Fewer applications than before from the family members of persons who have received international protection

In 2012, a total of 21,264 non-EU and non-ETA residents applied for a residence permit in Finland. The number of applicants dropped by approximately 11 per cent compared to last year.

As in previous years, the most common motivation for application was family ties, although the total number of applications based on family ties dropped by approximately 19 per cent. A total of 8,614 persons (40 per cent of all applicants) wished to move to Finland to live with a family member.

The most significant shift in the residence permit applications submitted on the basis of family ties was the drop of applications from family members of persons who have received international protection by approximately 69 per cent (1,515 fewer applications than in 2011). The decrease in these applications explains the drop in the total number of residence permit applications, too.

The main reason for the decrease in applications based on family ties is likely the fact that, due to legislative amendments in force since the beginning of 2012, a sponsor living in Finland can no longer submit the application on behalf of a family member. Now the residence permit application must be submitted personally by the applicant.

Studying became the second-most common motivation

For the first time, studying became the second-most common motivation for residence permit applications, surpassing employment. A student residence permit was applied for by 6,023 individuals (28 per cent of all applicants). A work-based residence permit was applied for by 5,744 individuals (27 per cent of all applicants).

Only the number of student residence permit applications saw an increase (by 4 per cent). The number of work-based applications decreased by 10 per cent.

Most permits sought by Russian, Chinese and Indian citizens

The majority of residence permit applications were submitted by Russian (4,731), Chinese (1,566) and Indian (1,179) citizens.

The biggest shift in the nationalities of the applicants is the drop in Somalian applicants. In 2012, Somalians were the ninth-biggest applicant group (551 applicants), while in the previous year, Somalians were in second place in the statistics (1,918). Nearly all Somalians apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties, so the drop in the number of their applications clearly influenced the drop in the total number of residence permit applications motivated by family ties.

Permit was granted to four out of five applicants

The number of residence permits granted has remained on the same level as in previous years. Last year, 17,157 individuals were granted a residence permit, which is 76 per cent of all processed applicants. A negative decision was given to 5,463 applicants.

The majority of residence permits were granted on the basis of family ties (5,748), which represented a third of all residence permits. The second-highest amount of permits were granted based on studying (5,519).

The number of positive and negative decisions varies significantly, depending on the grounds of the application. For example, approximately 93 per cent of student applicants were granted a residence permit, whereas the percentage was 30 for the family members of persons who have received international protection.

E-services shortened the processing times

The e-services for foreigner’s permit matters were opened for those applying for their first student’s residence permit in the beginning 2012. About a third of the student’s residence permit applications were submitted online, which nearly halved the processing times of this applicant group. In 2012, the average processing time for a student residence permit application was 20 days, while in the previous year it was 38 days. Some student applicants received decisions in only a few days.

In October 2012, e-services were expanded to cover work-based residence permit applications, citizenship applications and the registration of EU citizens, which is the responsibility of the police. In the future, it is expected that the service will shorten the processing times of these applications as well.

The average processing times varied considerably, depending on the grounds of the application, which effected how much investigation the application type required. The quickest decisions were made on student’s residence permit applications, while the family members of persons who have received international protection had the longest wait, 526 days or approximately 1.5 years on average.

More detailed statistics available online

A more detailed review of residence permit matters in 2012 is available in Finnish on the Finnish Immigration Service website www.migri.fi > Medialle > Tilastot > Oleskelulupatilastot

Further information for the media

Director Tiina Suominen, Immigration Unit, tel. +358 71 873 0431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi