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Persons coming from the former Soviet Union

Certain people coming from areas of the former Soviet Union (so-called returnees or Ingrian Finns) are considered to be of Finnish origin or to have other such close connections with Finland and can be granted a residence permit on this basis.

Close connections with Finland can be based either on ethnic background or on the fact that the person served in the Finnish army during the Second World War or belongs to the Ingrian emigrants.

Who can be granted a residence permit?

 A person from the former Soviet Union can be granted a residence permit if the person's nationality is Finnish, i.e. he or she is not a Finnish citizen but is of Finnish origin in terms of ethnic background.

A person is of Finnish nationality if he or she, one of his or her parents, or at least two of the grandparents are or have been registered in the documents as having Finnish origin.

A residence permit can also be granted to people who were transferred to Finland during the Second World War in 1943 and 1944 and later returned to the Soviet Union.

A permit can also be granted to a person who served in the Finnish army during the Second World War between 1939 and 1945.

What are the other requirements?

The other requirements concern the registration as a returnee, re-entry orientation, language skills and accommodation in Finland. The applicant does not need to show proof of means of support.

Finnish or Swedish language skills

The permit applicant must have such a proficiency in the Finnish or Swedish language as to be able to manage in ordinary spoken situations and be able to write simple texts. The applicant must also be able to understand clear spoken language about ordinary things or simple written text.

The aim of the language skills requirement is to promote the returnees' integration into Finnish society and their employment in Finland.

Participation in the language examination and the preceding re-entry orientation can be waived in individual cases if, for example, the applicant is elderly, handicapped or lives far away.

Accommodation in Finland

The applicant must have accommodation arranged in Finland. This can be a flat appointed by the employment administration or an owner-occupied or rented flat acquired on the private market. The opportunity to move in with a relative who is permanently residing in Finland will meet the accommodation requirement. The applicant's accommodation prospects are decided according to the order of the remigration queue.

Is the family entitled to enter into Finland?  

A family member of a person coming from the former Soviet Union will be granted a continuous residence permit if he or she applies for it. In addition to a spouse or cohabitant, a child under 18 years of age is also considered a family member. The applicants are not required to show proof of income or means of support.

Evaluating family ties  

The family tie between the returnee (main applicant) and his or her child is evaluated at the time the main applicant is granted a residence permit. A child is considered to be someone who is under the age of 18 at that time and whose guardian is the main applicant. If the child turns 18 before the main applicant is granted a residence permit, the child cannot receive a residence permit on the grounds of family ties.

A further requirement is that the child is under 18 years of age on the day that the permit application is decided. However, the permit may not be refused on the basis of age if the processing of the application has been delayed considerably due to reasons unrelated to the applicant, and he or she has co-operated in clearing the issue.

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