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30.4.2026 | The Government’s two legislative packages will address the income difficulties faced by international students. The first would strengthen the monitoring of students’ use of social assistance in accordance with the Government Programme. The Government submitted its proposal to Parliament on 30 April 2026.

19.12.2024 | Persons arriving in Finland with a residence permit for an employed person should receive a monthly pay of at least EUR 1,600 for work carried out in Finland. The decree enters into force on 1 January 2025.

20.12.2023 | An income limit of EUR 1,600 would be set for the residence permit for an employed person. In future, the income limit would be laid down by government decree. The government proposal will be circulated for comments until 31.1.2024.

5.9.2023 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has begun preparations to amend laws relating to income limits for work-based residence permits. Simultaneously, the Ministry will examine the appropriate levels and impacts of income limits.

International students can create innovations and bring growth to Finland The number of international higher education students in Finland has grown in recent years. They support the internationalisation of Finnish education and research. Students...

Welcome to Finland! When you apply for temporary protection, you can work freely in all sectors in Finland. The Finnish labour market needs many kinds of skills. These instructions will help you find a job in Finland, if you want one.

9.9.2025 | The three/six-month rule, which entered into force in June 2025, determines the amount of time during which foreign workers need to find a new job, if their previous employment relationship has ended prematurely. However, the rule has a more limited effect than assumed. For example, the rule does not apply to international students looking for work after graduating from a Finnish higher education institution.

28.8.2024 | The number of applications increased slightly from the previous year while the processing times for permits shortened significantly. In the first part of 2024, 15,959 people applied for the first permit, compared with 15,493 persons during the same time last year.

15.2.2024 | On 15 February 2024, the Government submitted a proposal to transpose the amendments required by the EU Blue Card Directive into Finnish legislation. The amendments will apply to non-EU nationals arriving in Finland with a EU residence permit for highly qualified workers, also known as the Blue Card.

13.6.2024 | The Government is seeking to strengthen the link between work and work-based residence permits, and to improve permit supervision. Worker’s residence permit holders in Finland would also have better opportunities to find new employment in sectors with a labour shortage. The Government proposal has been circulated for comments between 13 June and 16 August 2024.

11.8.2022 | The Government’s proposal to amend the act on residence permits for researchers has been sent out for comments. It would extend the duration of residence permits to make it easier for researchers to stay in Finland and conduct research. At the same time, it would improve the position of researchers conducting postgraduate research. 

25.3.2024 | The development measures of the employment and economic development services (TE services), the Finnish Immigration Service and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment reduced the processing time of residence permits for employed persons to an average of 41 days in February 2024 from the previous year’s figure of 77 days.

4.4.2022 | Those granted temporary protection have the right to work without any restrictions or delay as soon as they have received a decision on temporary protection. They do not need to wait for a residence permit card. They can also register as jobseekers at the TE Office and receive employment support services, says an instructional leaflet prepared by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE). 

25.1.2022 | The Government wants to speed up the residence permit processes by reforming Chapter 5 of the Aliens Act. It therefore proposes to shorten the processing time for work-based residence permits to an average of 30 days by the end of the government term. The reform would also increase the use of automation and enable the certification of employers to make the application process easier. 

2.11.2021 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has appointed a working group to prepare a reform of services for children and young people who have arrived in Finland without a guardian and who have been granted a residence permit. The reform aims to ensure that the young people have equal access to services, similar to other groups in need of special support. 

2.4.2020 | The Government proposes a temporary amendment to the Aliens Act and the Seasonal Workers Act that would allow all third-country nationals residing legally in Finland to work in sectors and tasks that are essential for the security of supply and the functioning of the labour market. On 2 April 2020, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal for acts on the temporary amendment of the Aliens Act and the Seasonal Workers Act.

21.9.2018 | The Finnish Government has commissioned a pilot study on bottlenecks in the processing of residence permits on the basis of employment. The ministerial working group on migration discussed the study report in its meetings on 21 September 2018. Cooperation between the authorities should be improved and electronic services and customer services developed, according to the report authors.

16.9.2016 | Those asylum seekers who arrived last autumn and have since then been granted residence permits are now integrating into Finnish society. More than one half of those who have received a residence permit have moved from the reception centres to municipalities. Many have registered as clients at Employment and Economic Development Offices and have a completed integration plan.

5.6.2025 | On 5 June 2025, the Government issued a decree on sectors with labour shortages in which the holders of residence permits for employed persons may seek work more flexibly. At the same time, the Government wants to facilitate the supply of labour in sectors suffering from labour shortages.

1.3.2021 | The Government has submitted a proposal to Parliament on the temporary closure of restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses to customers for three weeks. The act would enter into force on 8 March 2021 and remain in force until 28 March 2021. During that time, meals could still be sold to customers for takeaway and delivery. The closure would apply to food and beverage service busines...