Immigration|The reform extends the duration of acquiring citizenship, especially for refugees.
The required residency period for obtaining Finnish citizenship will be extended from the current five years to eight.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the aim of the tightening is to increase the importance of integration as a prerequisite for nationality.
Citizenship can be obtained according to the old deadline if the requirements are met and the application is submitted before October, says special expert Hanna Pihkanen from the Ministry of the Interior.
The residence requirement for certain groups, such as immigrants proficient in Finnish or Swedish or spouses of Finnish citizens, will be extended from the current four years to five.
For the spouses of Nordic citizens and employees of the Finnish mission, the residency requirement remains at two years.
At the same time, the relaxation of the application period for asylum seekers will be removed, as the time spent in the asylum process will no longer count towards the required residency period for citizenship.
According to the Finnish Immigration Service, the average processing time for asylum applications has been around nine months this year. In cases of appeal, the asylum process can extend to several years.
On the other hand, the processing time for refugee citizenship applications will be limited to one year in the future. In 2023, the average processing time for refugee applications was reportedly over two years, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Changes practically mean that refugees with language skills will in the future receive citizenship only after having actually lived in Finland for nearly seven years.
For example, the typical duration for spouses of Finnish citizens to obtain citizenship in the future will be five and a half years, as their citizenship applications are processed on average in five months.
The time spent in the asylum process will no longer count towards the required residency period for citizenship in the future.
In addition to the residence requirement, the government plans to tighten the requirements for obtaining citizenship in terms of good conduct and financial self-sufficiency, and introduce a citizenship test.
HS reported on Thursday that the working group appointed by the Ministry of the Interior to investigate the citizenship test has completed its work.
The government's goal is for the proposal for a citizenship test to be submitted to Parliament for decision in the spring session next year.
The President of the Republic is expected to approve the housing requirement legislation reform on Friday.
Correction 4.7. at 19.41: Citizenship can be obtained according to the old deadline if the requirements are met and the application is submitted before October, not November.
Story updated on 4.7. at 20.10: Added to the section 'The residency requirement for groups with a lower residency requirement, such as spouses of Finnish citizens, is extended from the current four years to five' satisfactorily proficient in Finnish or Swedish immigrants. Edited section 'The changes practically mean that refugees will only receive citizenship after actually living in Finland for nearly ten years' to 'The changes practically mean that language-proficient refugees will only receive citizenship after actually living in Finland for nearly seven years'.