C K AG E

T I ON P A
R M A
INFO

Work
This information package contains information on applying for a residence
permit on the basis of work. The information package is useful if your work
includes providing advice on topics related to immigration and residence
permits. For the most up-to-date version of this information package, please
see our website.

The package does not include information on seasonal work permits.

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Contents
The residence permit application Certified employer 12
process from the applicant’s point of view 3
Waiting for a residence permit decision 13
Who needs a residence permit for work? 4
Right to work 14
Applications 5
Changing jobs 15
Fast track 7
Problems at work 16
Partial decision and labour market
Residence permit card 17
testing in the residence permit process 8
Service points and guidance services 19
Income requirement 9
Tips and guides 20
The employer’s role 10
The residence permits that the employer
must deliver the terms of employment 11

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The residence permit application process from the applicant’s point of view
Prepare
1. Check if you need 2. Which application 3. Learn about the require- 4. Prepare the attachments
a residence permit: should you fill in on the ments for entry into Finland you will need for your
You are coming from basis of work? Use the and for a residence permit residence permit application
outside the EU – Yes. Application Finder
You are coming from the EU
– Register your residence
Apply

Prove your identity 6. Pay for the application 5. Apply for a residence
+ any family member permit in Enter Finland and
8. Book an appointment 7. Your employer moving to Finland with add the attachments to
for proving your identity supplements the terms you should apply for a the application
of your employment residence permits
in your application

Follow the processing of the application Recieve the decision

9. Follow the processing 10. If necessary, add 11. Decisions: If you applied for a residence permit 12. Receive
of the application in Enter more information to your for an employed person, you need to first wait for a your residence
Finland and by using the application in Enter Finland partial decision from the Employment and Economic permit card
Development Office (TE Office). Then, you will receive
a decision from the Finnish Immigration Service.
You will also receive directions for appeal.
Prepare to live in FInland
15. Check your right to 14. Apply for an extended 13. If necessary, book an
work during the processing permit before your first appointment at the Digital
of your extended permit permit expires and Population Data Services
Agency and apply for a
personal identity code as
well as for registration of your
3 address and family ties
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Who needs a residence permit for work?

` l j m^ k v

Those arriving from outside the Citizens of EU and EEA countries In some cases, employed persons
EU need a residence permit do not need a residence permit do not need a residence permit

Citizens of countries outside the European Citizens of EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Some tasks do not require a residence per-
Union (EU) must apply for a residence per- Liechtenstein or Switzerland or individuals of mit if their duration is less than 90 days. Find
mit if they are entering Finland for work. Use a comparable status (such as family mem- the tasks on the page Right to work without
an application form corresponding to your bers of EU citizens from outside the EU) do a residence permit.
work and level of education to apply for not need to apply for a residence permit.
a residence permit for work. If none of the However, if they stay and work in Finland for
application forms correspond to your work, longer than 90 days, they must apply for a
apply for a residence permit for an emplo- registration of their right of residence.
yed person (TTOL).

Please note! If the employed person does

not know which application to choose, they
can use the Application Finder. The Applica-
tion Finder will help choose the correct type
of application.
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Applications

See the requirements and the attachments needed for the applications on
the application pages. Each application page also includes the application
form, the estimated processing time and information about your right to work.

Residence permit for an Residence permit application Residence permit application for
employed person for Working Holiday employment in the field of journalism

Residence permit for an entrepreneur Residence permit application for Residence permit for employment
intra-corporate transferee with international organisations and
Residence permit for a start-up (ICT residence permit) cooperation between states
entrepreneur
Residence permit application for Residence permit for employment with
Residence permit for a person employment - intra-corporate an agreement between states
employed as a specialist transfer (Mobile ICT)
Residence permit for preparation of
EU Blue Card Mobility notification for persons company’s arrival in Finland and
with ICT residence permit supervision of orders
Residence permit for internship
Residence permit for voluntary work Residence permit application for
Residence permit application for an delivery of a machine or a system
employee of a religious community Residence permit application for work in
the field of culture or arts Residence permit application for
sports or coaching
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Residence permit application for Residence permits on the basis of

persons working in top and a degree or research completed Please note! If the employed person
middle management in Finland: does not know which application
to choose, they can use the
Residence permit application for Residence permit application on the Application Finder.
visiting consultant basis of research completed in Finland

