nine of my ten are permanent, but the only non-permanent villager is one i'm holding for someone else, and i have the amiibo of the villager i plan as my tenth
Permanent is a strong word. I can see myself letting go of even my favorites after being with 'em for over a year. For now, though, my "permanent" villagers would be : Katt, Fauna, Jacob, and Audie.
So basically just 4 to 6 ratio. The other 6 can go. I want to try out new villagers.
8 of mine are permanent - my jock spot switches between Rory and Genji (should probably just get their amiibos to make things easier haha) and my last spot is for an extra snooty or cranky. Vivian was in that spot the other day and I was supposed to switch her with Pecan when she eventually asked to move out, then Spike ended up in my campsite and I had to have him! I never would have considered getting a rhino villager but his design is so unique and I love his eyes. Just goes to show how many amazing and under-appreciated/popularized villagers there are!
No one's permanent on my island (except maybe Judy ... she's just a prolonged visitor) because I like change. I generally will let someone leave once I have their picture (... haha sounds kinda cold when you think about it. You've hit best friend level - get out )
I actually only have two I like enough to say they're permanent (rosie and lolly). The rest are free to go. I have some villagers in mind but don't mind waiting, it's kind of fun to have them come and go.
Right now, I have 6 villagers who I am pretty sure will be permanent. However, the other four, Hazel, Wendy, Olaf and Molly will definitely not be permanent. Those first 3 are because they aren't the villagers of their respective personalities that I want. I do love Molly though, but I already have Marina and Merengue who will be my normal villagers and I would like to make a spot open for a snooty villager since that's the one personality I'm missing.
None of my villagers are permanent because I get tired of things quickly : I can't imagine keeping the same faces around me for months or years !
I keep each villager at least 1 or 2 weeks, a bit more if I really like him/her. I don't care if the villager gives his/her picture or not.
After seeing all the villagers I like, I would probably consider having several permanent residents.