Hiring foreign workers in Finland — employer guide

01

Overview

For Finland work permits, the sponsor-side work usually revolves around choosing the correct route, supplying employment terms through Enter Finland for Employers or the paper fallback, making sure salary and working conditions meet Finnish rules, and answering any later Migri requests quickly. The obligations differ by route: TTOL cases can face labour market testing, researcher cases turn on a hosting agreement, and specialist, EU Blue Card, and eligible ICT first permits can use fast track if the employer acts within the required window. 8 9 1 4 6

Migri reviews income thresholds annually, so sponsor-side salary checks should be revalidated if the hiring timeline moves into a new calendar year. 10

02

Sponsor-backed routes

Residence permit for an employed person (TTOL)

Finnish employer

The employer supplies the terms of employment, confirms that pay and conditions follow Finnish rules, and may need to support a case that can still be subject to labour market testing.

Provide the binding job offer or signed employment contract.
Submit the terms of employment and company details for the application.
Ensure salary meets the collective agreement or the fallback income floor.

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Specialist or EU Blue Card

Finnish employer

For specialist and Blue Card filings, the employer still provides the employment terms, but the role also has to support the higher skill and salary thresholds and can qualify for fast track if the employer moves within the timing window.

Confirm the duties genuinely require special expertise or Blue Card-level qualifications.
Submit terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers within two working days for fast-track use.
Make sure salary alone meets the published threshold because fringe benefits do not count toward it.

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Residence permit for a researcher

Research organisation or university

The Finnish host institution anchors the case through the hosting agreement and, where there is an employment relationship, through compliant salary and working-condition information.

Sign the hosting agreement with the researcher.
Document the legal relationship and working conditions when the case is employment-based.
Ensure the researcher has the required degree level for the route Migri can issue.

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ICT residence permit

Finnish host entity and non-EU posting undertaking

ICT sponsorship depends on a real intra-group transfer from outside the EU, with the group structure, role type, and transfer terms documented correctly; specialist and manager ICT first permits can also use fast track.

Show that the transfer is within the same company or group of companies.
Document whether the transferee is a manager, specialist, or trainee.
Coordinate quick employer-side action if using fast track for a specialist or manager ICT case.

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03

Employer requirements

01

The sponsor has to provide accurate employment details for work-based applications, and using Enter Finland for Employers lets Migri begin processing before the employee has even completed in-person identification.

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02

Employment terms for foreign workers must comply with Finnish law and the applicable collective agreement, and if no collective agreement applies the employer still needs to meet the route's fallback salary rule.

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03

Fast-track cases for specialists, EU Blue Cards, and eligible ICT permits require the employer to add the terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers within two working days after the employee submits the application.

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04

Research sponsors need a hosting agreement rather than a loose invitation letter, and the agreement must cover the research activity and the legal relationship between the organisation and the researcher.

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04

Documents

Employment contract or binding job offer

The sponsor should be ready to support the file with the signed employment basis that matches the route being used.

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Terms of employment submission

Employers normally complete the terms in Enter Finland for Employers, but the paper form remains the fallback where the employer cannot use Suomi.fi authorisations.

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Hosting agreement for research cases

Research organisations should use a hosting agreement that includes the core points Migri lists rather than relying on an invitation letter alone.

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Company representation and authorisation evidence

Anyone acting in Enter Finland for Employers must be properly authorised through Suomi.fi e-Authorizations or another recognised representation route.

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05

Process

1

Choose the correct sponsorship route

Classify the hire correctly as TTOL, specialist, EU Blue Card, researcher, or ICT before submitting anything, because the salary rule, supporting documents, and timing expectations change by route.

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2

Set up the employer-side filing access

Use Enter Finland for Employers where possible, confirm the right company representative is authorised in Suomi.fi, and move to the paper fallback only if the online authorisation path is unavailable.

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3

Submit terms and supporting sponsor data quickly

Add the terms of employment, salary details, and company information as soon as the employee files, because Migri can begin processing earlier once the sponsor-side details are in place.

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4

Meet fast-track deadlines when the route allows it

For eligible specialist, Blue Card, and ICT first permits, coordinate so the employee files online, proves identity within five working days, and the employer adds the terms of employment within the fast-track window.

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5

Handle follow-up and employment notifications

Answer any Migri supplement requests quickly, and if you hire a person who already has work rights in Finland in cases covered by the rules, submit the employee announcement within the official deadline instead of duplicating a full permit filing.

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06

Warnings

Warning

Fast track does not cover every work case

Fast track is limited to specific first-permit categories and does not turn a regular TTOL case into a two-week process automatically.

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Warning

Incorrect salary structuring can break a high-skill filing

For specialist and EU Blue Card cases, fringe benefits do not count toward the published salary threshold, so the sponsor should not rely on benefits to bridge a shortfall.

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