Legislative amendments and new requirements for family reunification

The objective of the legislative amendment is to promote the integration of immigrants as set out in the Government Programme. The changes aim to prevent situations that involve abuse and exploitation, to promote the management of immigration, and to increase internal security. The changes will also increase families’ personal responsibility for their integration and for having sufficient financial resources in Finland. 

The amendments to the Aliens Act will apply to applications submitted on or after 16 June 2025. The new requirements laid down in the amended Act will not apply to applications that have been submitted before the Act enters into force. Further, the new requirements will not apply to applications for extended permits submitted after the Act enters into force in which the applicant applies for a permit based on the same family ties on the basis of which the previous permit was granted. 

New minimum age limit for family reunification 

In future, a spouse can only get a residence permit if the applicant and their spouse are at least 21 years old. 

"The minimum age requirement must be met when the residence permit becomes valid. This requirement does not apply to a sponsor who is a Finnish citizen. However, the spouse of a Finnish citizen must be aged 21 or over. This means, for example, that a permit may be granted to the 21-year-old spouse of a 20-year-old Finnish citizen," says Riikka Parviainen, Process Owner of Family Reunification Process. 

In addition, if the spouses have children in their joint custody, a residence permit application as the child's parent or guardian can be submitted even though the parent is under 21 years of age. 

New period of residence requirement when the sponsor is a beneficiary of international protection 

Once the legislative amendment enters into force, a period of residence requirement will, with certain exceptions, apply to sponsors who have been granted international protection and whose family members apply for a residence permit. This requirement applies to applications submitted by so-called new family members of a person who has been granted refugee status, family members of a person who has been granted subsidiary protection, and other relatives of a person who has been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection.  

"In these cases, issuing a residence permit to a family member requires that the sponsor has been living in Finland with a residence permit for at least two years when the family member's application is submitted. Exemptions from the period of residence requirement may be possible in individual cases if there are exceptionally compelling reasons for doing so, or if it is in the best interest of a child," explains Parviainen. 

If the sponsor has come to Finland as an asylum seeker and has been granted protection status, the calculation of the residence period begins from the date on which the first residence permit was issued to the sponsor. If the sponsor is a quota refugee or has been granted protection status in connection with a decision on a permit on the basis of family ties, the two-year residence period starts from the date on which the sponsor arrives in Finland after their permit has been issued. 

The period of residence requirement does not apply to established family members of a person who has been granted refugee status or the family members or other relatives of a person receiving temporary protection. An established (or 'old') family member of a sponsor who has been granted asylum means a family member with whom the sponsor had started living with as a family before the sponsor’s arrival in Finland. An old family member of a quota refugee means a family member with whom the sponsor had started living with as a family before the sponsor was admitted into Finland's refugee quota. If the sponsor has been granted refugee status in connection with a decision on a permit on the basis of family ties, persons with whom the sponsor had started living with as a family before refugee status was granted will be regarded as old family members. 

Changes to the financial resource requirement for family members of a minor who has been granted international protection 

Moving forward, the requirement for sufficient financial resources will not apply to a family member if the sponsor is an unaccompanied minor who is living in Finland as a refugee. If a minor sponsor has received temporary or subsidiary protection, their family members must have sufficient financial resources. This requirement for financial resources also applies to other relatives of a minor who has been granted international protection, with certain exceptions.  

As a rule, the requirement for sufficient financial resources applies when a minor refugee lives in Finland with one of their parents or guardians. The requirement for sufficient financial resources does not apply to old family members if the residence permit application based on family ties was submitted within three months of the date on which the sponsor was informed of the decision to grant them refugee status.  

Derogating from the requirement for sufficient financial resources continues to be possible in individual cases if there are exceptionally serious grounds or if the derogation is in the best interest of the child. 

Changes to the definition of when a sponsor who has been granted international protection is considered a minor in applications based on family ties 

The provision on defining when a child is considered a minor will be aligned with the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union. If the sponsor is an unaccompanied minor who has been granted subsidiary protection, granting a residence permit for a family member will require that the sponsor was a minor on the day when the family member’s residence permit application was submitted. The same requirement will also apply to situations where the sponsor is a parent or guardian who has been granted this protection and the applicant is their child. 

Following the legislative amendment, only unaccompanied minors who have been granted asylum and the children of a parent or guardian who has been granted asylum will have special status when defining if they should be considered minors. If a sponsor who has been granted asylum arrived in Finland as an unaccompanied minor, a residence permit may only be granted to their family member if the sponsor was a minor on the day when the sponsor submitted the asylum application on the basis of which the sponsor was granted asylum. Granting a residence permit to the child of a person who has been granted asylum requires that the child was a minor on the day when the sponsor submitted the application on the basis of which asylum was granted.  

"In both cases, the application for a residence permit on the basis of family ties must also in the future be submitted within three months of the day when the sponsor was informed of the decision to grant them asylum. Exemptions from the time limit may be made in individual cases if there is an exceptionally compelling reason for doing so," says Parviainen. 

Further information for the media 

• Riikka Parviainen, Process Owner, firstname.lastname@migri.fi, tel. +358 295 433 146 
• Ministry of the Interior press release 12 June 2025: Government to tighten conditions for family reunification - Ministry of the Interior
• Website: Moving to Finland to be with a family member | Finnish Immigration Service
• Website: Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted a residence permit in Finland | Finnish Immigration Service