Residence permit application for Residence permit application for person

visiting teacher, lecturer or instructor with a degree completed in Finland

Residence permit application for Application for students and

au pair status researchers: residence permit to
look for work or to start a business

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Fast track
Fast track means a faster permit process. Those fast-tracking their application receive a decision
in 14 days or less and will be able to travel to Finland as soon as they receive a positive decision.
After arriving in Finland, they will receive their residence permit card.

The Fast track process for the applicant

You meet the Apply via Pay the application Your employer fills Prove your identity If your family
requirements. Enter Finland. before you send it. in the terms of within 5 working days. members apply with
employment within you, they need to
2 working days. send their application
within 2 days.

If a person fast-tracking their application needs An employed person can fast-track their If the family members (spouse and children)
a visa to travel to Finland immediately, they residence permit application if they are of a person fast-tracking their application
may apply for a D visa when applying for their applying for: are also fast-tracking their applications:
residence permit. The fast track can only be • a residence permit for a person • they will receive the fast track code in their
used to apply for a first-time permit and the employed as a specialist e-mail after the main applicant has submit-
application must be sent from outside Finland. • a residence permit for a specialist or ted their application. The fast track code in-
The spouse and children of a person fast-track- a manager in an intra-corporate transfer terlinks the family members’ applications so
ing their application may also fast-track their (ICT residence permit) that they are processed at the same time.
residence permit applications if they apply at • the EU Blue Card • the fast track code will be valid for 2 days,
the same time as the main applicant. Fast-track • a residence permit for a start-up during which the spouse must submit their
your application by selecting the fast track op- entrepreneur own application. The main applicant or
tion in Enter Finland during the first steps of filling • a residence permit for persons working guardian uses their own user account to fill
in the application. in top and middle management in the child’s application after submitting
their own application.
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Partial decision and labour market testing in the residence permit process
A residence permit for an employed person (TTOL) is connected with labour market
testing. It means that the employer must establish if there is available labour force within
a reasonable time in Finland or within the EU/EEA for the work in question.

The residence permit application for an If the employed person is applying for a
employed person is processed in two stages. residence permit for an employed person
First, an Employment and Economic Devel- (TTOL), they can use the Guide for employed
opment Office (TE Office) will make a partial persons. The guide makes the applicant’s
decision on the application. The TE Office residence permit process easier, explaining
assesses whether the employed person has the steps involved in applying and the at-
sufficient means of support, whether the tachments required for the residence permit
work will be temporary or continuous, and application.
whether labour force is available within a
reasonable time in Finland or within the EU/
EEA for the work in question. The TE Office
also assesses whether the employer has ful-
filled its responsibilities.

After the partial decision, the application is

transferred to the Finnish Immigration Service
for processing.

Learn more on the TE service website

(available in Finnish and Swedish)

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Income requirement
When an employed person lives in Finland with a residence permit, they need to be able
to support themselves in Finland with their salary throughout the time their residence
permit is valid.

The purpose of the income requirement is Sufficient financial It is the employer’s responsibility to check
to ensure the employed person’s sufficient resources from work which collective agreement applies to the
financial resources. However, the amount of employed person’s sector.
salary required for a residence permit for a If an employed person applies for a resi-
person employed as a specialist and for the dence permit in order to work full-time, their
EU Blue Card indicates whether the em- salary must at least correspond to the salary Work-based residence permits
ployed person is eligible for the permit. The specified in the collective agreement that with a separately defined income
amount of salary required for a residence applies to their employment relationship. requirement
permit may change as the Finnish Immigra-
tion Service reviews the amount every year. If there is no collective agreement in their • Specialist and EU Blue Card
sector or if they work part-time, their gross • Athlete, coach or trainer
In some residence permits, some of the salary must be at least EUR 1,331 per month • Au pair
employed person’s income may be sourced in 2023. This sum meets the condition re- • Working holiday
from self-employment, entrepreneurship, light garding previous employment (in Finnish: • Volunteering
entrepreneurship or savings. See the resi- ‘työssäoloehto’) under the Unemployment • Start-up entrepreneur
dence permit-specific income requirements Security Act. The employer must pay a salary
on the application pages. commonly paid in the sector or paid to per-
See the up-to-date salaries on the
sons working in the same position.
website of the Finnish Immigration Service

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The employer’s role in the employee’s residence permit process

The employer cannot apply for a residence permit on behalf of the
employed person. However, they can help the employed person
choose the correct application.

