Stricter conditions for permanent residence permits

The continuous period of residence required for a permanent residence permit will be extended from four years to six years.

When you have resided in Finland for six years, as a rule, you could be granted a permanent residence permit on condition that your proficiency in either Finnish or Swedish is satisfactory and you have two years of work experience in Finland. 

The legislative amendments will enter into force on 8 January 2026.

Obtaining a permanent residence permit based on a four-year period of residence would still be possible. However, you would have to meet one of the following three additional requirements:

• a minimum annual income of EUR 40,000
• a master’s degree or a postgraduate degree recognised in Finland and two years of work experience in Finland
• high proficiency in Finnish or Swedish and three years of work experience in Finland. 

If you meet the work history requirement, it will also be required that you have only used unemployment security or social assistance for a maximum of three months.

Applicants who have completed a master’s degree, a postgraduate degree or a university bachelor’s degree in Finland may obtain a permanent residence permit without having to meet the required period of residence in terms of years. In such a case, a certain standard of proficiency in Finnish or Swedish will also be required. 

In addition, they will be required to meet the general conditions for issuing a residence permit in the same way as in other situations where a permanent residence permit is issued. These general conditions include a valid passport and sufficient financial resources as well as the fact that they do not pose a danger to public order or security.

A third-country national who has resided within the European Union for a long period may apply for an EU residence permit in a Member State. This is a permanent permit that is valid until further notice just like the national permanent permit.

Proficiency in either Finnish or Swedish will be one of the requirements that must be met so that you can obtain an EU residence permit based on having resided in the country for a long time. 

There will be four different language proficiency levels. The levels will be defined using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages that describes language proficiency on a six-point scale. The levels from the second lowest to the second highest will apply.

You can always demonstrate your language proficiency by passing the National Certificate of Language Proficiency test in Finnish or Swedish. The National Certificate of Language Proficiency test also has six levels and is based on the European scale mentioned above.

The National Certificate of Language Proficiency test consists of four subtests that are assessed separately. It will be sufficient for the applicants to have received a sufficiently high grade for at least two tests so that the combination will demonstrate both oral and written language skills.

In addition, in requirements other than the highest one (high proficiency in Finnish or Swedish) you can demonstrate your proficiency, for example by completing comprehensive school, vocational education and training or general upper secondary education in Finnish or Swedish.

Work history means enough gainful employment or entrepreneurship so that you have not had to use unemployment security or social assistance services.

You must have been employed or self-employed or run a business to a degree deemed sufficient to be considered as full-time employment over the course of the past two or three years before your application is submitted. You may have used unemployment benefits or social assistance services for a maximum of three months or been otherwise absent from work for no more than three months.

Work history covers gainful employment, entrepreneurship, freelance work and so-called light entrepreneurship. Work involving a Finnish grant will also be included.

A child may be granted a permanent residence permit if the person who has custody of the child has a permanent permit, an EU residence permit or Finnish citizenship. In such a case, the period of residence requirement will not apply to the child.

If a child does not have a custodian in Finland, the child will have to reside in the country for four years without interruption in order to obtain a permanent permit.

For an EU residence permit, a child will also have to reside in the country for at least five years, but a corresponding permit will not be required of the custodian. This is due to the requirements of the directive.

A child will not have to demonstrate proficiency in Finnish or Swedish or meet other requirements related to integration in order to obtain a permanent residence permit or an EU residence permit.

In future, any unconditional sentence of imprisonment will affect how the period of residence required for a permanent residence permit and an EU residence permit is calculated. The duration of time when an applicant is serving an unconditional sentence of imprisonment will be excluded from the period of residence. In addition, the calculation of the period of residence will start from the beginning once the sentence has been served in full.