Work-based immigration and residence permits

Once you have found a suitable candidate for your organization, our IHH Advisory and Counseling Services are here to explain the residence permit process and help you understand what steps to take for your employee to relocate to and start working in Finland.

The immigration process starts with applying for a residence permit if your new employee comes from outside the EU/EEA. If your new employee is a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, they do not need a residence permit to work in Finland. In that case, you can proceed to the next step in your relocation journey, the right to work and employer obligations.

You can always reach out to our IHH Advisory and Counseling Services for support throughout the residence permit process and we are here to answer any questions related to work-based immigration.

Immigration process and residence permit types

The immigration process depends on whether your international employee is a citizen of an EU/EEA country or from outside of the EU/EEA. International employees who are not EU or EEA nationals most likely will require a work-based residence permit to start working in Finland. Below you can find most common residence permit types and how the immigration process goes in case the international employee is a citizen of a country outside of the EU and EEA.

The employee and their family members should complete the immigration process by themselves. The application process usually starts with submitting applications via Enter Finland opens in new tab opens in new tab. If your employee is applying for a work-based residence permit, you, as the employer, must fill in the work conditions in the residence permit application. After submitting the application, the employees and their family members must verify their identity in person at a Finnish Mission opens in new tab opens in new tab, Application Centre opens in new tab opens in new tab or one of A Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) service point opens in new tab opens in new tab, if they are already in Finland.

Common residence permits for employment situations

Employed person	Specialist	Researcher
The employee must have a signed work contract or binding job offer before applying for a residence permit. The employer must fill in the conditions of employment in the application at Enter Finland. Includes a partial decision by the TE Office. For full-time employment, the salary must be at least in line with the applicable collective agreement. If there is no applicable collective agreement, the gross salary must be at least 1600 €/month in 2025. If the job requires special qualifications, a licence or an approved medical condition, the employer must ensure that the employee meets the requirements of the job.	The employee must have a signed work contract or binding job offer before applying for a residence permit. The employer must fill in the conditions of employment in the application at Enter Finland. The job tasks must require special expertise. Gross salary requirement of at least 3827 €/month in 2025 (benefits in kind are not taken into account when calculating the salary requirement). A higher education degree is usually required The employer must ensure the specific skills of the employee. Fast Track opens in new tab opens in new tab	Requires confirmed selection and a signed hosting agreement from a research institution. Requires a master’s or doctoral degree. For full-time work, the salary must be at least in line with the applicable collective agreement. If there is no applicable collective agreement, see what the gross salary must be on Migri’s website opens in new tab opens in new tab.
Average duration of the application process 2-4 months	Average duration of the application process 2 weeks	Average duration of the application process 1-2 months

TIP: You can check the processing times for the applications on the Finnish Immigration Services’ (Migri) website.

Fast track

If your future employee is coming to work in Finland from a non-EU/EEA country, they may be able to apply for a residence permit using Migri’s fast track service. Under the fast-track system, the employee can get a decision on the residence permit application within two weeks.

Your future employee can apply for a residence permit using the fast track service if they are applying as:

Family members can also submit fast track residence applications.

Please note that you must use the Enter Finland e-service to use Migri’s fast track service. It is recommended that your Enter Finland account is created at the earliest stage of the application process.

TIP: For Fast track applications employers needs to add the terms of employment to the employee’s application within two (2) working days of receiving the message that your employee has submitted an application.

Employers account on Enter Finland

When applying for a residence permit you can use the Enter Finland e-service to submit the application and required documents from the employer side. To get started you must first create an employer account on the Enter Finland e-service. By having an account, it is easier to provide information about their employment.

After your have created your employers account on Enter Finland, you can:

fill in the terms and conditions of employment and company details in your residence permit application
pay the processing fee (not applicable for fast track)
provide supplementary information about your company and the terms of employment
monitor the status of the application

Learn more about what else you can do with your employer’s account on Enter Finland

TIP: In case the new international employee is relocating to Finland together with their family members it is advisable to apply for residence permits and visit the Finnish mission at the same time so that the applications of the whole family will be processed simultaneously.

TIP: While your employee is waiting for their residence permit to be processed, you can always provide them with information and links to start the settling in process. More information about Settling in the Helsinki capital region.

If your new international employee receives a request to provide additional information for their residence permit application, the application will be on hold until the requested information is provided.

NOTE: You cannot apply for residence permit on behalf of your employee.

For more information, please check Migri’s website for employers and how to use Enter Finland for Employers.

Useful links

Contact our IHH Counseling and Advisory Services

IHH Advisory and Counseling Services for Employers

Work in Finland's Advisory and Counseling Services for Employers provides guidance on the different stages of international recruitment. We offer advice on topics such as: Work-based immigration and residence permits, Right to work for foreign employees, Employer obligations when hiring foreign nationals, National Work in Finland services. The service is free of charge. You can call us on weekdays between 9:00 and 15:00, request a call-back, or contact us by email.

+358 295 016 770 wif.neuvonta@keha-keskus.fi Learn more about the Work in Finland's Advisory and Counseling Services for Employers (link opens an external website)