The Parliamentary Ombudsman will not investigate citizenship application processing time complaints at this time

The Parliamentary Ombudsman has received complaints concerning the processing times of citizenship applications at the Finnish Immigration Service.

The processing times of citizenship applications are already under review by another supreme overseer of legality, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice. The Deputy Chancellor of Justice will continue to review the processing of citizenship applications until the end of June 2027 and will issue a separate decision in the matter in due course.

Under the Act on the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Ombudsman shall, in response to a complaint, take such measures as he or she considers warranted from the perspective of compliance with the law, legal protection, or the safeguarding of fundamental and human rights. The Ombudsman therefore has discretion as to which complaints to investigate and what measures, if any, a complaint gives reason to take.

For this reason, the Parliamentary Ombudsman will not investigate complaints concerning the processing times of citizenship applications at this time. Complainants will receive a reply to this effect.