Terms of employment for a Migri work permit
The employer files the terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers. An employed person's permit needs 1,600 EUR gross a month in 2026.
Your employer files the terms of employment (työnteon ehdot) for your work permit through Enter Finland for Employers, and for a residence permit for an employed person they must show a total gross salary of at least 1,600 euros per month in 2026, according to the Finnish Immigration Service's employed person page. Migri's FAQ for employers states that processing time only starts once biometric identifiers have been taken and all the information from both the applicant and the employer has been received. The applicant and the employer are jointly responsible for choosing the right grounds for the permit.
Who this applies to
- Third-country nationals applying for a work-based residence permit: you file your own application and prove your identity.
- Their Finnish employers: you file the terms of employment, and later the notifications described below.
- Specialists, EU Blue Card holders, ICT specialists and managers, and top or middle management: your application can use the 14-day fast track if filed online.
- Employees of certified employers: your employer fills in fewer sections, and you can get a D visa.
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a residence permit to work and register their right of residence instead.
The two parts of the application
The employee applies through the Enter Finland online service or on paper and proves their identity at a Finnish mission abroad or at a Migri service point in Finland. The employer fills in the terms of employment through Enter Finland for Employers, or on the paper "Terms of employment" form. Because Migri counts processing time from the moment both parts and the biometrics are in, an application without the employer's part does not move.
Contents of the employer's part
Migri's instructions for employers on filling in the terms of employment list eleven sections:
- Field of employment
- Occupation and apprenticeship training
- Duration of the employment contract in Finland
- Working time
- Grounds for pay
- Fringe benefits
- Collective agreement
- Place of work
- Specific qualifications and accepted state of health
- Availability of labour
- Assurance of compliance with the employer's obligations
The same instructions say the information must be in line with what has been agreed with the employee, so the terms and the signed employment contract should say the same thing. Where a collective agreement applies to the job, its minimum terms must be complied with, and the employee's pay and other terms may not be less favourable than the agreement sets.
For the full application process, see how to get a residence permit for Finland.
Salary requirements
Migri's income requirement page states that salary requirements for work-based residence permits are based on collective agreements, legislation or statistics. There is no single figure that covers every work permit.
For the residence permit for an employed person, Migri does publish a figure: a total gross salary of at least 1,600 euros per month in 2026, with salary supplements such as evening or night work supplements left out. The employer FAQ gives the history: the minimum has been 1,600 euros per month since 1 April 2025, and before that date it was 1,430 euros.
Hourly pay is converted to a monthly figure with the formula from the employer FAQ: hourly pay multiplied by weekly working hours multiplied by 4.3. Migri's example is 13.29 euros an hour at 30 hours a week, which gives 1,714.41 euros a month. Bonuses and other compensation paid on top of the basic pay are not counted toward the monthly minimum.
Where a collective agreement covers the job, the pay in the terms also has to reach that agreement's rate. A sector agreement can therefore set a higher minimum than 1,600 euros.
Processing times
Migri's employer FAQ describes two tracks:
| Track | Eligible permits | Processing time |
|---|---|---|
| Fast track | Specialists, EU Blue Card, ICT specialists and managers, top or middle management | Within 14 days of submitting the application in Enter Finland |
| Standard | Other work-based permits | Average of 1 to 2 months |
The fast-track target depends on an online application in Enter Finland. Paper applications do not get the 14-day target.
Extension and the Incomes Register
When the employee applies for an extended permit, Migri takes salary information from the Incomes Register (tulorekisteri), the national register that employers report wages to. Migri's extended permit page says salary certificates do not need to be attached unless Migri asks for more details. The pay that was reported is what Migri sees. If payslips fell below the terms filed with the first application, the gap shows up at extension.
The employee's side of an extension is covered in residence permit extension in Finland.
Employer notification at the end of employment
Under legislative amendments in force since 11 June 2025, an employer must notify Migri within two weeks if the employment of a non-EU/EEA national holding a work-based residence permit ends before the permit expires. Migri's employer FAQ confirms employers do not need to report employment relationships that ended before the amendments took effect.
The notification may lead Migri to consider withdrawing the permit, but the worker first gets a protection period to find new work. Migri's end of employment page sets two lengths:
| Protection period | Who qualifies |
|---|---|
| 6 months | Specialists, EU Blue Card holders, top or middle management, intra-corporate transfer specialists and managers, and anyone who has held a work-based permit for at least two years |
| 3 months | Other work-based permit holders with less than two years on a work-based permit |
If the residence permit expires before the protection period ends, the worker must leave Finland when the permit expires. The protection period also does not apply when a permit may be withdrawn for reasons other than the end of employment. How the employment itself ends is covered in termination of employment contract in Finland.
Employee announcement at the start of employment
A separate duty applies when an employer hires a non-EU/EEA national who already holds a valid residence permit. The employer FAQ states that the employer must submit an employee announcement to Migri within 7 days of the start of the employment relationship, unless the terms of employment were already submitted with the permit application.
Certified employers
Migri runs an employer certification scheme for employers whose employees apply for work-based permits. A certified employer has fewer sections to complete for each employee's application in Enter Finland for Employers, and its employees can get a D visa so they can travel to Finland earlier. A first certification is valid for two years and an extended one for three years. The scheme does not cover intra-corporate transfers, seasonal work, research work or internships.
Common failure points
Two problems recur in the checks described above. The first is a gap between the terms filed and the pay reported to the Incomes Register, which surfaces when the permit is extended. Compare payslips with the filed terms before the extension window opens. The second is an incomplete collective agreement section. Migri checks pay against the applicable agreement, and missing information leads to a request for more details.
The law behind it
Work-based residence permits, the employer's obligations and the 2025 notification duty are set out in the Aliens Act (ulkomaalaislaki 301/2004). Minimum terms of employment in general come from the Employment Contracts Act (työsopimuslaki 55/2001) and the applicable collective agreement. For the wider permit picture, see the site's guide to work permits.
The date that matters falls two weeks after a permit holder's employment ends early: that is the employer's deadline to notify Migri, and the notification can lead Migri to consider withdrawing the permit once the worker's three- or six-month protection period has run.
Frequently asked questions
What are the terms of employment in a Finnish work permit application?
They are the employer's section of the application, covering the job, hours, pay, benefits, collective agreement and workplace. Migri's instructions require them to match what was agreed with the employee.
What is the minimum salary for a Finnish residence permit for an employed person?
In 2026 it is 1,600 euros gross per month. Night and evening supplements and bonuses are left out of the count, and a collective agreement can push the floor higher, according to Migri.
Does the 14-day fast track apply to paper applications?
No. The 14-day target in Migri's employer FAQ only covers eligible specialist and management permits filed online in Enter Finland.
How long does an employer have to notify Migri when employment ends?
Two weeks, for any employment of a work-based permit holder that ends before the permit does. The worker then has three or six months to find new work, as Migri's end of employment page explains.
Sources
- Finnish Immigration Service, Frequently asked questions from employers, checked 1 October 2026
- Finnish Immigration Service, Instructions for employers on filling in the terms of employment, checked 1 October 2026
- Finnish Immigration Service, Residence permit for an employed person, checked 1 October 2026
- Finnish Immigration Service, Income requirement, checked 1 October 2026
- Finnish Immigration Service, Extended permit, checked 1 October 2026
- Finnish Immigration Service, End of employment, checked 1 October 2026
- Finnish Immigration Service, Employer certification, checked 1 October 2026
- Finlex, Aliens Act 301/2004, checked 1 October 2026
- Finlex, Employment Contracts Act 55/2001, checked 1 October 2026
Last updated: October 2026