The Interior Ministry confirmed on 24 December that Finland’s Aliens Act will be amended on 8 January 2026 to toughen the criteria for a permanent residence permit (PR). Applicants will need six years of continuous lawful residence (up from four), at least two years of documented employment and ‘satisfactory’ proficiency in Finnish or Swedish.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen framed the change as part of a broader ‘work-first’ migration policy aimed at attracting committed, integrated residents while deterring welfare-driven immigration. The reform coincides with a parallel tightening of citizenship rules approved earlier this year.
For multinational firms the longer timeline means that key foreign experts will remain on fixed-term residence permits—often linked to a specific employer—two years longer than before. That could limit intra-EU mobility rights and complicate secondments to other Schengen states. Companies may need to budget for additional permit renewals and ensure continuous compliance with salary and insurance thresholds.
![Permanent Residence in Finland to Require Six Years’ Stay, Language Skills and Work History From 2026]()
Organizations and individual employees who need assistance navigating Finland’s evolving residence-permit landscape can turn to VisaHQ. Through its dedicated Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/), VisaHQ supplies up-to-date guidance, document-preparation services and application tracking, helping applicants file correctly the first time and avoid costly delays.
Current PR holders and those who qualify before 8 January are unaffected, creating a short window for eligible employees to file under the existing four-year rule. Mobility managers should therefore conduct an audit of staff tenure and fast-track any borderline cases.
The ministry has not yet published the level of language certification that will constitute ’satisfactory’ skills, but insiders suggest CEFR A2 or a new integration test modelled on neighbouring Sweden’s system. Training providers are already reporting a spike in enquiries.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen framed the change as part of a broader ‘work-first’ migration policy aimed at attracting committed, integrated residents while deterring welfare-driven immigration. The reform coincides with a parallel tightening of citizenship rules approved earlier this year.
For multinational firms the longer timeline means that key foreign experts will remain on fixed-term residence permits—often linked to a specific employer—two years longer than before. That could limit intra-EU mobility rights and complicate secondments to other Schengen states. Companies may need to budget for additional permit renewals and ensure continuous compliance with salary and insurance thresholds.
Organizations and individual employees who need assistance navigating Finland’s evolving residence-permit landscape can turn to VisaHQ. Through its dedicated Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/), VisaHQ supplies up-to-date guidance, document-preparation services and application tracking, helping applicants file correctly the first time and avoid costly delays.
Current PR holders and those who qualify before 8 January are unaffected, creating a short window for eligible employees to file under the existing four-year rule. Mobility managers should therefore conduct an audit of staff tenure and fast-track any borderline cases.
The ministry has not yet published the level of language certification that will constitute ’satisfactory’ skills, but insiders suggest CEFR A2 or a new integration test modelled on neighbouring Sweden’s system. Training providers are already reporting a spike in enquiries.
