Iraqis top in applying for citizenship

The highest number of citizenship applications in Finland this year has been submitted by Iraqi citizens, said the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) in a press release on Monday.

The number of citizenship applications submitted by Iraqis already showed a clear increase last year. This year, Iraqis have taken the lead over Russians in the application statistics.

Between January and October 2020, Iraqis have lodged 1,473 citizenship applications while 1,588

Iraqis submitted citizenship applications in 2019 and 972 in 2018.

For years, Russian citizens have been the group lodging the highest number of citizenship applications in Finland.

Asylum seekers who arrived in Finland in autumn 2015 and received international protection are now applying for citizenship.

Anyone receiving international protection need to live in Finland for at least four years before they are eligible for Finnish citizenship.

The other conditions for being granted citizenship are at least satisfactory Finnish or Swedish language skills, a clean record and a reliable proof of identity.

The applicant also needs to submit proof of income, which shows how he or she earns a living and look after such responsibilities as paying taxes.

“Russians have led the citizenship application statistics practically always. This is why finding them replaced by Iraqi citizens is an almost historical event,” said Head of Branch at Migri Ulla Vainikka.