Employers

IHH International Recruitment Services can help your organization kickstart your international recruitment journey. We can help you expand your international candidate search.

The easiest way to start expanding your candidate search is to consider the prerequisites for the open position: would it be possible to consider a non-fluent Finnish speaker for the position. You can start by posting the job ad in English on Työmarkkinatori and on the Work in Finland website.

You can also contact your city’s employment services (in the capital region Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa (in Finnish) to search for international jobseekers who are already in Finland.

There are several possible financial supports available depending on the open position and candidate you are searching for, the candidate’s country of residence, and their employment status.

When hiring a local candidate, you might get city supplements based on the residency or pay subsidy from the municipality if the candidate is an unemployed jobseeker.

If you are looking to hire an international employee to expand into new global markets, you can apply for the Talent financial support.

Citizens of non-EU countries usually need a residence permit. There are different categories of residence permits. The suitable residence permit for your employee depends on the work assignments and terms of employment. The most common residence permits are a residence permit for an employed person and a residence permit for a specialist. Please visit the Finnish Immigration Service’s website for further information regarding different categories of residence permits.

The processing time for a residence permit application depends on the type of residence permit your employee has applied for and the amount of investigation needed for the application. You can use the Finnish Immigration Service’s Processing Time Checker to check the expected processing time for the residence permit application.

An employee can apply for a tax card at International House Helsinki or the Helsinki Area Tax Office. From 1 March 2022 onwards to get an individual tax number, required for working at a construction site in Finland, the employee must visit the Helsinki Area Tax Office located at Hämeentie 15.

You can learn more about getting a tax card here and more information about getting an individual tax number is available here.

Appointments both for International House Helsinki and Helsinki Area Tax Office can be booked online or by phone 029 497 050.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) enters data into the Finnish Population Information System and can issue an employee’s Finnish personal identity code. Your employee can get their Finnish personal identity code at International House Helsinki.

The employee may also have received their Finnish personal identity code earlier from the Finnish Immigration Service when they applied for a residence permit or registered their residence as an EU citizen.

An employee can also request a personal identity code for tax purposes from the Finnish Tax Administration when applying for a tax card or an individual tax number.

However, the employee is not automatically registered as a resident of a specific municipality when they receive a personal identity code without visiting a DVV service point.

There are many things to take care of when moving to and settling in the Helsinki region. For general information and guidance International House Helsinki (IHH) has a chat service where your employee can ask questions about life in the Helsinki capital region.

Your new employee will certainly benefit from International House Helsinki’s pre-arrival support. It is worth recommending that they attend one of our Newcomer Information Sessions, which offer advice and support on matters to be taken care of both before and after arrival in Finland.

The cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa provide information about what first steps your international employees need to take before and upon their arrival to the capital region. In addition, infoFinland.fi offers a detailed arrival checklist for all international newcomers.

Please direct your employee to visit the IHH service centre after arriving in the Helsinki region. At International House Helsinki they can apply for a tax card and get a Finnish personal identity code and register their municipality of residence . They can also apply for social security coverage under the Finnish social security system and even get general information and guidance about life in the capital region.

If you have questions please contact us by phone 09 310 111 11 or by email info@ihhelsinki.fi.

Employers are obliged to ensure that their employee has all of the required permits to reside and work in Finland.

Information regarding the principal terms and conditions of employment must be provided to the Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) when the person hired is either a non-EU citizen or an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen or family member of an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen. The information must be submitted immediately (within a week). This is required in all cases regardless of the type of residence permit the employee possesses.

Employers can either submit a copy of the job contract or TEM054 form (an appendix to the residence permit application of an employed person). The employer can also make the notification electronically through Enter Finland’s Employer site.

An employer must inform the shop steward (luottamusmies), the elected representative (luottamusvaltuutettu), and the occupational safety and health representative (työsuojeluvaltuutettu) at the workplace about the name of the foreign employee (other than EU citizen) and the applicable collective agreement.

In addition, the employer has an obligation to collect and store information regarding the foreign employee, such as personal data and the grounds for the foreign employee’s right to work.

This information must be stored for the duration of their employment and for four years after the termination of their employment. In addition, it must be readily available for the occupational safety and health authorities’ inspection on demand. Employers should store a copy of the employee’s passport and residence permit card.

All the same, laws, collective agreements, and obligations apply to foreign employees than to Finnish employees. If you have questions about your obligations as an employer of international employees, please contact us by phone  040 922 5126 or by email ihhtyonantajaneuvonta@helsinki.chamber.fi.

Citizens of EU/EEA countries do not need a residence permit to live or work in Finland. They can reside and work freely in Finland for up to three months, after which they must register their right of residence at the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). If your new employee is an EU/EEA citizen, they can do this at International House Helsinkiopens in new tab. Citizens of Nordic countries are exceptions, and they can register at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

Citizens of non-EU countries usually need a residence permit. There are different categories of residence permits, and the right to work depends on the type of the permit. Some work is allowed without a residence permit for a restricted period (usually no longer than 90 days). Please visit the Finnish Immigration Service’s website opens in new tabfor further information regarding different categories of residence permits.

If you have any questions about the residence permit process, residence permits based on employment, please contact our advisory and counseling services by phone 040 922 5126 or by email ihhtyonantajaneuvonta@helsinki.chamber.fi.

If your new employee is relocating to Finland from abroad, it is good to provide them with as much information about their new home as possible. Some resources that your new employee could find useful are The Newcomer’s Guide and InfoFinland. It is also worth recommending that they attend one of our Newcomer Information Sessions, which offer advice and support on matters to be taken care of both before and after arrival in Finland.

You can also guide your new employee to search for Finnish and Swedish language courses through language course search finnishcourses.fi.

The Spouse Program is an initiative of the City of Helsinki. It is open to international partners and spouses living in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa.

It provides international spouses with social, professional, and cultural support and offers them a supportive community of like-minded internationals.

The Spouse Program is free to join and regularly hosts events on a wide range of topics designed to help newcomers feel at home in the capital region.

Your employee’s spouse can also participate in IHH’s Employment Coaching.

The Newcomer’s Guide is a comprehensive guidebook developed by the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa. It is the ultimate English language resource for those moving to, living, working, and studying in the capital region.

The guide is divided into four main parts, moving, living, work & study, and leisure time. It provides readers with a wide range of materials, including information about the various public authority services newcomers need to visit upon arrival, where to study Finnish or Swedish, and advice for housing options. The Newcomer’s Guide even has information about local cultural activities and customs.

Information related to housing and different housing options is available in the Housing in Helsinki guide.

IHH provides Daycare and Education Guidance that helps families residing in Helsinki with queries about daycare, pre-primary and primary education services, and playground and club activities. Customers can ask, for example, advice on application processes and receive consultation on different daycare and school options in the capital region.

The service is available in Finnish and English.

You can contact the education guidance service by email eduguidance@hel.fi. You can ask questions as well as book a personal telephone appointment or an online meeting via email or through the appointment booking system.

The City of Helsinki has a guide to early childhood education (pdf) and options for basic education in Helsinki (pdf).