Finland Announces New Salary Requirement To Apply for Residency Permit for Nigerians, Others
- Finland, one of the world’s most attractive countries, has made several adjustments to its residency permit for foreign workers
- One of the changes is the amount those seeking to relocate will have to earn per month in Finland
- Finland is one of the countries with visa opportunities for foreigners ready to work as it battles labour shortages
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The Finnish government has revised its salary requirements for skilled Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking to work and reside in the country.
In the latest adjustments, foreigners arriving in Finland for work from January 1 will now be required to earn a minimum of 1,600 euros per month.
Source: Getty Images
This increases from the previous 1,399 euros per month minimum income requirement.
Finland's new salary requirement
A statement from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) indicated that the new minimum income limit will apply to all first residence permit applications for employed persons starting January 1, 2025, and to extended permits from April 1, 2025.
The amendments aim to ensure that employees relocating to Finland for work receive a sufficient salary to cover their living expenses.
Tuuli Huhtilainen, Process Owner, who runs the process of residence permits for employed persons and seasonal work, said:
"Applicants must have sufficient income in Finland during the entire time their residence permit is valid.
"In 2025, automated post-decision monitoring of residence permits will expand to cover the residence permit for an employed person. Post-decision monitoring of permits focuses on key requirements, such as assessing whether the employee has been paid a sufficient salary.”
New processing fees
Aside from the changes in salary requirements, the Migr also updated its processing fee.
Smith Stone Walters reports that the residence permit card was previously free of charge for temporary protection.
The processing fee for an online application for a card based on temporary protection is EUR 20, and for a paper application, EUR 40.
The statement said:
"The processing fee for an online application for a permanent residence permit has increased to EUR 240.
"The previous price was EUR 220. The price of a paper application for a permanent residence permit has increased to EUR 350. The previous price was EUR 270."
Nigerians in Finland
According to (Statistics Finland, 2020), after Somalians, Nigerian immigrants are the second-largest group of immigrants from Africa, who were 13,337 as of December 2020.
More Nigerians are also looking to move to the country as it is considered one of the best countries to acquire international tertiary education.
Statistics Finland also reported that In 2017, the largest concentrations of Nigerians exist in Helsinki (962, 0.15%), Espoo (578, 0.21%), Vantaa (399, 0.18%), Tampere (245, 0.11%) and Turku (190, 0.10%). 2,110 of them reside in Uusimaa, where they make up 0.13% of the population, BusinessDay reports.
UK new salary requirement to secure work visa
Ealier, Legit.ng also reported that the United Kingdom has announced an increase in the salary requirements for the skilled Worker visa route.
The government explained that these salary adjustments aimed to prioritise highly skilled and well-compensated professionals.
The changes mean that Nigerians looking to relocate to the UK for work will have to secure high-paying jobs.
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Source: Legit.ng
