Finland: New Measures to Streamline the Work Permit Application Process

Key Points  

• Finland introduced changes to its immigration law with the intention of reducing application wait-times and streamlining the application collection process  

Overview   

The government of Finland introduced new measures aimed at simplifying and streamlining the work permit application process. These new measures include:  

• Introducing better instructions for online employment-based residence permit applications for both employers and employees.  
• Shifting more of the responsibilities associated with the application to the employer, including the employer conducting a competence and professional skills check. Employers who verify the competence and skills of foreign employees before hiring an employee will not need the Finnish Immigration Service to conduct another check. 
• Setting standard timelines for the validity of work permit documents. Previously, these documents were limited by the validity period of an applicant’s identification document.  
• Introducing a trusted employer certificate with a validity period of two years. This certificate will reduce processing timelines during certain steps in the application process.  

What are the Changes?   

The government of Finland introduced amendments to its immigration law on 23 February 2023. According to the government, the aim of these new measures is to reduce application processing timelines to around one month. The government clarified that these amendments will not apply to specialist applications that have been submitted under the fast-track application service.  

Looking Ahead   

Continue to check the government of Finland’s website and Envoy’s website for the latest updates and information.