Choosing the correct application

The residence permit suited for the em-

ployed person depends on factors such as a residence permit. Find the paper forms at In Enter Finland for Employers, the em-
the job description, the amount of salary, the end of the application pages. ployer can also follow the progress of the
the professional and educational back- employed person’s residence permit appli-
ground of the employed person, the nature cation and receive a notification when the
of the employment relationship and, in some Enter Finland for Employers – decision is made. Learn more about Enter
cases, the duration of the employment. Use delivering terms of employment, Finland for Employers on the website of the
the Application Finder for advice on choos- information and attachments Finnish Immigration Service.
ing the correct application. The require-
ments for the applications can be browsed Each application page lists the attachments If the employer is unable to use Enter Fin-
on the application pages. and information required from the employer. land for Employers, they must deliver the
The easiest way for the employer to deliver necessary information and attachments to
The employer should advise the employed the information and attachments is in Enter the employee by using the terms of employ-
person to apply for a residence permit in Finland for Employers. Nearly every appli- ment form so that the employee can attach
Enter Finland. Enter Finland is the fastest cation requires the employer to supplement them to their application.
channel for receiving a decision. If the em- the terms of employment. Supplementing
ployed person is unable to use Enter Finland, the terms of employment is easy in Enter Learn more on the Supplementing
they can also use a paper form to apply for Finland for Employers. the terms of employment page

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The residence permits that the employer must deliver the terms of employment
The employer must deliver the terms of employment either in Enter Finland for Employers or on a paper form for the following residence permits:

Residence permit for an Residence permit for employment Residence permit application for
employed person with international organisations and visiting consultant or instructor
cooperation between states
Residence permit for a person Residence permit application for
employed as a specialist Residence permit for employment with visiting teacher, lecturer or instructor
an agreement between states
EU Blue Card Residence permit application on the
Residence permit for preparation of basis of research completed in Finland
In the following residence permits, the em- company’s arrival in Finland and
ployer supplements the terms of employment supervision of orders Residence permit application for person
if the employed person has an employment with a degree completed in Finland
relationship. The employed person may also Residence permit application for
be self-employed, in which case they may delivery of a machine or a system In addition, employers must use Enter Finland
not have an employment relationship. for Employers to supplement the terms of
Residence permit application for employment in any applications of persons
Residence permit application for an sports or coaching fast-tracking residence permit applications.
employee of a religious community
Residence permit application for Learn more on supplementing the terms
Residence permit application for work in persons working in top and of employment in a residence permit appli-
the field of culture or arts middle management cation for an employee.

Residence permit application for

employment in the field of journalism
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Certified employer
A certified employer shortens the processing time of a residence permit application for an
employed person. If the employer is certified, the employed person does not need to fill in
all the employer information when applying for a residence permit.

As of April 2023, employees of certified em- Employers can apply for certification in
ployers may apply for a D visa when apply- Enter Finland for Employers. If the employer
ing for a residence permit. The D visa allows is unable to use Enter Finland for Employers,
the employed persons to travel to Finland they can also use a paper form to apply for
without a residence permit card as soon certification. The price of certification is EUR
as they receive a positive decision on their 140.
residence permit card application.
The Finnish Immigration Service maintains a
public list of certified employers on its web-
site.

