Moroccan Citizens Among Top Recipients of EU Residence Permits
In a significant development, Eurostat has reported that Moroccan nationals received over 202,000 first residence permits from European Union countries in 2025, positioning them as the third-largest group among all nationalities granted such permits. Ukrainians topped the list with an impressive 335,000 permits, followed closely by Indian citizens at 227,000. In total, EU nations issued approximately 3.9 million first residence permits to individuals from outside the bloc, marking a remarkable increase of more than 10% compared to the previous year.
The predominant reason for the issuance of these permits was employment, accounting for roughly one-third of the total. This was followed by permits granted for family reunification, educational pursuits, and international protection. Notably, employment-related permits saw a substantial increase of 16.1% from 2024, while permits for family reasons also rose significantly by 14.1%. Conversely, permits linked to international protection experienced a decline of 9%.
Spain and France as Preferred Destinations for Moroccans
Spain emerged as the leading country for the issuance of residence permits, granting over 635,000, which represents 16.5% of the total for the EU. Other countries such as Germany, Poland, Italy, and France followed suit, collectively accounting for 65.2% of all first residence permits issued in 2025. The report highlights Spain and France as prime destinations for Moroccan applicants, attributing this trend to geographical proximity as well as historical and linguistic connections.
Similar trends were observed among other nationalities, with Ukrainians and Belarusians predominantly applying for permits in Poland, while applicants from Latin America, particularly Brazilians, showed a preference for Spain and Portugal. Portugal reported the most significant growth in issued permits, soaring by over 154%, followed by Romania at approximately 30% and Italy at 25%. In contrast, Croatia faced a steep decline of more than 43%, and both Greece and Austria saw reductions of over 20% and 15%, respectively.
Poland, Portugal, and Germany topped the rankings for issuing work-related residence permits, while family reasons accounted for over 40% of permits granted in Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, and Belgium. It is essential to note that this ranking reflects the first residence permits issued within the year rather than the total number of foreign residents residing in the EU.
As reported by en.hespress.com.
