00:00Migration remains one of Europe's most contested issues,
00:03yet EU resident permits just hit a record high.
00:11According to Eurostat, EU countries issued nearly 4 million first-residence permits
00:17to non-EU citizens in 2025.
00:20Work was the biggest driver, making up a third of all new permits
00:25and climbing 16% compared to the previous year.
00:29Family reunification followed close behind,
00:32growing even faster, up to 14%, making up 28% of the total.
00:38Five countries led the way.
00:40Spain issued 16.5% of all EU permits,
00:44Germany 15.7%, Poland 12.1%,
00:48Italy 11.2% and France just under 10%.
00:52By nationality, Ukrainians topped the list of those receiving the most permits,
00:57with more than 335,000 first permits, most of them issued in Poland,
01:03ahead of citizens from India and Morocco.
01:06And it's not just new arrivals.
01:09By the end of 2025, the EU held 27.8 million valid resident permits in total,
01:15the highest figure on record.
01:17But overall, family reunification is the single biggest reason people hold one,
01:24with Morocco, Turkey and Ukraine topping the list of nationalities.
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