Residents permit

[Rugger95]

Hello all I'm new here! Just a few questions about my residents permit. I applied for it while in finland in April and it hasn't moved to the next step yet. Wondering how long it took you to be granted a full permit? Since I was unable to work and just living with my girlfriends family I came back home to Canada to work for a little bit. Wondering if I'd have a problem reentering finland while my visa is processing? Will my visa be canceled?
Thanks

[sijazme]

Canadians do not need a visa to travel to countries within the Schengen area for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. If you leave the Schengen area and return within the same 180-day period, the previous stay will count against the permitted 90 days.

What is your basis of the resident permit ? Study, work, family? You are allowed to be in Finland for as long as the permit is being processed by migri but since you have left you may need to check whether in the last 180 days you have been in the Schengen zone.

Anytime you wish to enter the Schengen, you just have to count backwards the last 180 days, and see if you have been present in the Schengen for more than 90 days throughout that period. If you have been present then you may need to wait a little more.

This is why it is always best to wait in the country where you eventually want to live while your resident permit is being processed. It's probably best to shoot an email to migri and see if they want further documents. You have been waiting 6 months and this is a lot of time to wait for a permit.

[betelgeuse]

Hello all I'm new here! Just a few questions about my residents permit. I applied for it while in finland in April and it hasn't moved to the next step yet. Wondering how long it took you to be granted a full permit? Since I was unable to work and just living with my girlfriends family I came back home to Canada to work for a little bit. Wondering if I'd have a problem reentering finland while my visa is processing? Will my visa be canceled?
Thanks

Entering Shengen through the Finnish border is always ok with a pending application. See here for full story:

https://www.raja.fi/border_security/faq

[sijazme]

Entering Shengen through the Finnish border is always ok with a pending application. See here for full story:

https://www.raja.fi/border_security/faq

Yes, however if you hold a nasty passport (let's call it Congo) you will not be allowed to board a flight from whatever illicit country you are coming from without a valid Schengen visa. The boarding staff at the airport doesn't know Finland border guard rules and will simply deny you boarding. Play it safe and apply for a Schengen visa before coming to Finland.

[sijazme]

Entering Shengen through the Finnish border is always ok with a pending application. See here for full story:

https://www.raja.fi/border_security/faq

Yes, however if you hold a nasty passport (let's call it Congo) you will not be allowed to board a flight from whatever illicit country you are coming from without a valid Schengen visa. The boarding staff at the airport doesn't know Finland border guard rules and will simply deny you boarding the plane. Play it safe and apply for a Schengen visa before coming to Finland.

[betelgeuse]

Entering Shengen through the Finnish border is always ok with a pending application. See here for full story:

https://www.raja.fi/border_security/faq

Yes, however if you hold a nasty passport (let's call it Congo) you will not be allowed to board a flight from whatever illicit country you are coming from without a valid Schengen visa. The boarding staff at the airport doesn't know Finland border guard rules and will simply deny you boarding. Play it safe and apply for a Schengen visa before coming to Finland.

To be able to arrive to the Finnish border you must be boarding a flight to Helsinki. Staff for such a flight should know the rules. I doubt you can get a Schengen visa when the days are already spent.

[vla]

Entering Shengen through the Finnish border is always ok with a pending application. See here for full story:

https://www.raja.fi/border_security/faq

Yes, however if you hold a nasty passport (let's call it Congo) you will not be allowed to board a flight from whatever illicit country you are coming from without a valid Schengen visa. The boarding staff at the airport doesn't know Finland border guard rules and will simply deny you boarding. Play it safe and apply for a Schengen visa before coming to Finland.

Canadian citizens don't need visa for visiting Finland nor the Schengen area.

PS: He is waiting for a decision on his residence permit application, not visa.

[sijazme]

Canadian citizens don't need visa for visiting Finland nor the Schengen area.

PS: He is waiting for a decision on his residence permit application, not visa.

