Finland granted a record number of citizenship approvals in 2025 even as overall immigration to the Nordic country declined, according to new figures from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), as cited by Yle. According to the report, Indians were among the top nationalities applying for family-based residence permits.
A total of 14,703 people received Finnish citizenship last year, the highest annual figure on record and up from 13,973 in 2024. Migri said the increase was largely due to the clearance of a backlog of citizenship applications submitted in previous years.
At the same time, Finland recorded a decline in immigration as the country's economic slowdown and stricter immigration rules reduced the number of new arrivals. The number of work-based residence permits issued fell by nearly a quarter compared with the previous year.
Indians among leading Family Permit Applicants
Family ties emerged as the most common basis for obtaining a positive residence permit decision in 2025. While first-time work and student permits declined, family-based permits increased by 10 percent.
According to Migri, Asian countries were prominent among family-based residence permit applicants, with the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India accounting for the largest applicant nationalities.
"The clear majority of family members apply for a residence permit in Finland on the basis of a spouse or guardian residing on a work-based residence permit or student residence permit. Asian countries are prominent in family-based residence permits, and last year the largest applicant nationalities were the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India," Johannes Hirvelä, Migri's information services director, said, as cited by Yle.
Work Permit Demand Shows Signs of Recovery
Although work-based immigration weakened in 2025, Finland has seen an improvement in labour migration activity this year. Applications for work-based residence permits during the first months of 2026 were 11 percent higher than during the same period a year earlier.
"The increase in the number of applications during the first half of the year is explained by the ongoing industrial projects in Finland, for which international workers have been recruited. The impact of industrial projects is particularly visible in employee residence permit applications," Hirvelä said.
The largest declines in work permits last year were recorded in the social and healthcare sector, where approvals fell by 81 percent, and in construction, where they dropped by 24 percent.
Citizenship Rules Tightened
Migri stated that Finland's government has tightened citizenship requirements since 2024. Applications surged before the changes came into force, reaching record levels in 2023 and 2024. Last year, however, the number of new applications fell by more than one-third and returned closer to historical levels.
According to Finland's official statistics authority, nearly 10 percent of the country's 5.65 million residents were born outside the country.
