Finnish citizenship granted to 9,518 persons

A total of 9,518 persons were granted Finnish citizenship last year. Of the total, 8,596 obtained citizenship by application and 922 by declaration[1]. The number more than doubled compared to the year 2011, when 4,794 people were granted Finnish citizenship. The advance information given by Statistics Finland earlier this week is a little different from these confirmed year statistics of the Finnish Immigration Service.

The number of those applying for citizenship also grew markedly: citizenship applications grew by around 39 per cent (2012: 7,865 persons, 2011: 5,632), and citizenship declarations by around 26 per cent (2012: 889, 2011: 706).

Growth due to legislative amendment

The increased number of applicants is largely due to the amendment made to the Finnish Nationality Act, which entered into force on 1 September 2011. This shortened the period of residence required for citizenship from six to five years, which is reflected in the higher number of citizenship applications.

On the other hand, the rise in the number of citizenship declarations has been accelerated by the fact that, since the beginning of September 2011, all former Finnish citizens have been able to regain citizenship by declaration, without having to move back to Finland.

Due to the legislative amendment and growth in the number of citizenship applications and declarations, in early 2012 the Finnish Immigration Service employed temporary extra resources for decision-making on citizenship issues. This and continuously greater efficiency in decision-making also markedly increased the number of citizenship decisions: the number of application decisions more than doubled and the number of declaration decisions rose by around 47 percent.

Processing has quickened also because the Electronic Case Management System for Immigration Processes (UMA), taken into use at the end of 2010, is now working to the full.

Russians still the largest group

The largest groups among those who sought citizenship by application were Russians (2,111 persons) who have been the largest group for several years. The next largest groups to submit citizenship applications were Somalis (645), Iraqis (528), Estonians (427) and Afghans (374).

Citizens of Sudan (199), the Democratic Republic of Congo (153) and Kosovo (150) were new to the ten largest groups of applicants. The increased number of applications submitted by citizens of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo is probably due to the fact that citizens of these nations were accepted into Finland under the refugee quota in the 2000s.

The largest groups among those who obtained citizenship by application were Russians (2,432), Somalis (593), Afghans (508), Estonians (483) and Iraqis (439).

Swedes made most declarations as former citizens

Swedes (234), citizens of the United States (48), Australians (48), Canadians (39) and Germans (18) made most citizenship declarations as former Finnish citizens.

The same groups of former citizens headed the number of those receiving positive decisions. A total of 245 among them (51%) were citizens of Sweden.

The majority of decisions were positive

Approximately 87 per cent of the decisions issued on citizenship applications were positive. Positive decisions on citizenship declarations totalled approximately 91 per cent.

The average processing time of citizenship applications was 381 days (2011: 373) and that of citizenship declarations was 109 days (2011: 110).

More detailed statistical report on the Internet

A more detailed review of 2012 citizenship statistics can be found in Finnish on the website of the Finnish Immigration Service at www.migri.fi > Quick links > Statistics > Statistics on Citizenship.

Further information for the media

Kristiina Simonen, Head of Section, Nationality Unit, tel. +358 (0)71 873 0431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi

[1] Former Finnish citizens, young people aged 18 to 22 who have spent a major part of their youth in Finland, and the illegitimate children of a Finnish father, are among the groups that may obtain Finnish citizenship by declaration, which is less onerous than by application.