Immigration to Finland declined in 2025, with notable drops in applications for work, study, and international protection permits. The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) processed 180,521 applications and issued 177,890 decisions during the year.
Of the decisions made, 80 percent were positive and 9 percent negative. In 2024, the respective shares were 84 and 7 percent.
The number of work-based residence permit applications fell by 25 percent compared to 2024.
A total of 11,324 first-time work permit applications were submitted in 2025. The largest applicant nationalities were from India, the Philippines, China, Vietnam and Thailand. Permits for specialists, including EU Blue Card applicants, remained stable at 1,150 applications. Positive decisions for work permits dropped from 11,103 in 2024 to 8,384 in 2025.
Johannes Hirvelä, Director of Information Services at Migri, said the drop was tied to Finland’s economic situation.
“High unemployment and economic uncertainty have reduced demand for foreign labour,” he said.
Applications for study-based permits also declined. A total of 13,565 first-time applications were submitted by students, down 4 percent from the previous year. Most student applicants came from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. Positive decisions for students dropped to 10,486 (2024: 12,192).
Post-graduation residence permits, granted to students with employment or business activity in Finland, rose by 33 percent to 3,454. The increase followed a previous rise in the number of international students.
Applications for family-based residence permits remained high, with 23,831 first-time applications filed in 2025, similar to the previous year. The majority of applicants were from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Of the 22,324 decisions made, 89 percent were positive.
Hirvelä said the increase in student-related family permit applications reflected a broader change.
“Before 2022, student family member applications were rare. Now they are one of the largest applicant groups,” he said.
Asylum applications continued to decline, with 2,047 first-time applications filed in 2025, 15 percent fewer than in 2024. Repeat applications fell by 8 percent to 497. Most applications came from nationals of Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Russia and Turkey. Positive asylum decisions rose from 1,581 to 2,284.
Temporary protection for Ukrainians fleeing the war continued at a steady level. In 2025, 12,018 applications were submitted and 10,521 approvals were issued. In late August, Ukraine eased travel restrictions for 18–22-year-old men, briefly increasing applications in Finland. Temporary protection remains in force until 4 March 2027.
Finnish citizenship was granted to 14,689 individuals in 2025, the highest annual total recorded. Of these, 13,483 were through applications and 1,206 by declaration. The number of applications dropped by 34 percent after a peak in 2023–2024 caused by legislative changes. The largest applicant nationalities were Iraq, Russia, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia.
The number of permits cancelled following automatic post-decision monitoring increased. In 2025, around 47,000 permits were checked. A total of 3,645 cases were selected for review and 1,913 permits were revoked. The checks use official records to assess whether permit holders still meet requirements such as residence and income.
“Post-monitoring also helps address labour exploitation, which remains a risk in Finland,” said Hirvelä.
Removal decisions also increased. In 2025, 3,128 individuals were ordered to leave the country through refusal-of-entry procedures and 2,774 were deported, up 41 percent from 2024. Most removal decisions concerned nationals of Russia, Iraq and Turkey. The rise followed tighter legislation, increased monitoring, and more deportation requests from police.
Migri will undergo further changes in 2026 with the introduction of the EU migration and asylum pact and the rollout of a citizenship exam.
HT
