The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) is launching a project to speed up and streamline the processing of work-based permits and residence permits for international students.
According to the immigration agency, the project was launched on 1 February 2021 and the aim is to issue customers with a work permit on average within a month by 2023.
Another goal is to achieve a processing time of two weeks for permits for specialists, start-up entrepreneurs and their family members during the year 2021.
“The project focuses heavily on the customer. We will listen to the views of our customers, of employers and of our interest groups on how to develop our operations and customer experience,” says Director General Jari Kähkönen.
Work-related permit processes are streamlined in cooperation within the immigration administration. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is leading an ongoing project to develop legislation concerning foreign nationals as well as the permit processes. Migri has a central role in the project as the authority responsible for issuing the permits.
Digital development
Vesa Hagström will lead the Lupa22 project for a year starting from the beginning of February. Hagström has previously worked as Chief Digital Officer at the Technology and Digitalisation Unit of the Finnish Immigration Service.
As Project Leader, he will be responsible for steering the project and for project planning as well as the systematic advancement of digital development, among other things.
“Agile development of our practices and increased automation are ways to speed up permit processing and to support Finland in competing for international experts,” says Hagström.
Work, family and studies are the most common reasons for moving to Finland. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic affected the number of residence permit applications submitted abroad, but work-related immigration is expected to increase in the future.
Last year, the Finnish Immigration Service issued more than 8,500 first residence permits on the basis of work. 8,592 residence permits were granted on the basis of family ties and 3,225 on the basis of studies.
