The Administrative Silence!

Our client came to our office seeking assistance with his Finnish Citizenship application. He was granted a residence permit in 2012 and since then he maintained an uninterrupted stay in Finland pursuing an Engineering degree. After graduation, our client received a Residence permit based on employment grounds. During the coronavirus pandemic, he had difficulties receiving a new residence permit due to obvious reasons.

Our client applied for Finnish citizenship in 2019, but there was an exceptional delay of almost four years which was beyond the standard of the administrative timeframe, typically ranging from eight to sixteen months, which was the estimated time provided by the Finnish Immigration Service, meaning that the client was expecting the decision no later than the April 2021.

The decision of the Finnish Immigration Service took four times longer than the highest possible time limit and seven times longer than the lowest possible time limit. Information regarding the delay in the process was never provided to our client.

In November last year, our client received an unexpected additional information request regarding his stay in Finland without having a residence permit during the coronavirus pandemic. We answered the additional information request stating the whole complexity of the situation and reporting the unacceptable behaviour of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Congratulations to our client on receiving Finnish citizenship and becoming a rightful member of the Finnish community.

We are happy that our client trusted us in this case. We wish other clients facing the same or similar situation – of having already issues with negative decisions and needing to appeal the case to the Administrative Court and those who never had issues but started the process from the beginning – to contact us with expectations to receive similar results. We always strive to provide the best services to our clients!

Our office will continue providing legal and/or administrative services with diligence and empathy, as immigration matters can significantly impact people’s lives. If you are facing legal issues, do not hesitate to contact us!