Work permit services

Welcome to the national website of the TE Office’s work permit services. Here, you will find information on how the TE Office processes a residence permit application for an employed person and what the employer must do at different stages of the application process. You will also find information on when and how to submit an employee announcement as an employer.

If you are hiring an employee who is not a citizen of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Iceland or Norway, the employee will usually need to apply for a residence permit when moving to Finland.

The employee must have a job ready before they can apply for a residence permit for an employed person. The employee must apply for the residence permit themselves. However, you can advise them on choosing the right application form. Please check the Finnish Immigration Service’s website to make sure that the employee is using the correct form.

Residence permits on the basis of work (migri.fi)​​​​

The Finnish Immigration Service's instruction video on how to apply for the right residence permit.

Choosing the right application (youtube.com, in Finnish)

What do the partial decision of TE Services and the decision of the Finnish Immigration Service mean?

The TE Office will consider a partial decision for a residence permit application for an employed person and a seasonal work residence permit lasting for 6–9 months when the employee is coming to Finland to work for a Finnish employer or an employer operating in Finland. A residence permit is issued for the specific vocational field to which the work belongs.

See all work-based applications on the Finnish Immigration Service's ‘Residence permit applications on the basis of work’ page.

Residence permit applications on the basis of work (migri.fi)

A residence permit for an employed person is issued in two stages: The TE Office makes a partial decision on a residence permit application for an employed person, and the Finnish Immigration Service, in turn, makes the final decision.

The partial decision of the TE Office is based on an overall consideration, that is, the TE Office assesses the availability of labour in the sector in question, the terms of employment, the employer's and employee's prerequisites, and the employee's income from the work.

Appealing the decision

If the applicant or employer is not satisfied with the decision of the Finnish Immigration Service, they can appeal to the Administrative Court. The appeal can be made either by the applicant or by the employer.

The employer may only appeal a partial decision of the TE Office. If the employer intends to appeal the employee's residence permit decision, the employer must have a written power of attorney issued by the employee for this purpose. Instructions on how to appeal are provided as an appendix to the decision of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Employer's guide

Employer's instructions on Migri's website.

For employers (migri.fi)

Familiarize yourself with the employee announcement and residence permit process and responsibilities of the parties.

• Steps for the residence permit application for an employed person
• Employee announcement