Application Process for residence permit applications for an employed person

Submitting the application

The application for a residence permit for an employed person (TTOL) can only be submitted by the employee. The residence permit application is submitted electronically through the Enter Finland service or by submitting the relevant papers to a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). If the employee is in Finland, the application may be submitted at any a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. If the application has been submitted electronically, the applicant must visit a Finnish mission or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service to prove their identity and present the original copies of the appendices to the application. If an extended residence permit has been applied for in the Enter Finland service, the applicant does not have to visit a service point to prove their identity and provide their fingerprints if strong electronic authentication has been used.

A form detailing the terms of employment and the attachments requested on the form must be submitted to the employee's residence permit application.

Partial decision of the TE Office

A residence permit application for an employed person is processed in two stages. The TE Office makes a partial decision on the matter, after which the final residence permit decision is made by the Finnish Immigration Service.

TE Office's partial decision is based on overall assessment, which includes assessing the availability of labour, the terms of the employment relationship and both the employer's and employee's prerequisites. The employee's income through gainful employment must also be secured. TE offices use an income register.

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Notification of the decision by the Finnish Immigration Service

The Finnish Immigration Service will notify the applicant of both the final residence permit decision and the partial decision made by the TE Office. The employer also always receives, at least, the partial decision and is informed of the outcome of the final residence permit decision.

Right of appeal

Appeals to the decision of the Finnish Immigration Service may be lodged with the Administrative Court. Both the applicant and the employer have the right to appeal. The employer can only appeal the partial decision. If the employer intends to make an appeal on the employee's residence permit decision, the employer must have a written power of attorney issued by the employee for that purpose.

Instructions on how to appeal will be attached to the decision you receive. The instructions specify which Administrative Court you may appeal to, the appeal period, the attachments needed, and the ways you may submit your appeal to the Administrative Court.

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