In Finland, the minimum income requirement for obtaining a residence permit for an employed person will increase starting from 1 January 2025 due to changes in legislation. Foreign employees coming to Finland with a residence permit for work must earn at least 1,600 euros per month. The purpose of these amendments is to ensure that workers relocating to Finland receive a salary sufficient to meet their living expenses. This legislative reform aligns with the Finnish Government’s goal of promoting full-time employment in the country.
Currently, a residence permit for an employed person can be issued if the applicant’s salary complies with the applicable collective agreement or meets the minimum income requirement of 1,399 euros per month. When the amendments have entered into force, international employees who are working in Finland with a residence permit for an employed person must still have a salary that complies with the applicable collective agreement, but the 1,600 euros will be the minimum salary level that is required. If an applicant’s salary is lower than that, the applicant will not be eligible for the permit.
Under the Aliens Act, a person who applies for a residence permit is considered to have sufficient financial resources if he or she cannot be expected to become dependent on social assistance.
“Applicants must have sufficient income in Finland during the entire time their residence permit is valid. In 2025, automated post-decision monitoring of residence permits will expand to cover the residence permit for an employed person. Post-decision monitoring of permits focuses on key requirements, such as assessing whether the employee has been paid a sufficient salary,” says Tuuli Huhtilainen, Process Owner, who runs the process of residence permits for employed persons and seasonal work.
The new minimum income limit concerns all applications for a first residence permit for an employed person as of 1 January 2025 and extended permits as of 1 April 2025.
The residence permit for an employed person is the most common work-based residence permit issued in Finland. The number of applications for a first residence permit for an employed person submitted in January–November 2024 was 9,104. The most common citizenships among applicants who have applied for a work-based residence permit this year are Thailand, Philippines, India, China and Vietnam. Most applicants from Thailand came to Finland for a short time period to pick wild berries.
