In 2025, 14,124 foreigners permanently residing in Finland obtained citizenship, which is a new record, according to preliminary data from the Tilastokeskus statistical service.
According to this data, the largest number of Finnish citizenships in 2025 were granted to citizens of Iraq (1,960), followed by citizens of the Russian Federation (1,491) and citizens of Syria (1,282).
Tilastokeskus provides figures for the top three countries in its publication, but does not disclose the number of Ukrainians who obtained citizenship or their place in the overall ranking. A more detailed breakdown by citizenship in the official statistics is usually published later as a separate data set.
According to Tilastokeskus, the largest group of arrivals in Finland in 2025 were citizens of Ukraine (8,388), followed by citizens of the Philippines (2,701) and Sri Lanka (2,435).
At the end of January 2026, a working group under the Finnish Ministry of Defense proposed changing the mechanism for expropriating (compulsory purchase) real estate for national security purposes and transferring the authority to issue permits for such expropriation exclusively to the Ministry of Defense. The government press release notes that the current procedure has been difficult to apply, as permits are formally the responsibility of different agencies.
The working group’s proposals include expanding the possibilities for rapid response in urgent cases, including earlier introduction of a ban on actions with the property, temporary takeover of real estate, as well as unification of the approach to compensation for expropriation and planning of financing for such procedures in the budget.
The context for such steps remains the Finnish authorities’ concerns about the risks of “hostile influence” through real estate transactions. Previously, the government and the Ministry of Defense had consistently tightened the rules for buyers from countries outside the EU and the EEA, and also promoted restrictions that were in fact primarily aimed at Russian citizens. In April 2025, the Finnish parliament approved a law restricting the purchase of real estate by citizens of countries waging “aggressive war,” which was publicly interpreted as a ban on Russians who are not permanent residents.
Defense Minister Antti Hykkänen previously stated that Finland had made “too naive decisions” on real estate control in the 2000s and was now “systematically correcting the identified problems.”
Thus, at the moment, we are not talking about a declared campaign of “mass seizure” of property from citizens of all countries outside the EU, but about strengthening the state’s legal instruments to intervene in cases where specific real estate objects are considered a potential threat to national security, as well as continuing the policy of restricting new transactions for certain categories of foreign buyers.
The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has issued a decree on increasing fees for processing immigration applications, including residence permits, which will apply to applications submitted from January 1, 2026.
According to the ministry, the increase will range from €50 to €250 and is due to the need to bring the fees closer to the actual costs incurred by the Migration Service (Migri) in processing cases.
In particular, the fee for electronic submission of a permanent residence permit application will increase from €240 to €380, and for paper submission from €350 to €600. For an initial residence permit for adults, electronic submission will cost €750 instead of €530, and paper submission €800 instead of €580.
Applying for international protection remains free of charge, but a fee of €53 will be introduced for processing applications for the extension of international protection status.
The ministry explained the increase in fees by the rise in the cost of processing applications against the backdrop of a decline in their number due to the economic situation, as well as changes in legislation that have increased the burden on Migri. The decree is valid until December 31, 2026.
A peace agreement in Ukraine is unlikely to be reached before spring, and European allies must continue to support Kiev despite the corruption scandal, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with the Associated Press.
“A peace agreement in Ukraine is unlikely to be reached before spring. European allies need to continue their support despite the corruption scandal that has engulfed Kiev,” he said.
Stubb is using his good relations with US President Donald Trump to defend Ukraine’s position: “I can explain to President Trump what Finland has gone through, how I see the situation on the battlefield, or how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And then, you know, if he accepts one of my ten ideas, that’s good,” he said.
He also recalled Finland’s historical experience: in the 1940s, after two wars with Russia, the country lost about 10% of its territory and remained militarily neutral. Finland’s neutral position was only revised after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the country joined NATO.
The Finnish government has decided to allocate €100 million for the purchase of weapons from the US for transfer to Ukraine, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced on Thursday.
“On Thursday, the government decided to allocate €100 million to support Ukraine by purchasing weapons from the US. This is a NATO-coordinated support package called PURL. Finland is participating in a joint support package for the Baltic and Northern European countries, which is planned to be delivered to Ukraine in the near future,” the Finnish prime minister said, as quoted by the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
“The situation in Ukraine is critical. Yes, we must participate. We cannot stand aside when all the countries of Northern Europe and the Baltic States are involved,” he stressed.
According to Orpo, the funding will be provided through external borrowing and Finland’s budget will not be revised, “even though it will increase the debt.”
The initiative to finance the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine came after the US administration refused to continue supplying weapons to Kyiv free of charge. In August, four packages of American weapons were prepared for a total amount of about $2 billion. The financing was provided by Germany, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
On August 15, at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland, and Iceland announced their decision to join the program. In October, Spain also announced its participation.
Most Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward Finland, according to the results of a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club in August 2025.
According to the published data, 73.4% of respondents have a positive attitude towards this country: 34.9% — completely positive, 38.5% — mostly positive. Only 3.0% of Ukrainians have a negative attitude (1.0% completely negative, 2.0% mostly negative). At the same time, 23.6% of citizens took a neutral position, and another 2.3% admitted that they were not familiar enough with Finland.
“The high level of positive attitudes toward Finland can be explained by both Ukraine’s support at the political level and assistance in the areas of defense, education, and humanitarian projects. Finland has long been perceived by Ukrainians as part of the European family and an ally in countering Russian aggression,” commented Active Group CEO Oleksandr Pozniy.
Experts Club co-founder Maksym Urakyn drew attention to economic indicators:
“In 2025, trade turnover between Ukraine and Finland amounted to more than $163.6 million. Exports from Ukraine amounted to only $21.6 million, while imports exceeded $141.9 million. The negative balance of $120.4 million indicates significant potential for export diversification, particularly in the fields of woodworking, agricultural products, and mechanical engineering,” he emphasized.
The study is part of a large-scale project by Active Group and Experts Club to analyze Ukrainians’ international sympathies and the prospects for foreign economic relations.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, FINLAND, Pozniy, RELATIONS, SOCIOLOGY, TRADE, UKRAINE, URAKIN
