Effective January 8, 2026, the requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit have been made stricter. New integration requirements for permanent residence permit applicants have been added to the Aliens Act.
The amendments made to the Aliens Act apply to all applications for a permanent residence permit submitted on or after January 8, 2026, including those for a long-term resident’s EU residence permit.
Period of residence requirement extended to six years
As a rule, the period of residence requirement will now be six years, whereas the earlier requirement was four years. The period of residence of an applicant is usually counted starting from the day when the applicant arrived in Finland under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit.
In some cases, a shorter period of residence is sufficient:
- Those who have an annual income higher than EUR 40,000, and those who have at least three years of work history in Finland and a particularly good (C1 or above) level of Finnish language, need only to have lived in Finland for at least four years to meet the period of residence requirement.
- Those who have a master’s degree or a licentiate or doctoral degree recognized in Finland and at least two years of work history in Finland do not need to meet any period of residence requirement.
- A child under 18 years of age can obtain a permanent residence permit without having to meet the period of residence requirement if the person who has custody of the child has a permanent residence permit or a P-EU permit or is a Finnish citizen.
- Applicants can obtain a P-EU permit after a period of residence of five years if they meet the language and financial requirements:
- If they have an EU Blue Card, their period of residence in Finland may in some cases also include residence in another EU country.
- There is no work history requirement for obtaining a P-EU permit.
- Being sentenced to unconditional imprisonment will affect the calculation of the period of residence, both in the case of a permanent residence permit and a P-EU permit.
New integration requirements: sufficient language skills and two-year work history
As a rule, applicants who apply for a permanent residence permit will be required to prove that they have good Finnish or Swedish language skills. Language skills have not been required for the permit before.
Moreover, applicants must also have worked or pursued a trade for two years before submitting an application. The duration of the required work history depends on the grounds for the customer’s application for a permanent residence permit. Work history has not been required before.
During the period in question, the customer must not have received unemployment benefit or social assistance for longer than three months. During the same time period, a maximum of three months of absence from work is permitted.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.