Citizenship Application 2023

[No_doo]

I’ve decided to complain about the situation with the processing times of my application to the Oikeuskansleri. I have described them my situation, so let’s see what answer I am going to receive

For how long have you been waiting since you visited migri if I may ask?

This is my 16th month. Even though I know that I haven’t waited as long as other people, I still think it is reasonable to file a complaint. Also because if I wait until I get my decision, then I won’t necessarily have any motivation to complain, as I will be already quite happy

Good. So, have you filed the complaint already?
Now I have been waiting for a full 18 months!

[Br_fi]

I’ve decided to complain about the situation with the processing times of my application to the Oikeuskansleri. I have described them my situation, so let’s see what answer I am going to receive

For how long have you been waiting since you visited migri if I may ask?

This is my 16th month. Even though I know that I haven’t waited as long as other people, I still think it is reasonable to file a complaint. Also because if I wait until I get my decision, then I won’t necessarily have any motivation to complain, as I will be already quite happy

Your complaint is pointless, since it's written at Migri's website that it can take 6-28 months for a decision to be made after all.
Of course it feels unfair that some people in this forum get it in 6 months while others have to wait double or triple the time, but those people who get it so quickly are exceptions, not the rule. You're more likely to wait a long time.
So Migri doesn't really need to justify why it's taking so long for your application to be processed when it didn't even cross the 28-month period yet.

And trust me, I'm as anxious about this as everyone else here, and I hate waiting. But complaining won't help at all.

[just_passing_by]

Your complaint is pointless, since it's written at Migri's website that it can take 6-28 months for a decision to be made after all.
Of course it feels unfair that some people in this forum get it in 6 months while others have to wait double or triple the time, but those people who get it so quickly are exceptions, not the rule. You're more likely to wait a long time.
So Migri doesn't really need to justify why it's taking so long for your application to be processed when it didn't even cross the 28-month period yet.

And trust me, I'm as anxious about this as everyone else here, and I hate waiting. But complaining won't help at all.

But what if Migri says on their website that the processing of an applications could take 6-60 months? Would that give them the power to process an application for 5 years?

BTW, here is a graph of applications processed in the past 30 days.

Marked with red are processed applications.
On this graph you can see that most of processed applications are actually ones within 4-5k range.

The graph shows position in queue and just sequence number of an application (the later application is created the bigger its sequence number)

[Esa23]

Thank you very much for this comment. But if I submitted an application 3 months before completing 4 years of residence and booked an appointment for identification with Migri in the last month before completing 4 years, does this pose a problem? I'm only thinking about all of this if the new citizenship law comes into effect next year befor i complet the 4 years residency requirement

I'm not an expert here, but I can provide you with a logical point.

While filing the online citizenship application form, there is a section for residency requirements that you need to complete.

"I moved to live in Finland": Date?
"I have lived in Finland in total (years)": ?
Deviation from the residence time requirement: Yes, the residence time requirement is fulfilled in my case, or No.

According to Migri, you need at least 4 years of total residency in case of strong ties with Finland or 5 years in a normal case.

If your answer is below 4 years or "No" to any of the citizenship questions above, do you think they will process your application without further details, or might they not consider it urgent, handling it later as you applied early without completing the residency requirement?

If at the time that they start processing your application, you do not fulfil the residency requirement, then you application will be rejected-not complicated. I don't really know what their process is for for how they put which application into which queue. I personally do not think that it makes too much sense to apply before you have fulfiled your residency requirement.

Thank you all for your replies. Does anyone of you know when the new citizenship law will come into force? how long does it take normally to process it in the parliament? If the parliament passed the law, will it come into force immediately or few mounth or days later?
As I recall, the government plans to give it to parliament in week 9 of next year.


Best regards

[Guess.who]

Hi, I have been following this thread for so long so now I want to contribute some to this.

Application submitted date: 23/06/2023
Migri appointment: 14/07/2023
Service point: Lappeenranta

I received an email says that my application was processed on 11/12/2023 and after about 20 mins, I got the decision

My background: Asian citizenship, came here to study bachelor's, graduated and worked for 2 years as a developer, never asked for any benefit from Kela

Thank you everyone for your contribution and wish you would get your decision soon.

Congratulations!!!

Could you please let us know the queue number at the time of decision ?

[Auringon_kukka]

Hi, I have been following this thread for so long so now I want to contribute some to this.

Application submitted date: 23/06/2023
Migri appointment: 14/07/2023
Service point: Lappeenranta

I received an email says that my application was processed on 11/12/2023 and after about 20 mins, I got the decision

My background: Asian citizenship, came here to study bachelor's, graduated and worked for 2 years as a developer, never asked for any benefit from Kela

Thank you everyone for your contribution and wish you would get your decision soon.

Congratulations

[Auringon_kukka]

Hi, joining the thread. Made the application yesterday, visited Migri today.

My background: EU citizen, 4 years of residence (applied for shortened required residency time based on language skills), Finnish spouse, full-time employee.

I’ll check my queue number tomorrow. EDIT: 7xxx

Got my positive decision today. Queue number was 55xx. Little under 5 months of waiting.

