Residence permits that explicitly convert to permanent residency after qualifying years — not guest-workers, not short-stay visitors. Sort is alphabetical by country. The "initial permit" column is how long the first permit lasts before renewal, not time-to-PR, which varies 3–8 years by country.
Visa routes with an explicit path to permanent residence — i.e., qualifying years of holding the visa convert to indefinite-leave or equivalent. Does not include routes where PR is technically possible but typically difficult.
Methodology on the methodology page. Each row links to the country brief with full source attribution.
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