Finland’s Immigration Service (Migri) has released its consolidated statistics for 2025 and, for the first time since the pandemic, the country recorded an overall decline in new immigration applications. Migri logged 180,521 applications across all categories—down roughly 8 % from the 196,000 received in 2024. Officials attribute the drop to a cooling domestic economy, tighter rules ushered in by the current four-party coalition and an uncertain global security environment that has made would-be migrants hesitate.
The steepest falls came in the three streams that typically feed Finland’s growth sectors: work-based residence permits, study-based residence permits and international-protection claims. First-time work-permit applications fell by 25 % year-on-year to 11,324, while student-visa filings dipped 4 % to 13,565. Asylum claims (including repeat applications) fell 15 % to 2,544. Migri notes that applications linked to family reunification bucked the trend, edging up to a record 23,831, reflecting that once migrants establish a foothold they still want to bring relatives to Finland.
For applicants who need help navigating Finland’s evolving rules, VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) provides real-time updates on Migri requirements, step-by-step document checklists and end-to-end filing support for work, study and family visas—helping businesses and individuals avoid delays as thresholds and processing times change.
![Finland’s 2025 immigration figures show first downturn in five years]()
From a business-mobility perspective, the headline number matters less than processing volume and success rates. Migri decided 177,890 cases last year and kept its approval rate at 80 % despite new language and income thresholds. Processing times, however, lengthened in Q4 as officers prepared for legislative changes that came into force on 8 January 2026 (including a stricter six-year residence requirement for permanent permits). Companies accustomed to sub-two-month approvals for engineers and ICT specialists now face median wait times closer to 90 days, and relocation providers are urging HR teams to build in extra lead time.
The ministry insists that Finland remains open for talent but concedes that 2026 will be a transition year. In June the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact will start to apply, Migri will roll out a digital citizenship test, and the government plans to pilot an AI-supported risk-assessment tool that will triage applications. Employers should expect additional compliance checks—especially around salary thresholds, which rose to €1,600 a month on 1 January 2025—and must be ready to document genuine labour-market need before lodging permits.
For multinationals, the immediate takeaway is strategic rather than procedural: Finland’s talent pipeline is narrowing just as demographic pressures intensify. The number of working-age Finns is projected to shrink by 5 % this decade, and the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) warns that labour shortages could cap GDP growth at 1 % per annum unless net migration rebounds. Firms with operations in Helsinki’s tech corridor or Oulu’s R&D cluster may need to widen recruitment to non-traditional markets, offer remote-first contracts or use intra-company transfer routes via other EU hubs.
While the headline decline triggered anxious headlines, practitioners see a silver lining. The backlog of 50,000 pending applications that dogged Migri in late 2023 has been cleared, and the agency says it will redeploy staff to the fast-track D-visa channel for senior specialists. If growth returns in 2027, Finland could be better positioned to process a new wave of mobility—provided employers stay engaged in policy discussions over the coming year.
The steepest falls came in the three streams that typically feed Finland’s growth sectors: work-based residence permits, study-based residence permits and international-protection claims. First-time work-permit applications fell by 25 % year-on-year to 11,324, while student-visa filings dipped 4 % to 13,565. Asylum claims (including repeat applications) fell 15 % to 2,544. Migri notes that applications linked to family reunification bucked the trend, edging up to a record 23,831, reflecting that once migrants establish a foothold they still want to bring relatives to Finland.
For applicants who need help navigating Finland’s evolving rules, VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) provides real-time updates on Migri requirements, step-by-step document checklists and end-to-end filing support for work, study and family visas—helping businesses and individuals avoid delays as thresholds and processing times change.
From a business-mobility perspective, the headline number matters less than processing volume and success rates. Migri decided 177,890 cases last year and kept its approval rate at 80 % despite new language and income thresholds. Processing times, however, lengthened in Q4 as officers prepared for legislative changes that came into force on 8 January 2026 (including a stricter six-year residence requirement for permanent permits). Companies accustomed to sub-two-month approvals for engineers and ICT specialists now face median wait times closer to 90 days, and relocation providers are urging HR teams to build in extra lead time.
The ministry insists that Finland remains open for talent but concedes that 2026 will be a transition year. In June the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact will start to apply, Migri will roll out a digital citizenship test, and the government plans to pilot an AI-supported risk-assessment tool that will triage applications. Employers should expect additional compliance checks—especially around salary thresholds, which rose to €1,600 a month on 1 January 2025—and must be ready to document genuine labour-market need before lodging permits.
For multinationals, the immediate takeaway is strategic rather than procedural: Finland’s talent pipeline is narrowing just as demographic pressures intensify. The number of working-age Finns is projected to shrink by 5 % this decade, and the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) warns that labour shortages could cap GDP growth at 1 % per annum unless net migration rebounds. Firms with operations in Helsinki’s tech corridor or Oulu’s R&D cluster may need to widen recruitment to non-traditional markets, offer remote-first contracts or use intra-company transfer routes via other EU hubs.
While the headline decline triggered anxious headlines, practitioners see a silver lining. The backlog of 50,000 pending applications that dogged Migri in late 2023 has been cleared, and the agency says it will redeploy staff to the fast-track D-visa channel for senior specialists. If growth returns in 2027, Finland could be better positioned to process a new wave of mobility—provided employers stay engaged in policy discussions over the coming year.
