Number of residence permit applications from students remains high
Between January and August, a total of 14,946 non-EU residents applied for a residence permit for Finland. As in previous years, the most common motivation for applications was family ties. A total of 5,761 persons (39 per cent of all applicants) wished to move to Finland to live with a family member.
The number of student applicants has risen in recent years. By the end of August, studying had become the second-most common motivation for residence permit applications. The number of applicants totalled 4,688, or 31 per cent of all applicants. The number of student applicants is likely to grow in the future.
Since the beginning of 2012, students have been able to submit applications electonically. By the end of August, one third of applications were submitted online. E-services have speeded up the handling of applications. At the quickest, decisions on electronic applications have taken only a few days. Compared to the previous year, the number of decisions made on student applications in the same period grew by 11 per cent.
Between January and August, 26 per cent of all applicants (3,895 persons) submitted a residence permit application for employment.
Fewer applications based on family ties
Between January and August, 11 per cent fewer residence permit applications were submitted than within the same period last year. This decline is mainly due to the reduced number of applications by the family members of persons who are recipients of international protection. The number of submitted applications was 385 by the end of August, which is 74 per cent lower than the corresponding figure for last year (2011: 1,479).
The chief cause of this decline is probably the fact that, due to legislative amendments in force since the beginning of 2012, a sponsor living in Finland cannot submit an application on behalf of a family member. Residence permit applications can now only be submitted by the applicant in person. Furthermore, biometric authentication, such as fingerprinting, has been introduced in relation to residence permits.
Most permissions sought by Russian, Chinese and Indian citizens
The largest applicant groups between January and August were Russians (3,350 applicants), Chinese (1,148 applicants) and Indians (842 applicants).
The most significant shift in the distribution of applicant nationalities is the diminishing number of Somalian applicants, which has fallen since 2011. Between January and August this year, Somalians were the 10th largest applicant group (357 applicants). During the same period last year, they were the second largest group (1,471 applicants).
Residence permit granted to four out of five applicants in January–August
The total number of residence permits granted has remained on the same level as previous years. Between January and August, 12,244 persons were granted a residence permit, which equals 80 per cent of all applicants to whom a decision was issued (2011: 83%). A residence permit was declined to 3,155 applicants, or 20 per cent of all applicants to whom a decision was issued.
Most residence permits were granted on the grounds of studies (4,289). The second most common grounds were family ties (3,807). The number of positive and negative decisions varies significantly, depending on the grounds of application. For example, around 94 per cent of students were granted a residence permit, while this number was 34 for the family members of persons who had received international protection.
Detailed statistics online
A more detailed review of residence permit matters in January to August 2012 is available in Finnish on the Finnish Immigration Service website www.migri.fi > For the media > Statistics > Statistics on residence permit.
Further information for the media
Head of Section Pauliina Helminen, Immigration Unit, tel. +358 71 873 0431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi
