Family members of Finnish citizens or foreign nationals eligible for family reunification
Family reunification refers to a residence permit granted to a foreign national on the basis of family ties. Family members of Finnish citizens or foreign nationals are eligible to apply for family reunification.
A foreign spouse of a Finnish citizen, a family member of a foreign national working or studying in Finland, or a family member of a person who has been granted international protection in Finland may apply for family reunification. The family member living in Finland with whom the applicant intends to engage in family life is called the sponsor.
Applications for residence permits on the basis of family ties may only be submitted by the applicants themselves, who are living abroad.
The definition of family member is laid down in the Aliens Act. The definition does not correspond to the concept of family in other countries in all cases, because the Finnish concept is narrower than in other countries.
Family members of Finnish citizens and non-EU citizens and similar persons include the spouse, a partner from a registered partnership, a cohabiting partner, a person who has custody of a child under 18 years of age, and children
A broader definition is applied to family members of EU citizens.
Sponsors must be able to support their families
A general precondition for family reunification in Finland is that sponsors are able to provide for their family members. This means that sponsors must have sufficient income. The word sponsor refers to a family member living in Finland with whom the applicant intends to live a family life.
In line with the Aliens Act, all applicants for residence permits are required to have sufficient financial resources.
Persons who have been granted asylum are an exception. Their family members are exempt from the requirement of having sufficient financial resources if they apply for family reunification within three months after the sponsor has been informed of the positive asylum decision. The same applies to refugees admitted under the refugee quota. The exception does not apply to family members of beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. The exception applies only to the ‘old families’ of the persons who have been granted asylum, i.e. the family that has existed before the asylum seeker arrives in Finland. Sufficient financial resources are always required if the family was formed after the sponsor arrived in Finland.
When a family member of an unaccompanied minor who has been granted asylum applies for family reunification, the family member may also be granted a residence permit without being required to have sufficient financial resources.
The approximate amounts of the resources in euros are laid down in the instructions of the Finnish Immigration Service. The amounts are determined together with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
Family members of Finnish or Nordic citizens have the right to enter Finland even if they do not have sufficient financial resources.
Family reunification requires integration into society
When a residence permit is granted to a spouse on the basis of family ties, both spouses must be at least 21 years. However, the minimum age requirement does not apply to a Finnish citizen whose spouse applies for a residence permit. Nevertheless, the requirement applies to the Finnish citizen’s spouse. The minimum age requirement does not apply to situations involving a parent and a child.
As a rule, beneficiaries of international protection must reside in Finland for two years before their family members can apply for family reunification. This condition applies with certain exceptions.