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Responsible for the service TE Office

Examination of the terms of employment of a foreigner regarding a residence permit for an employee

  • Permit or other obligation
  • Nationwide except the Åland Islands
  • Public service

A foreign person working in Finland requires a residence permit for an employee if another residence permit does not allow working or the employee cannot perform the work without a residence permit. If the employee has another residence permit granted by an authority in Finland, the permit may include the right to work in which case a separate residence permit for an employee is not required.

Cit ...

Do the following

The employee will apply for the residence permit from the Finnish Immigration Service by themselves. As an employer, you participate in applying for the permit by providing information about the employment relationship. If your employee applies for a residence permit online, you can supplement the employee’s application with information on the work and your company in the Enter Finland service for employers.

Fill the form and tick the box ‘Appendix to worker’s residence Permit application’. Please fill in the form carefully. By signing the form, you confirm that the provided information is true. Deliver the form to the residence permit applicant. If the employee has several employers, each employer must provide the employment relationship information in a separate appendix.

As an employer or commissioner, you may also request an advance ruling on the requirements of granting a residence permit for an employee free of charge when you consider hiring a foreign employee. In that case, tick the box ‘Application for advance ruling’. Deliver the form to the TE Office that handles work permit matters in the region where the work will be performed.

To whom and on what terms

In its partial decision, the TE Office assesses the following matters.

  • Can suitable employees be found for the vacancy from the EU/ETA area within a reasonable time period? The assessment takes note of other factors affecting the regional labour market situation such as ELY Centres’ regional policies on the prerequisites of using foreign labour. The TE Office may require that the open position is entered in its own employment services and in the EURES service that delivers job advertisements between the European countries. Granting a residence permit for an employee is not justifiable if employees can be recruited from the company’s labour market area within a reasonable period of time.
  • Do the terms and conditions of the employment relationship comply with the Finnish labour legislation and the industry-specific, universally applicable collective labour agreement if such agreement exists? The terms and conditions of the foreign person’s employment relationship must correspond to the practices applied to Finnish employees working in the same industry in every way, including salary. With regard to work performed in Finland, employees sent to Finland by a foreign employer must be paid a salary that corresponds at least to the salary level dictated by the Finnish labour legislation and the industry’s salary level.
  • Is the employer realistically prepared to take care of its obligations as an employer? In order to assess the matter, the TE Office may request additional information, such as an insurance certificate concerning paid statutory insurance premiums or information on the employer’s work sites. When assessing the employer’s capacities, the TE Office ensures that the employee has the education and permissions required by their duties. In addition, the TE Office must be convinced of the fact that the employee’s livelihood is secured by gainful employment during the validity of their residence permit.

The service is provided by

Pohjois-Pohjanmaa TE Office, Uusimaa TE Office, Kaakkois-Suomi TE Office, Pirkanmaa TE Office

Other responsible organisations

Häme TE Office, Satakunta TE Office, Kainuu TE Office, Pirkanmaa TE Office, Etelä-Savo TE Office, Pohjois-Karjala TE Office, Lapland TE Office, Etelä-Pohjanmaa TE Office, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa TE Office, Uusimaa TE Office, Kaakkois-Suomi TE Office, Keski-Suomi TE Office, Pohjanmaa TE Office, Varsinais-Suomi TE Office, Pohjois-Savo TE Office

Responsible for the service

TE Office
Text edited by: TE Office
Updated: 30/6/2023