Finnish authorities received a record-high number of applications for citizenship during the third quarter of the year, indicating July, August, and September.
The representative of Finnish Immigration Services, Mari Luukkonen, confirmed the news, also revealing that over 2,000 applications were submitted during this period, Schengen.News reports.
Luukonen disclosed that 2,124 applications for Finnish citizenship were received in September – the highest number recorded so far this year.
Newly-Implemented & Tightened Measures Are Main Cause for the Increase in Applications, Finnish Immigration Services Representative Says
As of October, the residency period required to obtain Finnish citizenship has been extended from five to eight years – a measure that caused a surge in the number of applications before it was implemented.
The number of days allowed to stay outside the country while being on a residence permit has also been changed.
Since these measures would become effective as of October, but applications filed in September would be handled based on the old rules, applicants took advantage of this opportunity to apply for Finnish citizenship, as Lukkonnen pointed out.
In addition, the new rules require that applicants who meet the language proficiency criteria must have a residency period of five years – one year more than the old rules determined.
Record Number of Foreigners Obtained Finnish Citizenship in 2023
The interest of foreigners to obtain Finnish citizenship has not occurred only in the last year but it has been an ongoing trend.
According to Statistics Finland, except for 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and movement restrictions were in place, the country has increasingly witnessed more people seeking to become Finnish citizens.
In 2023, the Finnish government granted citizenship to 12,224 foreigners – which is the highest number ever recorded and even higher than in 2017, when 12,219 people became citizens.
The data also shows that most people granted Finnish citizenship in 2023 came from Asia – 5,251, representing 42.9 per cent of the total. In addition, 4,285 people were from the European continent, whereas 2,010 originated from Africa.
In terms of nationalities, Russians obtained Finnish citizenship the most, as 1,906 Russians became Finnish citizens in 2023, followed by Iraqis (1,517) and Syrians (805).
Source: https://schengen.news/record-number-of-finnish-citizenship-applications-filed-this-summer/
