Starting January 1, 2025, Finland will introduce a higher minimum income requirement for individuals applying for work-based residence permits. Under the new law, foreign workers must earn at least €1,600 per month to be eligible for a residence permit. This change aims to ensure that salaries are sufficient to meet living costs and supports the Finnish Government’s goal of encouraging full-time employment.
Currently, applicants can qualify for a residence permit if their salary complies with an applicable collective agreement or meets the existing minimum threshold of €1,399 per month. With the upcoming change, while the collective agreement condition will remain in place, the salary must not fall below the new €1,600 minimum. If an applicant’s earnings are lower than this amount, their residence permit application will be rejected.
This update is based on the Aliens Act, which requires residence permit applicants to demonstrate they have enough financial resources to avoid relying on social benefits. The new income requirement will apply to all first-time residence permit applications from January 2025 and to renewal applications from April 2025.
Tuuli Huhtilainen, the Process Owner for residence permits for employed individuals and seasonal workers, announced that starting in 2025, automated post-decision monitoring will be expanded to ensure that workers continue to meet the salary requirements throughout the duration of their permit. This monitoring will focus on verifying that employees receive the appropriate pay in line with the conditions of their permit.
The residence permit for employed persons is the most commonly issued work-based permit in Finland. Between January and November 2024, a total of 9,104 applications for this permit were submitted. The majority of applicants came from Thailand, the Philippines, India, China, and Vietnam. Many of the Thai applicants are typically seasonal workers, such as those involved in berry picking in Finland.
