RP_FRSTt, r / RP_FRSTt
With RP_FRSTt, r being the number of first residence permits by reason r (FAM, EDUC, EMP, OTH) during year t and RP_FRSTt the total number of first residence permits delivered during year t. For first residence permits, four types of reason are available:
- Family reasons [FAM]
- Education reasons [EDUC]
- Employment reasons [EMP]
- Other reason [OTH]
3. Percentage of valid residence permits by reasons in the total number of valid permits
PC_VRPt, r = 100 VRPt, r / VRPt
With VRPt, r being the number of valid residence permits at the end of the year t for reason r (FAM, EDUC, EMP, OTH, RFG, SPROT), and VRPt the total number of valid residence permits at the end of year t. For valid residence permits, six types of reason are available:
- Family reasons [FAM]
- Education reasons [EDUC]
- Employment reasons [EMP]
- Refugee status [RFG]
- Subsidiary protection status [SPROT]
- Other reason [OTH]
The indicators are available for the European Union (EU-27) and for EU and EFTA countries.
4.2. Unit of measure
Per thousand persons and percentage
4.3. Reference Period
Year
4.4. Accuracy - overall
The accuracy of the residence permits statistics depends on the accuracy and efficiency of the underlying administrative systems. The widespread redevelopment of administrative systems had a strong positive impact on the accuracy of the collected data.
EU aggregates of the total number of first and valid residence permits are calculated as the sum of data from all Member States. It may be overestimated because of a certain risk that the same third-country national could have been counted in several Member States during the same reference period.
4.5. Source data
4.5.1. Source data - Organisation
Data provider: Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), based on data reported by the countries.
4.5.2. Source data - Comment
- Population statistics (demo_gind)
- First permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship (migr_resfirst)
- All valid permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship on 31 December of each year (migr_resvalid)
5.1. Frequency of dissemination
5.1.1. Frequency of dissemination - Grade
Every year5.1.2. Frequency of dissemination - Comment
The three yearly residence permits indicators are à-priori updated on an annual basis or on an ad-hoc basis when significant revisions of source statistics are available.
5.2. Timeliness
5.2.1. Timeliness - Grade
T+1 year5.2.2. Timeliness - Comment
T+ 7 months
6.1. Reference area
6.1.1. Reference Area - Grade
All EU MS6.1.2. Reference Area - Comment
Data are presented for all EU and EFTA countries and for EU-27 aggregate.
6.2. Comparability - geographical
6.2.1. Comparability - geographical - Grade
> 75% EU MS6.2.2. Comparability - geographical - Comment
EU and EFTA countries are using the agreed RESPER guidelines which leads to a high degree of comparability between country.
France does generally not include minors in their residence permits statistics.
6.3. Coverage - Time
6.3.1. Time Coverage - Grade
> 10 years6.3.2. Time Coverage - Comment
From 2008 onwards for all indicators except for the unaccompanied minors’ indicator only available from 2021 onwards.
6.4. Comparability - over time
6.4.1. Comparability - over time - Grade
> 4 data points6.4.2. Comparability - over time - Comment
The comparability over time of residence permits statistics on asylum applicants and asylum decisions may be affected by updates in the methodology (see residence permits guidelines in annex):
- RESPER technical guidelines (2013 version)
- RESPER technical guidelines (2018 version)
- RESPER technical guidelines (2023 version)
There is a break in time series in 2018 data reported by Poland for first permits caused by (i) free travel-visas for Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldavian citizens, (ii) the increase of the number of Pole's cardholders granted residence permit and (iii) enter into force of the Seasonal Workers Directive 2014/36/EU. This break in time series refers mainly to the first residence permits issued for "remunerated activities" and for "other" reasons and it has a significant impact on the EU aggregates for these categories. See Annex 9 for more information.
7.1. Dissemination format - Publications
Residence permits indicators are used in regular publications (News articles and statistics explained on non-EU citizens under temporary protection).
Publications - Eurostat (europa.eu)
7.2. Dissemination format - online database
Residence permits indicators are used in Eurostat interactive publication Migration and asylum in Europe
7.3. Dissemination format - other
Residence permits indicators are online on the Eurostat website in the folder residence permits indicators (migr_resind).
None
EU Blue cards (migr_resbcard) - migr_resbcard_esms
Residence permits for intra-corporate transfer (migr_resictra) - migr_resictra_esms
Residence permits - migr_resval_esms
Single Permits issued by type of decision, length of validity (migr_ressing) - migr_ressing_esms
Residence permits - Students and Researchers (migr_ressr) - migr_ressr_esms
Authorisation for the purpose of the seasonal work (migr_resseaw) - migr_resseaw_esms
Annex 2 - RESPER Technical Guidelines 2021_V5_final
Annex 3 - RESPER Technical Guidelines 2023 V1
Annex 4 - Break in time series reported by Poland for first residence permits in 2018
Annex 5 - Definitions and methodological concepts
Annex 6 - 2013 Residence permits technical guidelines for data collection
