Key Points
- Extended Residency Requirement: Citizenship applicants must now meet an eight-year residence requirement, or five years with specific criteria, including language skills.
- Permit Requirement: Only time spent with a residence permit counts toward the required residency period.
- New Abroad Allowance: Applicants may spend up to 365 days abroad, with a cap of 90 days in the year before the citizenship decision.
Overview
Effective October 1, 2024, Finland has updated its residency requirements for citizenship, extending the mandatory residence period from five to eight years. This change reflects a growing emphasis on integration, as Finland aims to foster deeper ties and engagement among prospective citizens. For those meeting specific conditions, such as demonstrating proficiency in the Finnish or Swedish language, the requirement remains at five years.
Under the new regulations, only periods spent in Finland with a valid residence permit count toward the residency period, which means that applicants awaiting asylum decisions or residing without a permit will not have this time counted toward the eight-year requirement. For individuals granted international protection, the residency period now starts from the date they receive a continuous residence permit, clarifying the timeline for this group. Additionally, to accommodate applicants needing to travel, Finland now allows a cumulative total of 365 days spent abroad during the qualifying period, with a maximum of 90 days abroad in the year leading up to the citizenship decision.
These amendments aim to streamline the citizenship application process, providing applicants a clearer understanding of their eligibility and simplifying procedural assessments. However, this update only affects applications submitted from October 1, 2024, onward; prior applications will be evaluated under the former five-year rule. Significantly, the changes do not impact Nordic citizens or former Finnish citizens who qualify for citizenship through declaration rather than the standard application process.
Finland’s immigration system faces a significant backlog of approximately 28,000 pending citizenship applications, with wait times varying between nine and 31 months. The Finnish Immigration Service attributes some of this delay to the high volume of applications not meeting residency requirements, indicating that these new measures could help alleviate processing delays. To clear this backlog by 2027, Finnish authorities are working toward a more efficient system that ensures timely and fair processing for all applicants.
Looking Ahead
The new requirements signal a shift in Finland’s approach to citizenship, focusing on fostering integration and clarity. For those in the immigration and HR sectors, understanding these updates is crucial, as they may affect eligibility timelines for employees and international assignees. Applicants should assess their residency status carefully, particularly regarding time spent without a permit, to ensure compliance with the new rules.
As the Finnish Immigration Service continues efforts to reduce processing times, future updates or adjustments may arise to streamline the citizenship process further. Immigration professionals and organizations should stay informed of additional regulatory changes, primarily as Finland seeks to meet its 2027 target for clearing application backlogs.
