Frequently asked questions

If the given time limit is crossed for the reason that the authorities have no available appointments, it will not affect the processing of your application. If the authorities have given you an appointment for the verification of your identity, you do not need to ask for extra time. Please state the time of your appointment on the 'Send additional information' page within one month after submitting your application.

Do not be alarmed in the event that the service does not indicate that your application has been initiated immediately after your identification visit. The authorities sometimes face some degree of congestion and are therefore unable immediately to transfer your application for processing. Your application will be passed on as soon as possible. No action is required on your part. You will be contacted if any further clarification is required for your application.

You cannot change the selected service point in the e-service, but you can send a free-form message about this via the e-service. If you would like to be in contact with a different service point in matters relating to your application than the one where you submitted the application, please also contact the Finnish embassy. If you are in Finland, you can choose to go to another Migri service point, but please tell the Migri official which service point you chose originally when you visit.

It is possible to upload only one document as an attachment, but I have several files that concern the same matter. How can I combine my files into a single document?​

Open the files with a word-processing program (for example Word) and combine them into a single document. If possible, save the document as a PDF file.

You can combine images in the same way. If you have an image-processing program, you can use it to combine images.

Do not reduce the size too much so that the files are easy to read.

Remember to pay attention to data security, especially if you use a public computer or programs available on websites. 

The maximum size for an attachment is 4 megabytes, and my files are larger than that. How can I make them smaller?

You can reduce the size of your attached documents when scanning them. In the scanner settings, select ‘black and white’ or ‘monochrome’ and a resolution of 150 dpi, for instance. Resolution governs the level of detail when the image is scanned.

If the attachment is an image, you can reduce its size by opening the file in an image processing program, reducing the size of the image and then saving the file again.
 

Your application becomes pending immediately after you have submitted it via the e-service. However, the processing of the application cannot begin before you visit a service point to verify that you have sent the application. For that reason, you must visit the service point that you have chosen in the e-service to confirm your identity, so that the processing of your application can begin.

When notified that a decision has been made, please wait for the authorities to contact you. They will inform you of where you can collect a copy of the decision, or whether it will be delivered to you.

If you have been granted a residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card. It takes several days to manufacture the card; these cannot be collected as soon as a positive decision is made.
 

No, you cannot. You must apply for an extended or permanent residence permit in Finland. In the e-service it is only possible to select a Migri service point as the place where you must visit.

You yourself cannot delete an application that you have sent in the e-service. If you have not visited your service point, send an e-mail to e-support@migri.fi and explain why you want your application to be deleted. We will consider case by case whether an application may be deleted.

You can cancel your application at any time when the application is pending. More information can be found on the web pages about residence permits and citizenship.

Please read about expedited processing on our website.

No. We can not give you more information on the phone than you can see yourself in Enter Finland. You will always get the latest and precise information on your application's status by checking it yourself in Enter Finland.

An email and an SMS are sent, when 1) you have been sent a supplement request, 2) when you've been sent a decision to read, 3) when your additional information has been received, 4) when your reply to a supplement request has been received. In addition, you receive 5) a status message every three weeks (residence permit applications) or every three months (citizenship applications) until a decision has been made on the application. Automatic messages can not be turned off.

We can not guarantee that the automatic messages will be delivered succesfully. That is why we always recommend that you check the status of your application yourself by logging in every once in a while. If the application events show that the document or response has been sent, and if the application attachments include the documents you've sent, they have definitely been received.

Please read more about our processing times on our website.

If the application events show that the document or response has been sent, and if the application attachments include the documents you've sent, they have definitely been received.

We will send you a new request if the information you provided was not enough to process the application.

Choosing the correct form can sometimes be difficult. For example, if you've applied for a residence permit for an employed person, where the Economic Development and Employment Office evaluates whether the employer should recruit an employee from Finland first, but you could receive a residence permit as a special expert, where this evaluation is not made and the processing time is much shorter, we will process the application as a special expert application. This change is made only when it benefits the applicant and doesn't disadvantage the applicant in any way. The change is also only made when the basic reason for applying stays the same (employment, family ties, studying). For example, a residence permit application for family ties is never processed as a residence permit application for employment. However, changing the processing ground doesn't update completely into Enter Finland, so the application events and the estimated processing time may no longer be valid for your application. However, the information on whether or not there has been a decision will always be updated correctly.