I think I clarified this point earlier in my post that Canadians do not need a visa to enter Finland. My comment was related to the further information regarding border guard rules and visas during resident permit application processing period. He can enter Finland even if he has used all of his 90 days by simply downloading the certificate of pending status from the enterfinland portal where he submitted his application. The key is to catch a direct flight from a non schengen country into Finland. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Helsinki from Canada. His options are probably limited to:

Kosovo - Pristina to Helsinki 100 eur
Israel - Tel Aviv to Helsinki 100 eur
Ukraine - Kyiv to Helsinki 123 eur
Turkey - Antalya to Helsinki 188 eur
USA - Chicago to Helsinki 1600 eur
China - Beijing to Helsinki 600 eur

The Finland Border guard site says:

You may travel while waiting for your residence permit. As a visa free national, you can travel to other Schengen states for a maximum of 90 days within any 180 days period as periods of stay authorized under a residence permit shall not be taken into account in the calculation of the duration of stay on the territory of the Member States (Schengen states). In the case that you have used up your visa free time, you can exit the Schengen area directly through Finland and re-enter the Schengen area directly to Finland. Make sure to have with you the certificate of a pending residence permit with you ("todistus vireilläolosta").

[vla]

Canadian citizens don't need visa for visiting Finland nor the Schengen area.

PS: He is waiting for a decision on his residence permit application, not visa.

I think I clarified this point earlier in my post that Canadians do not need a visa to enter Finland. My comment was related to the further information regarding border guard rules and visas during resident permit application processing period. He can enter Finland even if he has used all of his 90 days by simply downloading the certificate of pending status from the enterfinland portal where he submitted his application. The key is to catch a direct flight from a non schengen country into Finland. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Helsinki from Canada. His options are probably limited to:

Kosovo - Pristina to Helsinki 100 eur
Israel - Tel Aviv to Helsinki 100 eur
Ukraine - Kyiv to Helsinki 123 eur
Turkey - Antalya to Helsinki 188 eur
USA - Chicago to Helsinki 1600 eur
China - Beijing to Helsinki 600 eur

The Finland Border guard site says:

You may travel while waiting for your residence permit. As a visa free national, you can travel to other Schengen states for a maximum of 90 days within any 180 days period as periods of stay authorized under a residence permit shall not be taken into account in the calculation of the duration of stay on the territory of the Member States (Schengen states). In the case that you have used up your visa free time, you can exit the Schengen area directly through Finland and re-enter the Schengen area directly to Finland. Make sure to have with you the certificate of a pending residence permit with you ("todistus vireilläolosta").

The easiest way is through the US (from Canada). There are also direct flight from NYC, LA and SF.

[sijazme]

YYZ Canada to KEF Iceland to HEL Finland is actually the shortest route. 10 hours.

Just don't go to immigration check point in Iceland and head straight to Finland.

[betelgeuse]

YYZ Canada to KEF Iceland to HEL Finland is actually the shortest route. 10 hours.

Just don't go to immigration check point in Iceland and head straight to Finland.

You have the cross the Schengen border in Iceland with that route.

[sijazme]

You have the cross the Schengen border in Iceland with that route.

If you don't exit the airport and just transiting through the country, probably doesn't count as a schengen entry.

[vla]

You have the cross the Schengen border in Iceland with that route.

If you don't exit the airport and just transiting through the country, probably doesn't count as a schengen entry.

Yes it does.

[betelgeuse]

You have the cross the Schengen border in Iceland with that route.

If you don't exit the airport and just transiting through the country, probably doesn't count as a schengen entry.

I have transited through Keflavik and you must not have.

[heretostay]

I have also transited through Keflavik and you must cross through passport control if your onward flight is within the Schengen zone. Same for any other airport located in the Schengen area.

The UK, Turkey and Russia are then main transit points not within Schengen on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. So try Finnair, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, or Aeroflot if you want to do passport control in Helsinki.