Finnish citizenship granted to 4,202 persons during first half year
Between January and June, 4,202 persons were granted Finnish citizenship. Of those, 3,775 obtained citizenship by application and 427[1] by declaration. The level has remained almost unchanged from that of the first six months of 2012 when 4,554 persons were granted Finnish citizenship.
Between January and June, the number of persons applying for citizenship increased by approximately 16 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year. A total of 4,806 persons applied for citizenship, of which 4,340 submitted a citizenship application (1–6/2012: 3,708) and 466 a citizenship declaration (1–6/2012: 440).
The Finnish Immigration Service estimates that the total number of applicants will increase to nearly 10,000 by the end of the year. Should this happen, the number of applicants, including both application and declaration customers, would exceed last year's record level of 8,754 applicants.
The amendment to the Finnish Nationality Act, which entered into force at the beginning of September 2011, significantly increased the number of applicants in 2011 and 2012. The amendment shortened the time foreigners are required to live in Finland before they can apply for Finnish citizenship from six to five years. In addition, since the amendment's entry into force former Finnish citizens have been able to regain their citizenship by declaration without having to move to Finland.
Russians made up the largest group
The largest groups among those who sought citizenship by application were Russians (1,014), Somalis (557), Iraqis (315), Afghans (228) and Estonians (202).
The largest groups among those who obtained citizenship by application were Russians (890), Somalis (308), Afghans (228), Iraqis (222) and Estonians (204).
Swedes submitted the highest number of declarations
Swedes (168), Russians (26), citizens of Thailand (26), Australians (21) and Canadians (20) submitted the highest number of citizenship declarations. Nearly half of the citizenship declarations submitted during the first half of the year were made by former Finnish citizens.
The largest groups among those who obtained citizenship by declaration were Swedes (161), citizens of the United States (23), Australians (23), Russians (18) and citizens of Thailand (17).
The majority of decisions were positive
Approximately 81 per cent of the decisions issued on citizenship applications during the first half of 2013 were positive (1–6/2012: 90 per cent). Positive decisions on citizenship declarations totalled approximately 90 per cent (1–6/2012: 91 per cent).
The average processing time came to 351 days for citizenship applications (1–6/2012: 309) and 72 days for citizenship declarations (1–6/2012: 97). Processing times for citizenship applications increased because the Finnish Immigration Service has focused on dealing with the backlog of the oldest applications during the first half of the year. In order to prevent the formation of new backlogs, the Finnish Immigration Service has continued to process also the new applications parallel with the older ones.
The Finnish Immigration Service is aiming that by the autumn of 2013 when the backlog of the oldest applications submitted in 2011 has been cleared, decisions on the electronic applications will be made quicker than on those submitted on paper.
More detailed statistical report on the Internet
A more detailed review of the January–June 2013 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
Heikki Taskinen, Director of the 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 children born out of wedlock of a Finnish father, are among the groups that may obtain Finnish citizenship by declaration, which is less onerous than by application.
