The new law enacted by the four-party alliance government led by Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party) with the provision for cancellation of work-based residence permit after 3 months' joblessness will enter into force on June 11, 2025.
As per the amendments to the Aliens Act, an employee working in Finland with a work-based residence permit will have three months to find a new job if the employment relationship ends prematurely, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in a press release on Thursday.
If the holder of the permit does not find new work and there are no other grounds for staying in Finland, the permit will be cancelled.
The job seeking period, however, would be six months instead of three months for specialists, for 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 new law will allow the holder of a residence permit for an employed person to switch to another sector that has been verified as a labour shortage sector throughout Finland.
Until now, the holder of a residence permit for an employed person has been able to change employers within the same sector, but not switch to another sector without a new residence permit.
The government decree will be issued at the beginning of June and lay down provisions on national labour shortage sectors.
According to the new law, employers will be required to notify the Finnish Immigration Service, if the employment relationship of a person residing in Finland with a work-based residence permit ends prematurely.
The employer should submit the notification within 14 days of the end of the employment relationship.
The government in October 2024, submitted the proposal to the parliament on amendments to the Aliens Act and the parliament approved the proposal.
Earlier 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.
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 2023, leaders of the four parties announced the programme, which included tougher immigration, residence and citizenship laws.
- Finland
- Tightens
- Residence permit
- Work-based
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