Congratulations

[ihalainen]

BTW, here is a graph of applications processed in the past 30 days.

Where have you parced it?

[U123ser]

I am seeking an opinion regarding my case. A bit long message, so I appreciate your patience!

I have lived for a decade (with no interruptions) in Finland. I became jobless earlier this year in Finland and, despite my efforts, could not find a job there. Then, I found a job in the UK and moved here four months ago, but I kept an address in Finland. My job can be done remotely such that I can spend a few months in the UK and then the rest can work from Finland. It is not mentioned in the contract, though. Officially, I have not moved out of Finland. I will return to Finland as soon as I get a job there. I was getting Union benefits until two months ago. Last week, Migri opened my citizenship application and asked me to provide visit details, income details and address justification.

Visits:
I have lived 54 days out of Finland earlier this year. My last exit from Finland was on Oct 10th, and since then, I have been outside Finland. Migri also asked for passport pages with entry/exit stamps. One of the entry/exit stamps is on the UK work visa. I do not see any issue regarding duration as I have a long enough time in Finland. However,

Can having a UK work visa create issues for me? If yes, what is the best way to deal with this situation?

Address:
I had my address until last month. However, then I gave the address of a friend as a stop gap arrangement. The address was mentioned as a permanent move instead of temporary move. Migri has asked for documentary evidence for the address.

I plan to inform them clearly that I gave the address as a stop-gap measure due to relocation and have planned to give the new address as soon as I find another place in Finland. I will provide a tenancy agreement for a different place starting in December or January as proof of address. I can also come back to Finland to end my away time.

Income:
There were two months when I took benefits and got a salary, too. The main reason was that I could not manage relocation without the benefits as my salary came after a month from the employer in the UK. Salary went to UK bank.

I plan to disclose my job details, and I don't want to hide anything. I have informed the union about the job and will most definitely be asked to return the two months' benefits.

Question:
Is there anything that could create trouble related to the citizenship decision? How do you see the situation?

Note: I know I should not have moved out until the decision. But that is in the past.

You sound like you have the right idea. Be honest and don’t hide anything going forward. Migri can find out everything with a little investigation. You don’t want to risk losing your citizenship because you withhold information (this is written in the law). Temporary absence from Finland is permitted without interrupting your residence period. I wish you well and hope you get a positive decision.

From the questions they are asking it seems they have some suspicion already. Honesty is best from here. You don’t know what they already know and it would be really bad if your answers don’t match their info.

Thank you, today I got my citizenship decision. Honesty was the best way forward. They didn't ve any suspicion. I appreciate your opinion.

[U123ser]

I am seeking an opinion regarding my case. A bit long message, so I appreciate your patience!

I have lived for a decade (with no interruptions) in Finland. I became jobless earlier this year in Finland and, despite my efforts, could not find a job there. Then, I found a job in the UK and moved here four months ago, but I kept an address in Finland. My job can be done remotely such that I can spend a few months in the UK and then the rest can work from Finland. It is not mentioned in the contract, though. Officially, I have not moved out of Finland. I will return to Finland as soon as I get a job there. I was getting Union benefits until two months ago. Last week, Migri opened my citizenship application and asked me to provide visit details, income details and address justification.

Visits:
I have lived 54 days out of Finland earlier this year. My last exit from Finland was on Oct 10th, and since then, I have been outside Finland. Migri also asked for passport pages with entry/exit stamps. One of the entry/exit stamps is on the UK work visa. I do not see any issue regarding duration as I have a long enough time in Finland. However,

Can having a UK work visa create issues for me? If yes, what is the best way to deal with this situation?

Address:
I had my address until last month. However, then I gave the address of a friend as a stop gap arrangement. The address was mentioned as a permanent move instead of temporary move. Migri has asked for documentary evidence for the address.

I plan to inform them clearly that I gave the address as a stop-gap measure due to relocation and have planned to give the new address as soon as I find another place in Finland. I will provide a tenancy agreement for a different place starting in December or January as proof of address. I can also come back to Finland to end my away time.

Income:
There were two months when I took benefits and got a salary, too. The main reason was that I could not manage relocation without the benefits as my salary came after a month from the employer in the UK. Salary went to UK bank.

I plan to disclose my job details, and I don't want to hide anything. I have informed the union about the job and will most definitely be asked to return the two months' benefits.

Question:
Is there anything that could create trouble related to the citizenship decision? How do you see the situation?

Note: I know I should not have moved out until the decision. But that is in the past.

I cannot really give any advice except being very honest but I believe it is a good idea to return to Finland ASAP. I wanted to share that in my case I had Erasmus internship as a part of my masters in Finland. It lasted only 4 month, the credits were included in my studies, I was getting paid from both firm in the UK (host) and my Finnish university. I was offered job but refused and returned to Finland after 4 month. Migri asked a lot of questions when I applied for my citizenship (I had temporal work visa in the UK for 4 month) and currently I am waiting over 20 month for my application to be processed. The exchange is the only thing that makes my case special and in retrospective I would not have done it. So I would imagine (purely based on my experience) in your case they might be rather careful and possibly slow. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experience. Every case has its own circumstances. I ve got a positive decision today. I hope it turns out good for you too. Good luck!

