The Government Programme of Orpo’s government stated that the criteria for obtaining Finnish citizenship will be tightened. This change will be carried out with amendments to the Citizenship Act that have been divided into three parts. In the first part, the required period of residence as a condition of citizenship was extended from five to eight years. There are some exceptions where the required period may still be five years; for example, if the person can prove they have sufficient skills in Finnish or Swedish. The amendments entered into force in the autumn of last year without a transitional period.

The Finnish Parliament approved the second part’s amendments in October. In these amendments, the income requirements for the applicants for citizenship are stricter and include, for example, that the applicant cannot have resorted to unemployment benefit or social assistance for longer than three months in total during the past two years before submitting the application. The amendments will enter into force on 17 December 2025 without a transitional period. The applications submitted before this will be processed in accordance with the old Citizenship Act.

What both of these reforms have in common is that there is no transitional period for the changes introduced. When the conditions for obtaining citizenship are tightened up in such a significant way, those considering applying for citizenship should have the opportunity to adapt their own activities so that they can meet the new stricter conditions for obtaining citizenship. Two years would be a reasonable minimum as a transitional period for these changes, as the new income requirements will examine a person’s reliance on unemployment benefit or social assistance for the past two years.

The problematic nature of the reforms entering into force is exemplified by the following fictitious but illustrative story. The person in the example, Anna, has lived in Finland for four years. She has completed a master’s degree and studied Finnish, in which she has at least a satisfactory level of proficiency. Anna has been working continuously to support herself and to pay high tuition fees. She graduated last spring and considered starting her doctoral studies, as she would have been able to get funding for her dissertation. However, Anna got a job offer from a growing start-up company and was excited to accept it, as she was eager to put her skills into practice.

Anna only managed to work at the company until early autumn, though, as the company then entered into co-determination negotiations and, as a result, she was dismissed. Anna became unemployed and draws unemployment benefit while looking for a job. Anna had planned to apply for Finnish citizenship in the autumn of next year, when the five-year period of residence period would be completed. Now she has a great deal of uncertainty about her plans, as she may have to continue drawing unemployment benefit for over three months. Since the legislative amendments approved in the autumn will enter into force already in December, Anna did not have the opportunity to make certain decisions early enough, such as choosing to start her doctoral studies instead of taking up the job offer. Anna has also not lived in Finland long enough, so she cannot apply for citizenship this autumn when the applications are still interpreted in accordance with the old law.

We must ask whether the new law and its entry into force without a transitional period make any sense when someone who has shown her diligence and motivation, like the person in this example, can be left without citizenship. I do not think so, and it hardly serves the interests of Finland, either. The Orpo government’s immigration policy highlights the discrepancy between whether Finland wants more experts in the country or to close its borders. Instead of (mere) cheap labour, are we able to see these experts as valuable individuals and new Finns, as people who want to build their future and our society without unnecessary obstacles to obtaining citizenship? The third tightening part of the Citizenship Act concerns a citizenship test and it will be introduced to the Parliament as a Government bill during the ongoing autumn session. I wonder whether it will have a transitional period?