MOSCOW, July 4 The Finnish government intends to extend the period of residence by territory of the country required to obtain Finnish citizenship, up to eight years from October 1 of this year, follows from a statement published on the government website.
According to the statement, the government on Thursday proposed to approve amendments to the Citizenship Law. The President of the Republic must approve them on Friday.
«The period of residence required to obtain Finnish citizenship will be increased from the current five years to eight years from 1 October. This emphasizes the need for successful integration as a precondition for obtaining citizenship. This will also allow issues to be resolved more efficiently than before In addition, when calculating the period of residence, only the time spent in Finland with a residence permit will be taken into account,” the country’s government website says.
It is noted that one of the goals of the relevant government program is to tighten the requirements for obtaining Finnish citizenship and encourage immigrants to integrate into Finnish society. The reform will be implemented in stages through three legislative projects.
In addition, this amendment will increase the residence requirement for children aged 15 years and over, spouses of Finnish citizens, stateless persons and applicants meeting language requirements from four to five years.