Bill to cancel work-based permit after 3 months’ joblessness submitted to parliament

The right-wing four-party alliance government led by Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party) on Thursday submitted a proposal on amendments to the Aliens Act with the provision for cancellation of work-based permit after 3 months' joblessness.

The government proposed that an employee with a work-based residence permit would have three months to find a new job, if the employment in Finland ended prematurely. If the holder of the permit does not find new work and there are no other grounds for staying in Finland, the person should leave the country, said an official press release.

The amendments would enter into force on 1 April 2025.

The proposal, however, takes the long recruitment times of specialists into consideration.

The jobseeking period would be six months instead of three months for specialists (including the EU Blue card), for all those who have lived in Finland for longer than two years with a work-based residence permit, for those in the middle or top management of a company, and for seconded specialists and managers moving within a company.

“The rule would bring security to employees, as the protection period for jobseeking would be laid down in law. The regulation is in line with the other Nordic countries, and a protection period of at least three months in the event of unemployment will be introduced in all EU Member States in the next few years,” said Minister of Employment Arto Satonen.

“There will be comprehensive and automated follow-up monitoring. The rules for continuing to stay in Finland will be clear to everybody,” Satonen added.

In future, employers would be required to notify the Finnish Immigration Service, if the employment relationship of a person residing in Finland with a work-based residence permit ended prematurely.

The employer should submit the notification within 14 days of the end of the work.

The proposal would allow the employee to switch to another sector that has been verified as a labour shortage sector throughout Finland under the same permit.

A person with a residence permit for an employed person in Finland may currently change employers within the same sector but may not switch to another sector.

It would still be necessary to apply for a new residence permit for work in sectors other than these.

In June, 2024, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment sent the government´s proposal for cancellation of work-based permit after 3 months' joblessness sent for comments.

Earlier in September 2023, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has launched preparations for legislative amendments with the view to tightening the monitoring of work-based residence permits.

On September 5, the right-wing four-party alliance government has started the initiative with the view to hike the income limit requirement from the existing 1331 euros to 1600 euros to get a Finnish residence permit on basis of employment.

The government took the moves amid protests across the country.

On August 25, several hundreds of people went on demonstrations in Helsinki in protest at the move of the four-party alliance right wing government of tightening the immigration policy.

Separate demonstrations were also held in Helsinki on June 27 and June 18 protesting against the immigration policy taken by the government.

Rector of the University of Helsinki Sari Lindblom and Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä strongly opposed the tightening immigration policy announced by the four-party alliance government.

Earlier on June 16, leaders of the four parties announced the programme, which included tougher immigration, residence and citizenship laws.