Background information

In 2024 the parliament approved an amendment to the Aliens Act 301/2004 (Ulkomaalaislaki) whereby the income limit for work-related residence permits (TTOL) for labour immigration rose to €1,600 per month. The amendment entered into force on 1 January 2025. The purpose of the amendment is to limit labour migration to sectors that have low wages in order to ensure that labour migrants have a de facto capacity to live off their wage and to encourage full-time employment of labour migrants in low paid sectors

Content of measure

The amendment applies to work-related residence permits for all employees for which no separate sectoral residence permit arrangement exists. Starting 1 April 2025, the new income requirements also apply to persons already in Finland when they apply for an extended permit.

For a work-related residence permit to be granted the employees wage has to be in accordance with the collective agreement applicable in the sector of employment. Previously, if no sectoral collective agreement was in force, the income minimum of €1,399 (in 2024) had to be reached. The level was based on the Unemployment Security Act 1290/2002 (Työttömyysturvalaki). Now, the income limit can be set by a government decree.

Naturally, the minimum wage in collective agreements still has to be followed, but the minimum income limit of €1,600 also has to be reached. Thus, the minimum wages in part-time work may no longer be sufficient for a work-based residence permit.

Use of measure

In 2019-2023, the average number of first residence permits for workers with a monthly salary of less than €1,600 was around 1,100 per year

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

Social partners have seats in the advisory council on the working conditions and licensing of foreign workers and entrepreneurs (Ulkomaalaisten työntekijöiden ja yrittäjien työehto- ja lupavalvonta-asioiden neuvottelukunta) which have been involved in the preparation. Social partner have also been directly consulted

Views and reactions

The peak-level employer organisation Confederation of Finnish Industries (Elinkeinoelämän keskusliitto) has voiced concern over spill-over effects of the amendment in that work shifts now may become unduly concentrated to employees with a work-based residence permit over their colleagues who do not have to meet such requirements. The peak-level trade union for blue-collar workers SAK has in their statement voiced support for the lower income limit, stating that in full-time work €1,600 is surpassed in nearly all sectors.

Sources

• 31 January 2024: Consultations on the government proposal to amend the income limit (Lausunnot hallituksen esityksestä työlupien tulorajan nostamiseksi). (www.lausuntopalvelu.fi)
• 31 January 2024: Government proposal for work-permits income limit (Hallituksen esitys palkkarajaksi oleskeluluvan myöntämisen edellytykseksi) (www.eduskunta.fi)
• 14 January 2025: Income limit for work-based residence permit (Työntekijän oleskeluluvan tuloraja) (tem.fi)