According to Eurostat the number of third-country nationals legally resident in the 27 EU Member States is approximately 18.5 million (whilst nearly 9 million EU citizens are resident in a Member State other than their own.
Deputāti uzsver, ka, paplašinot legālās imigrācijas iespējas, samazināsies nelegālo imigrantu skaits: daudz nelegālo imigrantu izvēlas nelikumīgus ceļus neadekvātu ieceļošanas vai nodarbinātības nosacījumu dēļ.