Recent data has shown that more than 75,000 Americans were granted residence permits by the European Union/Schengen Area countries, permitting them to move to the bloc.
According to the figures provided by the EU’s statistical office, Eurostat, a total of 76,221 nationals of the United States were granted residence permits by the EU/Schengen countries last year, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Of all countries, data show that France, Spain, and Germany granted the highest number of residence permits to Americans in 2022, meaning that a large number of Americans moved to these three countries last year.
France granted a total of 12,220 residence permits to Americans in 2022. This means that the highest number of Americans chose to move to France compared to the other EU/Schengen countries.
France is followed by Spain, which granted 11,156 residence permits and Germany, which granted 9,367 residence permits to Americans last year. Such figures indicate that these two countries are among the most popular for Americans.
In addition to the three countries mentioned above, others also granted a high number of residence permits to Americans.
Data provided by Eurostat shows that the top ten list of EU/Schengen countries that granted the highest number of residence permits to Americans last year also consists of the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, and Czechia.
As revealed, more than 6,000 Americans moved to the Netherlands and Italy last year, as the countries granted a total of 6,791 and 6,599 residence permits to them, respectively.
Moreover, more than 4,000 Americans moved to Denmark and Switzerland last year. Denmark granted a total of 4,689 residence permits, and Switzerland granted a total of 4,513 residence permits to Americans in 2022.
As for Ireland and Portugal, data show that just over 3,000 Americans moved to these two countries last year. Ireland granted 3,831 residence permits, and Portugal granted 3,275 residence permits to Americans in 2022.
Lastly, more than 2,000 Americans moved to Czechia in 2022 as the country granted a total of 2,513 residence permits to them.
Other countries such as Sweden, Belgium, Hungary, and Austria also granted a high number of residence permits to Americans compared to the other countries.
Data show that Sweden granted 2,447 residence permits, Belgium granted 1,902 residence permits, Hungary granted 1,467 residence permits, and Austria granted 1,134 residence permits to Americans in 2022.
On the other hand, Lithuania and Liechtenstein granted the lowest number of residence permits to Americans last year. They granted only 54 and 27 residence permits to Americans in 2022, respectively.