[Auringon_kukka]

I am seeking an opinion regarding my case. A bit long message, so I appreciate your patience!

I have lived for a decade (with no interruptions) in Finland. I became jobless earlier this year in Finland and, despite my efforts, could not find a job there. Then, I found a job in the UK and moved here four months ago, but I kept an address in Finland. My job can be done remotely such that I can spend a few months in the UK and then the rest can work from Finland. It is not mentioned in the contract, though. Officially, I have not moved out of Finland. I will return to Finland as soon as I get a job there. I was getting Union benefits until two months ago. Last week, Migri opened my citizenship application and asked me to provide visit details, income details and address justification.

Visits:
I have lived 54 days out of Finland earlier this year. My last exit from Finland was on Oct 10th, and since then, I have been outside Finland. Migri also asked for passport pages with entry/exit stamps. One of the entry/exit stamps is on the UK work visa. I do not see any issue regarding duration as I have a long enough time in Finland. However,

Can having a UK work visa create issues for me? If yes, what is the best way to deal with this situation?

Address:
I had my address until last month. However, then I gave the address of a friend as a stop gap arrangement. The address was mentioned as a permanent move instead of temporary move. Migri has asked for documentary evidence for the address.

I plan to inform them clearly that I gave the address as a stop-gap measure due to relocation and have planned to give the new address as soon as I find another place in Finland. I will provide a tenancy agreement for a different place starting in December or January as proof of address. I can also come back to Finland to end my away time.

Income:
There were two months when I took benefits and got a salary, too. The main reason was that I could not manage relocation without the benefits as my salary came after a month from the employer in the UK. Salary went to UK bank.

I plan to disclose my job details, and I don't want to hide anything. I have informed the union about the job and will most definitely be asked to return the two months' benefits.

Question:
Is there anything that could create trouble related to the citizenship decision? How do you see the situation?

Note: I know I should not have moved out until the decision. But that is in the past.

You sound like you have the right idea. Be honest and don’t hide anything going forward. Migri can find out everything with a little investigation. You don’t want to risk losing your citizenship because you withhold information (this is written in the law). Temporary absence from Finland is permitted without interrupting your residence period. I wish you well and hope you get a positive decision.

From the questions they are asking it seems they have some suspicion already. Honesty is best from here. You don’t know what they already know and it would be really bad if your answers don’t match their info.

Thank you, today I got my citizenship decision. Honesty was the best way forward. They didn't ve any suspicion. I appreciate your opinion.

Congratulations

[Esa23]

Hi, I have been following this thread for so long so now I want to contribute some to this.

Application submitted date: 23/06/2023
Migri appointment: 14/07/2023
Service point: Lappeenranta

I received an email says that my application was processed on 11/12/2023 and after about 20 mins, I got the decision

My background: Asian citizenship, came here to study bachelor's, graduated and worked for 2 years as a developer, never asked for any benefit from Kela

Thank you everyone for your contribution and wish you would get your decision soon.

Congratulations!
Did you apply for citizenship before you fulfilled the requirements 4 years of residence or only after you have lived in Finland for 4 years?

[Esa23]

Hey, I am also wondering the same, applied on June 27th and still waiting for the decision. Have you heard anything yet? And what's the queue number for you atm?

I applied on July 7th, queue number is 54xx… based on family relationships, working at the university.. obviously people who applied after me are already moving faster in queue

Hi! The day started with great news for me. I got a positive citizenship decision.

Applied on 19.06.2023
The application moved to stage 2 on 6.11.2023
The decision was received on 28.11.2023

The queue number was 4,850 last time I checked. I wish the best of luck to all of you!

Congratulations!
Did you apply for citizenship before you fulfilled the requirements 4 years of residence or only after you have lived in Finland for 4 years?

[Esa23]

I received positive decision today

Applied on 08.07.2023 (Helsinki)

When I checked the queue number in the morning, it was 54xx. After several hours I received the sms that the decision is ready for my application.

I hope fast processing for you all!

Congratulations!
Did you apply for citizenship before you fulfilled the requirements 4 years of residence or only after you have lived in Finland for 4 years?

[Guess.who]

Your complaint is pointless, since it's written at Migri's website that it can take 6-28 months for a decision to be made after all.
Of course it feels unfair that some people in this forum get it in 6 months while others have to wait double or triple the time, but those people who get it so quickly are exceptions, not the rule. You're more likely to wait a long time.
So Migri doesn't really need to justify why it's taking so long for your application to be processed when it didn't even cross the 28-month period yet.

And trust me, I'm as anxious about this as everyone else here, and I hate waiting. But complaining won't help at all.

But what if Migri says on their website that the processing of an applications could take 6-60 months? Would that give them the power to process an application for 5 years?

BTW, here is a graph of applications processed in the past 30 days.

Marked with red are processed applications.
On this graph you can see that most of processed applications are actually ones within 4-5k range.

The graph shows position in queue and just sequence number of an application (the later application is created the bigger its sequence number)

Interesting!

Could you please share the data source?

Thanks!