Learn more on the Employer

certification page

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Waiting for a residence permit decision

The processing time of an application de- Learn more on the website of the Finnish
pends on the type of residence permit the Immigration Service:
employee is applying for. See the applica- • When do we start counting the processing
tion pages for the average processing times time?
of different application types. The process- • What affects the processing time?
ing time varies based on the amount of ad-
ditional information required for the applica- Employed persons can use the
tion. The processing time may be longer if: When there are changes in the Kamu chatbot to ask about their
• we need to ask the employed person for processing of the application, application’s place in the queue
further information the Finnish Immigration Service
• the employed person has not filled in the sends automated messages to Kamu will tell the employed person where
application sufficiently the applicant their application stands in the queue of
• we need to invite the employed person pending applications. Kamu checks how
to an interview See the website of the Finnish Immigration many applications in the queue:
• the employed person has requested that Service for information on when messages • relate to the same case type; and
we make an exception to the require- are sent to employed persons. • have awaited a decision longer
ments that the employed person should
meet in order to get the permit See the website of the Finnish Immigration
Service for more information on Kamu.

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Right to work
An employed person’s right to work depends on the residence permit granted to them. The right to work
can be checked from the residence permit card and the employed person’s residence permit decision.

If the employed person has been granted a residence permit on the basis of work, their right to work
may be restricted. The grounds for the residence permit determine the amount and types of work the
employed person is allowed to perform. The right to work connected to different types of work-based
residence permits can be checked on the application pages. Learn more on the Right to work page.

Right to work during the processing of an extended permit

An employed person applies An employed person applies An employed person applies
for an extended permit before for an extended permit after for an extended permit before If the employed person re-
the previous permit expires: the previous residence permit the previous permit expires, ceives a deportation decision
Even if the previous permit ex- has expired: but the extended permit is not in connection with a negative
pires during the processing, the The employed person’s right to granted: residence permit decision and
person’s right to work continues work expired when the previous If the employed person appeals the appeal is rejected by the
if they continue working at the permit expired. The right to work the decision, they may contin- Administrative Court, the right
same workplace or in the same continues when the extended ue working until the appeal has to work expires instantly, even
field. During the processing of permit is granted. been processed and enters into if the employed person applies
the extended permit, the right force. to the Supreme Administrative
to work can be proven by pre- Court for leave to appeal.
senting the expired residence
permit card and the certificate Learn more about the right to
of the pending application for work during the processing of an
an extended permit. extended permit.
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Changing jobs
How freely an employed person can change jobs depends on the residence permit granted to them.

1 2 3 4
If the employed person has a If the employed person has a Work-based residence permits If the employed person wants
residence permit for an emp- residence permit for a certain that allow unrestricted chan- to change their professional
loyed person (TTOL): type of work: ging of jobs: field and work, they many
An employed person who has If the employed person has been The residence permit for a person need to apply for a new
been granted a residence permit granted a residence permit for a with a degree completed in Fin- work-based residence permit:
for a certain professional field certain type of work, for example land, the residence permit on the Use the Application Finder for
may freely change jobs if the work as a specialist, they may basis of research completed in advice on choosing the correct
residence permit is valid and the usually freely change jobs if the Finland and the residence permit application. The right to work at
new job is within the same profes- work still meets the requirements for students to look for work have the new workplace will not start
sional field. The employed person of the current residence permit an unrestricted right to work. This until a new permit has been
may also have multiple jobs in and the work still requires special means that they can work freely granted.
the same professional field. expertise. in any professional field.

A residence permit for an in-

tra-corporate transfer (ICT res-
idence permit), granted to a Learn more on the Changing jobs page
specific employer, forms an
exception to this.

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Problems at work

The Finnish laws and any international

agreements that bind Finland are applied
to work performed in Finland. Usually also
a collective labour agreement applies.
These agreements determine work-related
rights and obligations, such as the minimum
wage. The purpose of the agreements is to
protect employees.

No employee should put up with inappro-

priate treatment, underpayment, too long
work days, or dangerous working conditions.
If an employed person has a residence per-
mit in Finland and their employer has exploit-
ed them, they can apply for an extended
permit or a certificate of expanded right to
work.

