Finland's government is considering an extension of the residency requirements for visitors who want to become citizens of the country.
The Finnish citizenship requirements would require applicants to live in Finland for at least eight years, as opposed to the existing five, and allow them to spend not more than one year abroad during the period. The time spent in Finland with a valid residence permit is the sole time that counts toward the eligibility term for Finnish citizenship.
According
to Finland’s Ministry of Interior, “The
Government has proposed an amendment to the Citizenship Act that would extend
the period of residence required for Finnish citizenship from the current five
years to eight years. In addition, only time lived in Finland under a residence
permit would be taken into account when calculating the period of residence.”
The
proposal raises the four-year residency requirement for spouses and children of
Finnish citizens to five years to grant citizenship. For wives of
Finnish diplomatic officials and Nordic citizens, the two-year period will
still apply; however, it won't affect Finnish citizens or stateless
individuals. Mari Rantanen, Finland's interior minister, revealed plans
to implement best practices in immigration reforms. It is anticipated that
citizenship measures will have an annual impact of approximately 10,000 people.
The Finnish government is planning more stringent regulations for foreign nationals seeking international protection as well as those wishing to change residency cards. One such regulation would forbid asylum seekers from transferring to a work- or education-based application to apply for another document. It is the intention of the Finnish government to shorten the period of international protection permits and to give authorities the authority to decide whether or not to grant asylum status to refugees who pose a threat to society.
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