18 Oct

EU Granted 6.8% More Study Permits to Foreigners in 2023

The EU countries granted 450,777 authorisations for non-EU students and researchers in 2023, up 6.8 per cent from the 421,974 permits issued in 2022.

According to data published by Eurostat, the EU Office for Statistics, the number of study permits granted between 2021 and 2024 is exceptionally higher, 35.9 per cent, up from 331,494 granted in 2021, Schengen.News reports.

Indians Received Most Study Permits in 2023
Indian nationals were granted 50,308 authorisations for study and research purposes, which is 11.2 per cent of all permits issued in 2023. Chinese and Moroccans followed next, with 46,989 and 21,871 authorisations received, respectively. The number of authorisations they received represented 10.4 and 4.9 per cent of the total.

The list of top ten nationalities with most study permits granted in 2023 includes the following:

• Americans, who were issued 20,726 authorisations, representing 4.6 per cent of the total
• Turks – 16,972 (3.8 per cent)
• Russians – 15,127 (3.4 per cent)
• Algerians – 13,321 (three per cent)
• Tunisians – 10,609 (2.4 per cent)
• Columbians – 10,289 (2.3 per cent)
• Cameroonians – 9,343 (2.1 per cent)

These top ten countries of origin represent 47.8 per cent of the total 450,777 authorisations issued in 2023.

Germany Issued Nearly One-Third of EU’s 450,000 Study Permits Granted in 2023
Data show that Germany issued 144,464 study permits to non-EU citizens, becoming the country to grant most authorisations. France followed with 116,950 issued authorisations, representing 25.9 per cent of permits granted, while Spain issued 55,436 residence permits for study purposes.

The Netherlands and Sweden are the fourth and fifth countries with the most permits issued, granting 27,922 and 13,910 authorisations, respectively.

On the other hand, Malta issued less than 50 authorisations, emerging as the country with the fewest permits issued for the year.

The Netherlands Accounts for 25.2% of Intra-Corporate Transfer Authorisations in the EU
The Netherlands issued 2,725 authorisations for intra-corporate transfers (ICT) in 2023, representing 25.2 per cent of all 10,831 authorisations granted in 2023.

Germany, Hungary, France, and Spain followed next, while the EU as a whole issued 2.5 per cent more visas than in 2022. Estonia, on the other hand, issued no such authorisations, while 20 EU countries granted fewer than 20 authorisations each.

Over one-third (35.9 per cent) of total authorisations were granted to Indian nationals, representing 3,886 authorisations, while Chinese, South Korean, Brits, and Americans collectively made up 74.1 per cent of all ICT authorisations granted.

Source: https://schengen.news/eu-granted-6-8-more-study-permits-to-foreigners-in-2023/