Obligations of the sponsor

As a sponsor, you have the obligation to present a statement on the grounds for the residence permit application and to help investigate the matter.

• Send the following documents to your family member before he or she submits his or her application: a filled out and signed form for clarification of family ties, and the documents that are needed from Finland and mentioned on the application form, for example a statement on your means of support. Fill in the form for clarification of family ties in detail. Use full sentences.
• Make sure your family member pays the processing fee of the application for a residence permit.
• If the Finnish Immigration Service asks you for additional information, please provide it within the time limit stated in the request. You might, for example, be asked to give additional information for the application, provide documents or give a statement on your means of support.
• If the Finnish Immigration Service sends you questions that are meant for your family member, send these questions to him or her.
• The Finnish Immigration Service will let you know if there is a need to hear your family member in person at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). If you get a notification, book an appointment for your family member or ask him or her to book an appointment for himself or herself.
• If you are asked, go to an oral hearing at the Finnish Immigration Service.
• Inform the Finnish Immigration Service about changes in your family ties, for example when you file for a divorce, someone gets pregnant or when a child is born.
• Inform the Finnish Immigration Service about changes in your means of support.
• Inform the Finnish Immigration Service about changes in your contact information or your family member’s contact information.