According to Experts.news, Poland remained the top destination for Ukrainians applying for EU residence permits outside the temporary protection mechanism: in 2025, the country accounted for 72% of all first-time residence permits issued to Ukrainian citizens in the European Union, according to Eurostat data.
In total, Ukrainians received 335,096 first-time residence permits in EU countries. Based on Poland’s share, this amounts to approximately 241,000 permits issued to Ukrainians by Polish authorities.
This concentration clearly sets Ukrainian migration apart from other large groups of third-country nationals. By comparison, Poland was also the primary destination for Belarusians, issuing 87.1% of all first-time residence permits received by Belarusian citizens in EU countries.
For Ukrainians, employment remains the main reason for applying for a residence permit. Moreover, 86.3% of all first-time residence permits granted to Ukrainians in the EU for work purposes were issued by Poland.
Poland itself issued 467,300 first-time residence permits to citizens of non-EU countries in 2025, ranking third in the European Union after Spain and Germany.
At the same time, Poland remains the undisputed EU leader in terms of the number of work-related permits: the country issued 318,200 first-time work-based residence permits. Eurostat notes that the main recipients were citizens of Ukraine and Belarus.
The statistics on first-time residence permits do not include Ukrainians who are in Poland or other EU countries under temporary protection.
