How long did you wait for first Residence Permit?

[onkko]

Hello all,
Spouse application:
1st April 2014
Location : Finland
Status: pending

, the sponsor is Finnish Citizen. Any one could give us hint if in similar situation, e.g., if already got a decision or still pending !!
From Migri website; there are more than 2000 applications in the queue, does this also include Finnish citizen family member ?

Thanks

There is no "sponsor" in finnish residence permits. De facto if you are accepted you are "sponsored" by goverment if needed, income of your spouse isnt in law so it cant officially be used. I like to think that they deny applications where spouse will be burden to society. (i know that atleast in Australia there are sponsors who have to deposit money and have by law take care of you, not in Finland)
And you forgot vital information, where you are from? How long you have been together? Etc.
As you probably understand its different if you are from Canada and been married 10 years with kids or if you are from Belarus and met in one wild holiday in Las Vegas and married on spot by Elvis inpersonator.

[killagz]

hello guys....
i just received a message from my
employers that the employment
office/ unit has granted a partial
positive decision on my on my 1st
resident permit application based on
employment after waiting for about 3
and a half months.
my questions are as follows:
1. what does this partial positive
decision from the employment office
mean?
2.what is the effect of this positive
partial decision on the final
decision. and
3. how many months more would it
take for this final decision to be
made cos my contract is supposed to
start next week.
thank you all in advance ..
i would be expecting your responses

[cheibbbfinlandforum]

There is no "sponsor" in finnish residence permits. De facto if you are accepted you are "sponsored" by goverment if needed, income of your spouse isnt in law so it cant officially be used. I like to think that they deny applications where spouse will be burden to society. (i know that atleast in Australia there are sponsors who have to deposit money and have by law take care of you, not in Finland)
And you forgot vital information, where you are from? How long you have been together? Etc.
As you probably understand its different if you are from Canada and been married 10 years with kids or if you are from Belarus and met in one wild holiday in Las Vegas and married on spot by Elvis inpersonator.

Thanks for reply
The spouse is Finnish Citizen, the wife is non-EU (African), the small family has also a small kid (year and half). Of course, the sponsor term is just referred to the spouse when we are talking about the income requirement. We have been married for more than 2 years..
Anyone else have update from the RP application as first one for family member ?

Thanks

[cheibbbfinlandforum]

Dear all,
I asked Migri, they told me that they are processing applications submitted in last March for Finnish citizen spouses, it would be nice if anyone got news from their side for the first permit application to share it with us here. Thanks

[onkko]

Thanks for reply
The spouse is Finnish Citizen, the wife is non-EU (African), the small family has also a small kid (year and half). Of course, the sponsor term is just referred to the spouse when we are talking about the income requirement. We have been married for more than 2 years..
Anyone else have update from the RP application as first one for family member ?

Thanks

If spouse is finnish citizen there is no income requirements, that applies only if both are foreigners.

[cheibbbfinlandforum]

If spouse is Finnish citizen there is no income requirements, that applies only if both are foreigners.

In your view what could the duration for processing an application? I don't mean the time from application submitted, only when it reach the queue, assuming that everything look fine. Could it takes from the officer days or week or months. any idea ? reminder again, that the spouse is Finnish. Thanks

[Elephant]

I applied at the Tampere Police Station on 4/17/14. American with a Finnish spouse. They told me to expect it to take 4mths cause of long queue and reduced staff during the summer. Still waiting...
I know someone else in Tampere (Algerian with Finnish spouse) who applied in early March 6th and just received the card last week 19th.

[cheibbbfinlandforum]

Thanks Elephant,

I applied at the Tampere Police Station on 4/17/14. American with a Finnish spouse. They told me to expect it to take 4mths cause of long queue and reduced staff during the summer. Still waiting...
I know someone else in Tampere (Algerian with Finnish spouse) who applied in early March 6th and just received the card last week 19th.

This would enlighten many of us who are waiting patiently. It seems to be from many replies here that RP takes around 90 days to be processed (family first RP, Finnish spouse).Then if everything is fine, the card will be received two or three weeks later. In general the same processing time with few exceptions, either you if you apply from abroad or from inside Finland. I don't know why! assuming that the application would reach Migri faster when applying inside Finland from a Police station...
So for you Elephant, I am expecting that you got replay around 20 July, and get card early August, if things go smoothly. But as you said , it is now summer and reduced staff might add more time to our expectation..Yet, we hope for the best

Let others update us as well...thanks

[ViolentViolet]

Finally I received my resident permit today.
(As I wrote above, I applied
on 26th Feb 2014
based on family ties of Finnish spouse
in Finland)
It is approved on 28th of June and I got message yesterday (2th July) that it is ready to be pick up.
It took really 4 months as they said it would take 3 to 4 months!

[Elephant]

I also received my card today! Got an email yesterday that it was ready for pickup today.
Applied at police station in Tampere 4/17/14
Returned to US on 5/10 (picked up passport and told police I would be back on 6/22)
Came back to Finland on 6/22 and returned passport to Police station on 6/23.
7/2 got an email that card was ready.

It took about 10 weeks. Maybe it would have been shorter if I hadn't left. In any case, glad this part is over.
Good Luck to all those waiting.

[cheibbbfinlandforum]

Thanks for you who update us, we can get some idea how long it takes to get an answer based on different case..
I am glad for you Elephant and VioletViolet, It is really nice to hear that you got your card and everything was just fine. remarkably fast (10 weeks) in case of Elephant. These days, may be your case, Elephant was processed by Police themselves without forwarding it to Migri in Helsinki.
Congrats for you guys.. and for us who are waiting , we are hoping for a good luck, we wish to hear something soon. waiting can be frustrating sometimes.
I was wondering if there anyone else who can update something as well..
Thanks

[cheibbbfinlandforum]

I also received my card today! Got an email yesterday that it was ready for pickup today.
Applied at police station in Tampere 4/17/14
Returned to US on 5/10 (picked up passport and told police I would be back on 6/22)
Came back to Finland on 6/22 and returned passport to Police station on 6/23.
7/2 got an email that card was ready.

It took about 10 weeks. Maybe it would have been shorter if I hadn't left. In any case, glad this part is over.
Good Luck to all those waiting.

after your post, I was motivated and called Migri today to see if they have have made a decision. But they said still awaiting processing (I submitted it on 01-April 2014)!!
if I may ask, you were in contact with Police or with Migri for RP inquiry ?

[Elephant]

I was in contact with the police because my application (file) was still at the police station. Maybe your town has a different procedure than Tampere. I hope your spouse gets her card soon!

[mjgoode]

1.Two weeks from appearing at the consulate to residence permit card received. (Actually two weeks plus one day.) Submitted paperwork online, showed up on Tuesday morning (with all the paperwork) and had the decision Friday morning. The rest of the time was shipping the card.

2. Abroad, USA, Los Angeles Consulate

3. Work

[cheibbbfinlandforum]

I was in contact with the police because my application (file) was still at the police station. Maybe your town has a different procedure than Tampere. I hope your spouse gets her card soon!

Some of the experts here might say something. We applied as well at Police station here in Finland, but Police said that we should be in contact with Migri, so Police forward the application sometimes to Migri. In which case they do forward and why it is varied a lot from case to case here in the forum as we can see?

Thanks