Govt to tighten criteria for Finnish permanent residence permit

The four-party alliance government led by the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party-NCP) has proposed stiffen criteria for getting permanent residence permit in Finland.

Extended continuous period of residence, language skills in Finnish or Swedish and a work history of a certain length will be required for a permanent residence permit, said the Ministry of the Interior in a press release on Monday.

The government proposal to amend the Aliens Act was sent out for comments on 24 January.

“One of the objectives set in the Government Programme is to encourage immigrants to comply with the rules of Finnish society, to work and to study the language. In future, successful integration would be a prerequisite for obtaining a permanent residence permit,” said Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen.

According to the proposal, the continuous period of residence required for a permanent residence permit would be extended from four year to six years in normal cases. Based on a six-year period of residence, a permanent residence permit could in future be issued to an applicant who has sufficient skills in the Finnish or Swedish language and a two-year work history.

Obtaining a permanent residence permit based on a four-year period of residence would still be possible, but the applicant would have to meet one of the three additional requirements- a minimum annual income of EUR 40,000, a Master’s degree or a postgraduate degree recognised in Finland together a two-year work history and particularly good skills in the Finnish or Swedish language together with a three-year work history.

In all cases, the requirement concerning a work history of a certain length would also include a requirement of the applicant having accumulated their work history without recourse to unemployment security or social assistance other than for a maximum of three months.

An applicant who has completed a Master’s degree, a postgraduate degree or a Bachelor’s degree at a university in Finland could obtain a permanent residence permit without meeting the requirement concerning the period of residence.

In addition to the degree, such an applicant would have to have attained a certain level of proficiency in the Finnish or Swedish language. The applicant would also have to meet the general conditions for the issuance of a residence permit laid down in the Aliens Act.

Language skills in Finnish or Swedish would also be added among the requirements for obtaining a long-term resident’s EU residence permit. A third-country national who has resided within the European Union for a longer period may apply for an EU residence permit in a Member State. This is a permanent permit that is valid until further notice similarly as the national permanent permit.

Furthermore, the Government proposed that an unconditional sentence of imprisonment would in future affect the calculation of the period of residence required for a permanent residence permit and a long-term resident’s residence permit.

The government in early March, 2024 took the initiative to stiffen the criteria for getting permanent residence permit in Finland.