Post-decision monitoring of residence permits

How does the Finnish Immigration Service know how I earn my income?

We may conduct register checks in different national registers. Information on the salaries and benefits paid to you comes from, among other sources, the Incomes Register. You can read more about the Incomes Register on the website of the Finnish Tax Administration: Incomes Register (vero.fi).

How does the Finnish Immigration Service know if I have committed crimes in Finland?

We may conduct register checks in different national registers. Information on fines and prison sentences in Finland comes from the Legal Register Centre. You can read more about the register on the website of the Legal Register Centre: www.oikeusrekisterikeskus.fi.

I have a residence permit for studies. How does the Finnish Immigration Service know the status of my studies?

We can, for instance, check the status of your studies using the Koski register (oph.fi). 

I have a residence permit for a startup entrepreneur. Setting up a company has taken longer than expected, and my business is not in operation yet. Will I lose my residence permit?

If you have moved to Finland but your company is not in operation, we will ask you about it. In your reply, you can explain your situation and your plans. We will then make an overall assessment of your situation.

I have a residence permit for a specialist or for an employed person. How does the Finnish Immigration Service know if I have received benefits or whether or not my salary has been on the level required for the permit?

We may conduct register checks in different national registers. Information on the salaries and benefits paid to you comes from, among other sources, the Incomes Register. Your salary must meet the salary requirement of the year during which your residence permit was issued. You can read more about the Incomes Register on the website of the Finnish Tax Administration: Incomes Register (vero.fi). 

I have a permanent residence permit in Finland but I had to travel to my home country and stay there a long time for personal reasons. Will I lose my residence permit?

If you are temporarily residing outside Finland for special and exceptional reasons, there is an application that you can file to prevent the withdrawal of your residence permit. Please read more here: Withdrawal of residence permits.

Withdrawal of residence permits

The Finnish Immigration Service is considering whether my residence permit should be cancelled. If you decide to withdraw my permit, when does my permit expire?

Your residence permit ceases to be valid as soon as the Finnish Immigration Service has issued a decision to withdraw your permit.

I have been informed that the Finnish Immigration Service is withdrawing my residence permit. What happens when you decide to withdraw my permit?

If we decide to withdraw your residence permit, the permit will cease to be valid as soon as the Finnish Immigration Service has issued a withdrawal decision. The withdrawal of a residence permit will affect:

• your right to reside in Finland and
• your right to work.

The withdrawal of your residence permit may also affect your right to receive benefits from Kela.

The withdrawal of your permit means that your right of residence in Finland, which was based on the withdrawn permit, has ended. If you do not have any other valid grounds for residing in Finland, you must leave Finland. However, you may continue residing in Finland if you have the right of residence in Finland on another basis. This is the case if, for example, you hold a valid residence permit on some other grounds.

When your residence permit is withdrawn, the right to work given by that permit will also end as soon as the Finnish Immigration Service issues a withdrawal decision. However, if you hold a valid residence permit on some other grounds, the right to work given by this other permit remains valid. If you reside in Finland and a deportation decision is issued for you together with the permit withdrawal decision, your right to work is valid until the deportation decision becomes enforceable.

If you have applied for a new residence permit before your current permit is withdrawn, your right to work continues to be valid during the processing of your application even if your previous permit is withdrawn before the new permit is granted. In such cases, it is essential that you have applied for an extended permit before the Finnish Immigration Service has issued a decision on the withdrawal of your previous permit.

I received a decision on the withdrawal of my residence permit from the Finnish Immigration Service. I intend to appeal against the decision. What happens if the withdrawal decision is overturned? Do I need to apply for a new residence permit?

If an administrative court decides to rescind the withdrawal decision, your residence permit is valid again if it has not expired during the time the administrative court processed your appeal. If your permit expired while your appeal was being processed, you must apply for a new residence permit.

I am in Finland and received a decision on the withdrawal of my residence permit from the Finnish Immigration Service. I intend to appeal against the decision. Am I allowed to stay in Finland during the appeal process?

If your residence permit is withdrawn while you are in Finland, the Finnish Immigration Service will also issue a deportation decision for you. If you appeal against the withdrawal decision to an administrative court, you may reside in Finland until the deportation decision is enforceable. The deportation decision becomes enforceable after the administrative court has decided the matter, unless the court decides to rescind the decision made by the Finnish Immigration Service.

If the administrative court does not rescind the decision issued by the Finnish Immigration Service and you wish to appeal against the withdrawal decision to the Supreme Administrative Court, you can simultaneously submit a petition for the prohibition of enforcement. If the Supreme Administrative Court prohibits enforcement, you may reside in Finland until the Supreme Administrative Court decides the matter concerning the withdrawal decision. If the Supreme Administrative Court does not grant your petition for the prohibition of enforcement, the deportation decision is enforceable and you must leave Finland. For more information on how to appeal against a decision, see the page Appealing a decision.

I live in Finland but I'm currently abroad. I received a decision on the withdrawal of my residence permit from the Finnish Immigration Service. I intend to appeal against the decision. Am I allowed to return to Finland and stay in Finland during the appeal process?

Your residence permit ceased to be valid when the Finnish Immigration Service issued the withdrawal decision. Your residence permit card ceased to be valid, too, so you cannot use it to prove your right of residence in Finland. In other words, you cannot enter Finland on the basis of the right of residence given by the permit that was withdrawn. You can, however, enter Finland if you have the right to do so on other grounds. You may have the right to travel to Finland if you are a citizen of a visa-free country, for example.