As of 1 October, anyone applying for Finnish citizenship must have lived in the country for at least eight years, up from the current five-year minimum residence requirement.

Parliament approved the change earlier this week by a broad margin.

President Alexander Stubb signed the amendments into law on Friday at the request of the right-wing government led by PM Petteri Orpo (NCP).

The law change means that, from this autumn, the residence period required before someone can apply for citizenship will increase, while only time spent holding a residence permit will be counted as part of a residence period. In addition, the number of days abroad that can be counted as part of a period of residence will be reduced.

"One of the objectives set in the government programme is to tighten the requirements for acquiring Finnish citizenship and encourage immigrants to integrate into Finnish society," the interior ministry noted in a press release on Thursday.

This is the first of a three-stage plan by the government to make immigration laws stricter, largely in line with the aims of the nationalist Finns Party, whose MP Mari Rantanen now serves as interior minister.

Rantanen, a former police officer, has drawn criticism for her past social media posts referring to anti-immigrant conspiracy theories such as "the great replacement," which she later removed and distanced herself from.

The ministry said that the government will propose bills to further toughen citizenship rules this autumn and next spring. They are to include tighter requirements related to integrity and livelihood and the introduction of a citizenship test.

The interior ministry clarified in a statement that integrity "means that the person applying for citizenship must not have committed a crime".

Border law delayed until next week

Parliament gave the green light to the legislative reform on Monday by a margin of 98-81, with 20 MPs absent. One MP representing a government party, Eva Biaudet of the Swedish People’s Party, voted against the stricter law.

Last week, she was the only MP from a coalition partner to vote against cutting financial support for asylum seekers when that bill was approved last Friday.

Biaudet has also been the only vocal opponent from within government ranks of the proposed tough new border law. That long-delayed bill, which would require a supermajority to pass in Parliament, remains bogged down in the Administrative Committee.

The latest wording must still be reconsidered by the Constitutional Committee and once again by the Administrative Committee before an expected plenary vote next week. MPs are then expected to adjourn until September.

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