Who Can Get a Residence Permit in Finland in Two Weeks

Why Finland simplifies immigration

There is a shortage of personnel in the Finnish labor market, especially in high-tech areas. Officials recognize, and research confirms, that local companies need foreigners for further development.

For the last six months, the Finnish Immigration Service has been working on creating an accelerated application processing procedure. And finally, the service is launched.

Now foreigners can get a long-term type D visa together with applying for a residence permit.

Who can get a residence permit in two weeks

Several categories of foreigners can use the accelerated procedure for obtaining residence permits.

Specialists

• The specialist must have an employment contract with a Finnish employer.
• The tasks that a foreigner will perform in Finland should require high qualifications. It usually applies to IT specialists or professionals from other fields with a higher degree.
• The salary required for a specialist should be approximately €36 thousand per year.
• If a foreigner does not have a higher education or the salary is less, the application must indicate why the work is expert and requires special knowledge.

Aspiring entrepreneurs

• Before applying for a residence permit, an entrepreneur must receive approval from the state organization Business Finland for startup development. The main condition is a detailed business plan. There should be at least two people in the team, but there are no salary or business investment requirements. You can try to get funding from local foundations. 
• The founder of a startup must have the means to live in Finland – at least €1,000 per person per month. To get a residence permit, you need to demonstrate the amount that will last for a year. In addition to savings, wages, rental income, and other types of legal income for the period of residence in Finland can be taken into account.

Corporate employees

• An accelerated residence permit will be issued to a foreigner who is transferred within the corporation to a Finnish division for work:
  – A specialist or a manager. In this case, the maximum work period in Finland is three years. If a foreigner is transferred for a longer period, it is necessary to issue a residence permit of another category – for a working person (TTOL). That is, we will have to check the labor market and prove that it is impossible to find the necessary specialist among the locals.
  – An intern. Here the transfer is possible for a maximum of one year, and a higher degree will also be checked.

Blue Card applicants

The blue card combines a work permit and a residence permit in the EU. The system was created by analogy with the American green card, but unlike the latter, it is focused on experienced and highly paid specialists. 

• A foreigner must have signed an employment contract with a Finnish employer.
• The tasks that he will perform in Finland should require high qualifications.
• The income must be at least €5,069 per month. Possible benefits are not taken into account in this amount.
• The applicant must have a higher education.
• The work in Finland should last at least a year.

Relatives of foreigners of all these categories

• A spouse and minor children can obtain a residence permit together with the main applicant.

How to apply for a residence permit through the fast-track service

You must apply for the Enter Finland online service. In addition, the employer of a specialist and an applicant for an EU blue card, as well as a corporation that transfers its employees to Finland, must use the Enter Finland for Employers form.

The Enter Finland service gives you the opportunity to apply for a residence permit online

The accelerated mode can only be applied to foreign applications.

Step-by-step algorithm of actions

1. Prepare for the application process

• Check whether you meet the requirements for applicants for the selected type of residence permit.
• Make sure that all the documents are written in Finnish, Swedish, or English. If necessary, translate and legalize them. Read more about the legalization of foreign documents here.

2. Fill out the online application

• Specify in the application if you need a type D visa to enter the country. In this case, you will need an address in Finland (for example, rented housing) – that's where the residence permit card will be delivered. If a visa is not required to enter the country, the applicant can arrange for the card to be delivered to a service point abroad or on the territory of Finland.
• Relatives must indicate in the questionnaire the identification number of the accelerated regime of the main applicant. The code is valid for two days after the main candidate has submitted his application.
• Choose the VFS Global Visa Application Center as a service point, and if there is no one in your country – the Embassy or Consulate of Finland.

3. Pay and submit the applicatio

• If you are applying for an EU blue card, a residence permit for a specialist, or an employee of a corporation, the employer must describe the conditions of employment in your application within two working days after sending the questionnaire to Enter Finland.

4. Visit the visa application center within five working days after sending the application to Enter Finland

• If one of the relatives applies with the main applicant, make an appointment for the whole family.

5. Check out the Enter Finland solution

• You can enter Finland as soon as you receive a positive decision and the D visa will be attached to your passport. 
• If you have chosen to receive a residence permit card abroad, you can get it at the service point where you have confirmed your identity.

Foreigners must also make an appointment with the Digital and Demographic Data Agency after obtaining a residence permit to get an individual code.

Quoting conditions of Prian.info materials