The European Commission has published its latest statistical release on residence permits, covering authorisations to reside and work issued across the European Union. The data collection, announced through the Commission's official news channel, gives applicants, employers and migration analysts a single reference point for how member states grant permission to stay and to take up employment.

What does the release cover?

The Commission's publication gathers figures on two distinct categories that applicants often confuse:

• Residence authorisations – permissions allowing third-country nationals to live in an EU member state.
• Work authorisations – permissions linked to taking up employment, whether issued together with or separately from the residence permit.

The statistics serve as the EU-level reference for tracking how these permissions move year to year. Migration policy researchers and legal practitioners rely on the series to compare national practice against the common framework the Commission coordinates.

Who should read the data?

The release matters to several audiences at once. Third-country nationals planning a move to an EU member state can check how their category of permission — residence, work, or both — is treated in the statistics. Employers recruiting from outside the EU gain a benchmark for how often member states issue work-linked permits. Policy analysts use the series to track shifts between national systems.

The Commission publishes these statistics as part of its broader monitoring of legal migration into the Union. Each member state reports its own figures, and the Commission consolidates them into a common EU-level dataset.

Where can readers verify the numbers?

Passport File directs readers to the European Commission's official publication itself. The announcement appears in the Commission's news feed under the title "Residence permits – statistics on authorisations to reside and work." Because permit rules, quotas and processing practice differ from member state to member state, the Commission's dataset remains the authoritative starting point before any applicant acts on the figures.

Readers should treat national immigration authorities as the final word on individual cases. The EU-level statistics describe the aggregate picture; they do not set eligibility rules for any single applicant. National quotas, labour-market tests and document requirements continue to sit with each member state.

What comes next?

The Commission updates this statistical series as new member-state data arrives. Migration professionals typically watch three signals in each release: the total count of permits issued, the split between residence-only and work-linked authorisations, and the differences between member states. Passport File will report on the specific figures once the Commission's full dataset page carries the updated tables.

Anyone weighing an application should consult the immigration authority of the destination member state and, where needed, a licensed adviser. The Commission's statistics describe trends; they never replace a national decision on an individual file.