Finland
Transfer of work permit services from TE Offices to Finnish Immigration Service
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) will be responsible for all residence permit matters for employed persons as of 1 January 2025. Because of this reorganisation of responsibilities, employee announcements regarding employees hired from outside the EU/EEA area must be submitted to the Finnish Immigration Service as of 1 January 2025.
According to Migri, the processing of applications will slow down for a short while in early 2025 because of the reorganization. During the spring, the processing pace will recover. Over time, the processing times will become considerably shorter than before.
For those who are using Enter Finland for Employers, the reorganization will not affect the way they use the service. Using Enter Finland for Employers is the easiest way to speed up the processing of an employee’s application. It is also the quickest and easiest way to manage application matters. An additional benefit of using Enter Finland for Employers is that the processing fees for online applications are often more affordable than for paper applications.
No more partial decisions required
After the Finnish Immigration Service takes over some of the duties of the TE Offices on 1 January 2025, a partial decision is no longer required for a residence permit for an employed person and for a residence permit for seasonal work that lasts over six months. These applications will be processed by the Finnish Immigration Service only.
The information and attachments required for an application will remain the same as before. Labour market testing will continue, too. The Finnish Immigration Service will verify that the employee’s terms of employment comply with the provisions of law in force and follow the applicable collective agreement. The Finnish Immigration Service will also verify that the employee’s income is sufficient.
As an employer, you have the right to appeal against a decision only if a negative decision on the employee’s residence permit application has been issued for reasons related to the employer or for reasons related to the labour market situation. Once a partial decision is no longer required, employers will only be informed of decisions that are negative for reasons related to labour market testing or to the employer.
Positive decisions and decisions that are negative for reasons related to the applicant will be served on the applicant only. The applicant has the right to appeal against such decisions.
Italy
Stricter rules for family reunification
Law 187/2024 (the conversion into law of Decree Law 145/2024 with some modifications) was published in the official gazette on 11 December 2024 and came into force on 11 December 2024.
Under the terms of the new law, foreign nationals in Italy can bring dependent family members into the country only after completing two continuous years of legal residence (up from one year previously).
This rule applies to eligible family members including spouses, parents and disabled adult children, but does not apply to minor children under age of 18 years, who can join their parents without the two-year waiting period.
Holders of residence permits for international protection are not affected by the rule change. Further details of the implementation of the new rule are expected in the near future.
