The immigration policy of Prime Minister Orpo’s Government has sparked a lot of debate since the publication of the Government Programme during summer 2023. The Union of Research Professionals has regularly and actively opposed the proposed tightening of immigration policy, as it challenges the position of international experts working in our country. The tightening of immigration also significantly weakens Finland’s attractiveness in the eyes of potential new arrivals.
Work-based residence permits
Perhaps the most heated public debate was sparked by the Government’s proposal to add the so-called 3/6-month rule to work-based residence permits. According to the rule, any person with a foreign background who has lost their job would also lose their residence permit if they are unable to find employment again within three months, or six months for experts. This law was originally intended to enter into force at the beginning of April, but the process has slowed down and the government proposal has not yet been approved by Parliament. (See e.g., Yle 27 March 2025. In Finnish)
This rule has raised a great deal of uncertainty and a lack of clarity about whom it will concern. I would, therefore, like to point out that this rule is tied specifically to work-based residence permits, and, as such, does not necessarily apply to researchers who are in Finland on a residence permit for research instead of another type of work-based residence permit. The 3/6-month rule may, however, still impact researchers employed in the private sector in the future.
Citizenship and permanent residence permits
Other changes and significant constraints that may also impact researchers are included in the new regulations concerning citizenship and permanent residence permits. The criteria for both permanent residence permits and citizenship are being tightened by, among other things, extending the period of required residency. In both cases, the Government is also proposing a strict financial requirement that states that, in order to be eligible, an applicant must not have received unemployment benefits or social assistance for more than a period of three months during the previous two years. The formulation of the proposed financial requirement is absolutely harmful for researchers, whose work is already burdened by fixed-term arrangements and fragmentation on the one hand, and long recruitment and application processes on the other. Together, these factors easily prolong any potential unemployment period faced by a researcher to several months. This, despite the fact that researchers’ expertise is precisely what is consistently needed in working life and society.
In its statements, Research Professionals has criticised the ideological position of government proposals that view integration as a condition for citizenship or a permanent residence permit rather than seeing permanent residency in Finland as a pathway to integration. Despite the widespread criticism of the Government’s immigration policy among, for example, labour market organisations, Research Professionals was, surprisingly, the only trade union to issue a statement on the Government’s proposal to tighten the criteria for citizenship at the beginning of this year. This demonstrates concretely that Research Professionals views the immigration policy and affairs of our international members as important subjects for lobbying and advocacy. The Union’s statement (14 January 2025) on the Government’s proposal concerning the criteria for citizenship can be found here (in Finnish).
In the future, the general criteria for permanent residence permits would be a six-year residence period (currently four years) and a new language skill requirement. However, a number of different exceptions will also be proposed. It should, therefore, be noted that the various options for applying for a permanent residence permit, as proposed by the Government, constitute a very complex entity that would require both the applicant and the authority concerned to be well versed in the specific criteria and options that may apply and be possible for any individual person. For example, the required language skill level could be described as developing, sufficient, or good in different situations, or there may be no language proficiency requirement at all. As the legislative process is still ongoing, I will not go into further details on the Government’s proposal and the various exceptional cases now, since they may be subject to further changes before the final drafting of the new legislation. The Union’s statement (7 March 2025) on the proposed changes to permanent residence permits can be found here (in Finnish).
Researcher’s residence permit
From the perspective of Prime Minister Orpo’s government’s overall immigration policy, I would like to emphasize that no significant changes—nor any tightening—are being proposed for the researcher’s residence permit. The only proposed change concerning researchers is the restriction of granting the residence permit based on an assessment by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO), which could apply to so-called security-critical fields. Research Professionals is closely monitoring this preparation and is working to ensure that no unnecessary restrictions are placed on applying for a researcher’s residence permit.
At Research Professionals, we are looking toward the future. We see that in terms of RDI (research, development, and innovation) investments and Finland’s future, it is crucial to strengthen Finland’s appeal and ability to retain international talent beyond the current level. Finnish doctoral education attracts international experts, but unfortunately, many international researchers are faced with the challenges and uncertainty related to repeatedly expiring residence permits combined with the varying cycles of research funding.
Reforming the researcher’s residence permit in such a way that it supports a more long-term commitment to Finland would be a key way to improve Finland’s attractiveness and retention capacity in the eyes of international researchers. We have reminded politicians of this once again as part of our advocacy efforts related to the government’s midterm policy review in April. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Orpo’s government did not act on these proposals.
Finally, I would like to remind our members, as well as the broader scientific community, that researchers can still apply for a researcher’s residence permit, the income requirement for which can be met through salary, a grant, or even personal savings.
In addition, after completing a degree—for example, when a doctoral researcher finishes their dissertation—or after concluding other research work, a researcher can apply for a residence permit for job seeking or starting a business. In such cases, it is fully legitimate to be unemployed when applying for the permit. This specific type of residence permit is only available to students who have completed their studies and to researchers, not to those holding other types of residence permits. This so-called job-seeking permit was extended during the previous government term to its current maximum length, which is up to two years.
Miia Ijäs-Idrobo, Senior Adviser
See also Akava Works’ immigration review 1/2025 (26 February 2025, in Finnish), in which I commented on the recent development concerning the residence permits for researchers.