Finland
Changes to work-based residence permits – protection period for unemployment and new notification obligation for employers
Parliament has passed amendments to the Aliens Act that concern residence permits issued for employed persons. The amendments, including an extended protected period when a job ends and new notification rules for employers, will enter into force on 11 June 2025.
Protection period after employment ends
A person working in Finland with a residence permit on the basis of work will have a protection period of three or six months to find a new job if their employment relationship ends prematurely. The aim of the legislative amendment is to bind work-based residence permits more closely to employment and to improve the supervision of the permit.
If the residence permit granted on the basis of employment expires before the protection period ends and the holder has not found a new job, they must leave Finland.
Holders of a residence permit on the basis of work will have six months to find a new job if they have been issued
- a residence permit for a specialist
- a residence permit for a person working in top or middle management
- a residence permit for a specialist or manager with intra-corporate transferee permit (ICT permit)
- an EU Blue Card or
- they have held some other type of residence permit issued on the basis of employment for at least two years.
They will have three months to find a new job if, for example, they have had one of the following permits for less than two years:
- a residence permit for an employed person
- a residence permit on the basis of research completed in Finland
- a residence permit for a person with a degree completed in Finland or
- a residence permit for an athlete.
Right to work in other sectors
Before the legislative change, a residence permit for an employed person only granted the right to work in the specific sectors for which the residence permit was issued. From 11 June these residence permit holders can also apply for work in fields defined as sectors affected by national labour shortage. Currently, this includes practical nurses, nurses and process operators for the processing of metals.
Time limit for submitting employee notifications
Employers must submit an employee notification if they hire a person who comes from outside the EU/EEA countries and already has a valid residence permit and right to work.
From 11 June, the notification must be submitted within 7 days using the Enter Finland online service or within 10 days on a paper form.
Submit a notification of the ending of an employment relationship
Employers must submit a notification of the ending of employment if the employment of a person living in Finland with a residence permit for an employed person ends earlier than agreed in the employment contract. The employer must submit the notification in Enter Finland for Employers within 14 days of the ending of the employment, or alternatively on a paper form.
There is no need to submit the notification in situations when the additional work performed by the employee in addition to their actual work ends but the actual employment relationship remains unchanged and the termination of the employment relationship does not affect the conditions for the residence permit. However, if a work-related residence permit has been issued on the basis of several employment relationships and even one of these ends, the notification obligation applies to the employer that has terminated the employment relationship.
France
Updated list of shortage professions
On 22 May 2025, the Ministry of Labour, Health, Solidarity and Families published a decree establishing a new list of “métiers en tension” (shortage occupations) by region.
The long-awaited list is based on the level of pressure on recruitment and the proportion of non-EU national foreign workers in each occupation.
For the listed professions, employers can recruit foreign workers outside the European Union without having to submit a job offer in advance.
Moreover, workers in shortage professions with an irregular immigration status can apply for a temporary residence permit for “exceptional admission to stay” (“AES”). Eligible employees can apply in a personal capacity, without the consent of their employer, subject to conditions of duration of residence and activity, and the temporary residence permit is issued at the discretion of the prefect.
The 2025 list includes, depending on the region:
- construction and public works workers,
- salaried farmers, market gardeners/horticulturists,
- home helpers, domestic helpers, kitchen helpers, cooks,
- domestic workers and housekeeping staff,
- Hotel and catering professions.
This list is part of the law of 26 January 2024 to control immigration and improve integration.
A first list of professions in tension was established in 2021 and updated in March 2024. It is expected to be revised each year to adapt to changes in the labour market and business needs.
Norway
New salary levels in Norway from 1 September 2025 for those with higher education
The Immigration Directorate (UDI) has made significant adjustments to the normal salary requirements for residence permits for those with a university degree.
To be granted a residence permit to work in Norway, your salary and working conditions must be in line with what is normal in Norway.
- Those working in a sector covered by a collective agreement must be paid the collective wage rate.
- For those working in a sector without a collective agreement, the salary must not be lower than what is considered normal for the occupation. From 1 September 2025, the following amounts will apply:
- If the position requires a master’s degree, the applicant must be paid at least NOK 599 200 per year before tax.
- If the position requires a bachelor’s degree, the applicant must be paid at least NOK 522 600 per year before tax.
UDI may accept a lower salary if the applicant can document that this is normal for their occupation in the place where they will be working. However, it takes substantial evidence to provide documentation for this.
The applicant must receive at least this level of salary from 1 September 2025, even if the job offer in the case states a lower amount.
UDI has used salary levels from the main collective agreement between the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) and the employee organisations as a basis for determining the new salary requirements.
Poland
List of IT professionals who can access EU Blue Card without higher education qualifications
On 6 June 2025, the Minister of the Interior and Administration published an announcement, dated 3 June 2025, listing IT occupations in which it is now easier to obtain an EU Blue Card without higher education qualifications.
Under the new rules which took effect on 1 June 2025, applicants in these occupations can prove their higher professional qualifications by presenting at least three years of professional experience (rather than five years as previously), provided that this experience was gained within seven years prior to submitting the application.
The listed professions include information and communication technology specialists and also managers in information and communication technology.