Learn more and see where employed

persons can find help for any issues on the
website of the Finnish Immigration Service.
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Residence permit card

If an employed person is granted a residence permit, they will receive a residence permit
card. Where the employed person’s residence permit card is sent depends on where they
submitted their residence permit application, whether they fast-tracked their residence
permit application or whether they applied for a D visa when submitting their residence
permit application.

If the employed person submitted their If the employed person submitted If the employed person applied for
application in Finland or applied for a their application outside Finland: a residence permit via the fast track
D visa when submitting their residence The card will be delivered via the Finnish service outside Finland:
permit application abroad: embassy. They can choose whether they want to re-
Once a decision has been issued, the card will ceive the residence permit card in Finland or
be sent to their nearest Matkahuolto service at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate)
point in Finland within two weeks. Matkahuol- abroad.
to will send a notification on how and where
the card can be collected. Learn more on the residence permit card page

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Renewal of residence permit card

A residence permit card is valid for up to five

years. This is due to the fact that the card’s
chip contains biometric identifiers that expire
in five years. You can only renew your resi-
dence permit card in Finland.

If an employed person renews their card

Please note! It is important that the employed person updates the login method of their
in Enter Finland, they may not need to visit
a service point and can save time existing account where they applied for their previous permit instead of creating a new
If an employed person renews their card in account. After submitting the application, Enter Finland will tell the employed person
Enter Finland, they may not need to visit a ser- whether they need to visit a service point. Learn more about the options of renewing the
vice point. To avoid a visit, the employed per- card on the Renewal of residence permit card page. Learn more about using online
son must log on to their existing Enter Finland banking credentials to log in to Enter Finland on the Identification page.
account using Finnish online banking creden-
tials, for example, add an electronic passport
photo retrieval code to the application and
pay for the application before submitting it.

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Service points and guidance services of the Finnish Immigration Service

Service points The service points also have waiting num-

The Finnish Immigration Service has service bers for customers who have not booked
points in: an appointment. Check the opening hours
• Helsinki of queueing with a waiting number on the
• Lahti Service points page.
• Tampere
• Raisio
• Lappeenranta Customer guidance services
• Vaasa The Finnish Immigration Service has separate
• Kuopio service numbers for various topics. There are Other guidance
• Oulu also guidance services for employers. If an employed person or an employer has
• Rovaniemi • Residence permits on the basis of studies technical difficulty with Enter Finland, they
• The Åland Islands or work 0295 790 602 (Mon-Fri can contact esupport@migri.fi.
• International House Helsinki 8:30 a.m.–12 noon and 1 p.m.–3:30 p.m.)
(EU registration) • Guidance for employers 0295 790 601 The Helsinki-info service of the City of Hel-
(Mon-Fri 8:30–12 noon and 1 p.m.–3:30 sinki offers advice on the city’s services and
See the contact information and opening p.m.) immigration
hours of the service point on the Service o e-mail: tyonantajapalvelut@migri.fi

points page. Use our appointment system

The Kamu chatbot offers
to book an appointment to a service point See the other service numbers and calling
advice 24/7 on the
of the Finnish Immigration Service. For instruc- hours on the Customer guidance services
website of the Finnish
tions on booking an appointment, see the page.
Immigration Service!
Book an appointment at a service point
page.
Kamu speaks Finnish and English.
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Tips and guides

There are also various guides to help employed persons with their residence permit application process.

Guides

Use the Application Finder of the Finnish The Guide for employed persons of the The Work in Finland guide of the Digital
Immigration Service for advice on choos- Finnish Immigration Service offers advice and Population Data Services Agency tells
ing the correct application. on applying for a residence permit for an the user whether they need a residence
employed person and choosing the right permit and what to take into account after
attachments. applying for a residence permit.

More information available on the Finnish Immigration Service website

The Frequently Asked Questions page contains questions and answers on various topics.
The Instructions page contains instructions on the use of the systems of the Finnish Immigration Service, handling various situations, etc.
The Statistics page contains immigration statistics, such as the most commonly applied-for permits and the numbers of permits granted.
The Press releases and bulletins page allows you to read and subscribe to press releases and bulletins of the Finnish Immigration Service.
The Newsletters page allows you to read and subscribe to newsletters of the Finnish Immigration Service.

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