Immigration to Finland

In 2010, a total of 24,600 people moved permanently to Finland. The figure does not include people who have moved to Finland temporarily, for example, for work or study purposes. Every year, approximately a third of those moving to Finland are Finns. The net migration (immigration - emigration) of foreign nationals has amounted to 13,000–15,000 during the past few years.

At the end of 2011, a total of 183,133 foreign nationals were residing in Finland. This is three per cent of the whole population. In 2000–2009, Finnish citizenship was granted to 45,000 people.

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for drafting legislation on immigration, residence in and removal from the country. The key premise of the Aliens Act is that people residing in Finland always require a visa or residence permit. In the provisions of the Aliens Act, EU citizens and comparable persons are treated separately from third-country nationals. EU citizens do not need residence permits, but they need to register their right of residence.

The Finnish Immigration Service handles and decides matters relating to individual foreigners’ entry into, residence in and removal from the country. Read more about the permits needed for immigration and the relevant practice at the Finnish Immigration Service website .