Work history requirement (applications submitted on or after 8 January 2026)
Work history refers to the time you have worked in Finland in an employment relationship, in a public-service employment relationship, as an entrepreneur, as a light entrepreneur or under a grant.
The work history requirement is one of the integration requirements that you must meet when you apply for a permanent residence permit and are at least 18 years of age. When you apply for a P-EU permit, you do not need to meet the work history requirement.
- Working under a grant is counted as part of your work history only if the grant has been awarded in Finland and you are working in Finland.
The required work history depends on the application path you choose
You must meet the relevant work history requirement if you apply for a permanent residence permit through the following application paths:
Application path: Residence of 6 years
- You have lived in Finland for at least 6 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have at least 2 years of work history in Finland, and the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is satisfactory (level B1).
Application path: Higher education degree completed outside Finland
- You have lived in Finland for at least 4 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have a master’s degree or a licentiate or doctoral degree recognised in Finland and at least 2 years of work history in Finland.
Application path: Particularly good language skills
- You have lived in Finland for at least 4 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have at least 3 years of work history in Finland, and the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is particularly good (level C1).
The work history requirement must be met when you submit the application
You must have acquired the required amount of work history immediately before you submit an application for a permanent residence permit. If the work history requirement applies to you, you must have the required work history at the point when you apply for a permanent residence permit. In addition, you must be actively working when you submit the application.
- If you are on parental leave or temporarily on sick leave, for example, you can apply for a permanent residence permit only after returning to work.
If you receive old-age pension, you must have acquired the required work history on the day you retired.
Some temporary absences will be counted as part of your work history
The following temporary absences will be counted as part of your work history:
- The time you have been on annual holiday during an employment relationship if you have returned back to work after your holiday.
- The time you have been on pregnancy leave or parental leave during an employment relationship if you have returned back to work after the leave.
- The time you are on child-care leave (‘hoitovapaa’) is not counted as work history.
- The time you have been temporarily away from work during an employment relationship because of an illness if you have returned back to work after the absence.
If you are an entrepreneur or a light entrepreneur, the above-mentioned absences are counted towards your work history if your company has been active in the Trade Register of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office during your absence and you have continued your business activities after the absence.
Up to 3 months of social assistance may be accepted as part of your work history
The following does not reduce your work history:
- During the required work history period, you have relied on unemployment benefit or social assistance for a maximum of 3 months.
- During the required work history period, you have been absent from work for a maximum of 3 months during your employment relationship or business activities for reasons other than an annual holiday, a parental leave or illness.
If you have been out of work for over 3 months for reasons listed above, the time is not counted towards your work history. If you do not meet the work history requirement, you should wait with submitting the application until you meet the requirement.
- Examples of calculating work history in situations where you have been out of work for over 3 months and have not been in an employment relationship or engaged in full-time business activities during the absence:
- The required work history is 2 years, but you have been unemployed for over 3 consecutive months right before you apply for a permanent residence permit. In that case, the unemployment period would not be counted towards your work history and there would be a gap in your work history. You would not meet the work history requirement. The counting of your 2-year work history would start over, starting from the day when you go back to work again.
- The required work history is 2 years. You have been absent from work during your employment relationship for several different periods, and the total amount of absences exceeds 3 months when you apply for a permanent residence permit. In that case, you can apply for a permanent residence permit only after the total amount of absences no longer exceeds 3 months during the 2 years preceding the submission of the application.
Exemption from the work history requirement can only be granted in special cases
Granting an exemption from the work history requirement means that we make an exception and do not require you to have work history. You can request an exception to the work history requirement only if you apply for a permanent residence permit on the following application path:
Application path: Residence of 6 years.
- You have lived in Finland for at least 6 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have at least 2 years of work history in Finland, and the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is satisfactory (level B1).
In individual cases, making an exception to the work history requirement may be possible for reasons of health. Health reasons mean that you are incapable for work in the long term due to an illness, a disability or a disorder.
- When you request an exception to the work history requirement, you should submit, for example, a recent doctor’s certificate or a decision concerning your incapacity for work. The document must state why you have been unable to work because of your health.
When we make a decision, we assess your situation and the documents you have provided.