Do not make it more difficult for international experts to stay in Finland

Does the draft proposal include a sufficiently long protection period for finding a new job? 

No.

Justifications for your answer and other possible comments on the draft proposal: 

The Student Union of the University of Helsinki considers the proposed protection periods too short. We are extremely worried over the effects the measures proposed in the draft will have on international experts and the attractiveness of Finland as a country of study. 

Three and often even six months are way too short protection periods for finding a new job. Recruitment processes in Finland often take over three months and include multiple stages even outside specialist fields. According to a report by AkavaWorks (2024), only around half of unemployed job-seekers in Finland got employed in under three months during the period 2013–2022. The result was similar regardless of their level of education.  

International experts also face additional challenges that make it more difficult for them to find a new job. They have fewer Finnish networks to utilise when seeking jobs as well as fewer jobs that their language skills are sufficient for available for them. International experts also still face discrimination in the labour market, which lowers their chances of even getting invited to job interviews. 

The proposed protection periods do not account for economic fluctuations or even differences that occur in job-seeking and recruitment during the calendar year. It is difficult to find employment during a recession or the summer months: there are fewer jobs available and recruitment processes take longer. Getting employed during the summer is especially challenging for foreign citizens compared to Finnish citizens. According to the report by AkavaWorks, around 60% of foreign citizens who had become unemployed in April were still unemployed in July during the period from 2013 to 2023. 

A six-month protection period would not apply to international students or researchers who have been in Finland on a study- or research-based residence permit or later on a residence permit for job-seeking or starting a business. Graduates from Finnish higher education institutions could have been working in Finland for several years and still only get a three-month protection period when moving onto an employee’s residence permit. This does not support international students and researchers with settling in Finland. The six-month protection period should apply to other residence permits too in addition to those based on work. 

The proposed protection periods will decrease Finland’s attractiveness among international experts and will not encourage international students to find employment in Finland. When you can lose your residence permit due to a short period of unemployment even if you have spent several years in the country as a student or researcher, many international experts will likely choose stabler conditions in another country. According to the E2 study (2023), only 43% of international degree students were planning on staying in Finland after their studies. Nearly half of the international students participating in the survey stated that difficulties with finding a job were making it harder for them to settle and stay in Finland. Many recent graduates first get hired for short-term temporary jobs, which further increases the uncertainty of employment. The government’s proposal drives international experts already living in Finland away from the country, making us lose valuable competence. This conflicts with the government programme, which stresses the importance of job-based immigration in securing financial growth. 

Finland would have the opportunity to improve factors that help the country retain people and to offer better protection periods than other countries competing for international experts. The EU directive only sets out the minimum level, which means that Finland can set more favourable terms on the matter. Countries like Denmark and Norway have already done so: it is possible to get a job-seeking visa for six months in both countries. We need the government to take action to ensure that experts who are already in Finland, such as international degree students, want and are able to stay and work in Finland. By making it more difficult for international experts to build their life here, the government’s proposal makes the labour shortage worse and stunts financial growth. 

Is the proposal on the time limits for submitting notifications, 7/10 days, sufficient? 

No. 

Justifications for your answer and other possible comments on the draft proposal: 

The Student Union of the University of Helsinki considers the proposed time limits for submitting notifications too strict. The proposal would increase bureaucracy and companies’ administrative burden.  This may reduce employers’ willingness to hire international experts. Current legislation has sufficient provisions on the employer’s notification obligation, and there is no need to make it stricter.