Income requirement when your family member living in Finland has refugee status, subsidiary protection status or a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection
When you apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties, you are usually required to have sufficient financial resources. In other words, you and your family members must have enough money for living in Finland.
When does the income requirement apply?
The application of the income requirement depends on:
- whether your family member living in Finland has refugee status, subsidiary protection status or a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection in Finland, and
- when you have applied or will apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties.
The application of the income requirement may depend on whether you have submitted your application within 3 months of the day when your family member was served the decision that he or she has been granted asylum or refugee status.
- Send your application using the online service Enter Finland or submit a paper application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad within 3 months of the date on which your family member was served with the decision.
- If you are unable to submit a paper application within this time, for example due to a lack of appointments at the Finnish mission, you must use the first available appointment to submit the application.
Derogations from the income requirement
In individual cases, a derogation may be made from the income requirement if there are exceptionally serious grounds for such a derogation or if it is in the best interest of the child.
Derogations on the basis of the best interest of the child cannot be made solely because a child and his or her other parent are unable to live together in Finland. Making a derogation from the income requirement requires that there are even other grounds related to the best interests of the child.
How do I prove that I have sufficient financial resources?
You can prove that you have sufficient financial resources by providing evidence of your own income or income received by your family member living in Finland, including:
- income from gainful employment
- income from business activities
- pension, benefits or other assets (such as rental income or income from dividends).
Your income cannot be based on social assistance, labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance paid by Kela to your sponsor. Read more about the income requirement for family members and required sums: Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted a residence permit in Finland.
We receive information about the salaries and benefits paid to your family member living in Finland directly from the Incomes Register. Therefore, you do not need to attach documents about your family member’s salaries or benefits to your application. For more information, see the page Incomes Register.
The application form contains further details on what documents you must submit as proof of your income and financial resources. What documents you must provide depends on how you will secure sufficient financial resources for yourself in Finland. If we need further information or documents from you, we will send you a request for additional information.
