Three-month unemployment rule
The Government aims to promote work-based immigration so that Finland can receive the labour it needs. At the same time, Finland must ensure that immigrating is easy and responsible. In future, the Government will monitor more closely that those working in Finland adhere to the terms of the permit.
If a person with a work-based residence permit residing in Finland becomes unemployed and does not find a new job within three months, the person would have to leave Finland. Going forward, employees can apply for a new job provided by another employer in the same sector or for a job in a sector suffering from a labour shortage.
Information on the progress of the preparations will be updated on this website. More information on all Government measures related to work-based immigration.
If a holder of a residence permit becomes unemployed, the holder may, while the residence permit is in force, seek new work that the permit entitles them to do. If the valid permit does not entitle the holder to work in the new job, the holder must apply for a new residence permit in order to continue the stay in Finland.
According to the Government Programme, persons residing in Finland with a work-based residence permit would have to leave the country if their employment relationship was terminated and no new employment relationship was concluded within three months. The rule will only apply to work-based residence permits, not other kinds of permits.
Specialists, startup entrepreneurs, and ICT experts will have six months to find a new job before their permit is revoked (see the question How does the three-month rule affect specialists?).
The entry in the Government Programme applies to work-based residence permits. The scope of application will be specified as the preparation of the act progresses.
Specialists, startup entrepreneurs, and ICT experts will have six months to find a new job before their permit is revoked.
Specialists, startup entrepreneurs, and ICT experts will have six months to find a new job before their permit is revoked.
Until now, a work-based residence permit has entitled the holder of the permit to do work in one sector. In future, if the holder of the permit becomes employed, he or she can apply for work in Finland within three months either from another employer in the same sector or from a sector suffering from a labour shortage.
If the work for the first employer ends, international experts will be offered services and support for re-employment. In future, the same permit will entitle the holder to work in sectors suffering from a labour shortage. This will support re-employment.
Employment services in cities and municipalities as well as Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices) offer re-employment services. The regional Talent Hub activities are designed to foster cooperation between the city, higher education institutions, companies and other RDI operators. This will make it easier for international students and researchers to find work. The services can be accessed through the International House service points, which are available in the largest cities and regions.
Current regulation also allows a residence permit to be cancelled if an employment relationship is terminated. However, the regulation does not specify after how long a period of unemployment the permit should be cancelled. There also is no systematic monitoring of whether employment relationships continue.
The EU is currently preparing regulation that would grant holders of work-based residence permit a protection period following unemployment during which the permit could not be cancelled. The negotiations are still under way and the length of the protection period will be specified later. This would be minimum regulation.
The EU Blue Card is a common residence permit within the EU for specialists who are citizens of non-EU countries. Once the three-month rule and its six-month exception for specialists come into effect, they would also apply to the EU Blue Card residence permit.
A specialist looking to come to Finland from outside the EU can choose whether to apply for a national specialist permit or the EU Blue Card.
Before the three-month rule comes into effect, changes required by the EU directive will be made to the Blue Card residence permit. With the three-month rule, the time allowed for finding a new job would be the same for both permits. Read more in the Ministry's press release.
Application of the three-month rule requires that the residence permit be in force for at least that period. If the permit is in force for less than three months, the holder is allowed to look for work while the permit is in force. If the permit ends, the holder would need to leave Finland as is currently the case.
The Government is scheduled to send the proposal for public consultation in spring 2024 and to Parliament in autumn 2024. Changes would enter into force in 2025.
The Government will change the policies on work-based immigration to better match those of the other Nordic countries. However, the policies of different countries cannot be compared directly, as there are differences in the employment situation, population structure and residence permit systems.
In Sweden, holders of residence permits can look for work for three months following unemployment before they have to leave the country. In Denmark and Norway, the period is six months.
At the EU level, regulations are currently being prepared that would guarantee for all work-based permits to have a period for finding a new job in case of unemployment. Negotiations have been concluded, and the directive is expected to be published in the spring of 2024. The regulations must be implemented into national legislation within two years at the latest. This would constitute common minimum regulations for all EU member states.