Labour immigration administration

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is responsible for policies and legislation concerning the migration of workers, students, trainees and researchers, as well as for the guidance and supervision of the Finnish Immigration Service in these matters together with the Ministry of the Interior.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is also responsible for the steering of work in Finland, which provides national international recruitment services, and for the steering of ELY Centres in tasks related to labour migration. In addition, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, together with the Ministry of Education and Culture, is responsible for the preparation and coordination of the national Talent Boost programme. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has a Labour Migration and Integration Unit under the auspices of the Permanent Secretary. 

The main responsibility for the preparation of policy and legislation related to labour migration and policy coordination, and for EU and other international preparation related to labour migration, was transferred from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on 1 January 2020. 

Some immigration tasks remain within the remit of the Ministry of the Interior

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for, among other things, humanitarian immigration, immigration of family members and immigration for all reasons other than work, business, training, study and research from outside the EU and EEA, international protection and return migration, prevention, the return and repatriation of illegal immigration, and the whole area of free movement of EU citizens, excluding specific issues related to the employment of EU citizens. 

The Ministry of the Interior also remains responsible for all general provisions related to residence permits, which are mainly laid down in chapter 4 of the Aliens Act. These include types of residence permits, residence permit cards, travel document requirements, general conditions for issuing a residence permit, the definition of a family member, subsistence requirement, lengths of residence permits, the revocation and expiry of residence permits. For example, issues related to the immigration of workers’ family members are still the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, as is the regulation of the right of asylum seekers to work.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment does not make individual decisions related to entry into Finland or international recruitment. More information on work-based and study-based residence permits, as well as how to apply for them, can be found on the website of the Finnish Immigration Service, and more information on international recruitment on the Work in Finland website.


Inquiries:
Sonja Hämäläinen, Migration Director 
Katri Niskanen, Chief Specialist