Working in Finland after graduation: the residence permit to look for work explained

On a residence permit for studies, you may work in any field for an average of 30 hours a week. The average is calculated over the year, so you can work more in some weeks as long as it evens out. In holidays you may work full-time, but the 30-hour average still has to hold at the end of the year. Plan a heavy summer job with that in mind.

Internships and thesis work that are part of your degree don’t count towards the limit, provided it is agreed from the start that you earn credits for them. That is why a credit-bearing internship or a company-commissioned thesis is often the smartest first Finnish job: it isn’t capped, and it gives you a Finnish reference.

If you have completed a degree in Finland (or completed research here) and don’t have a job yet, or your job doesn’t pay enough for a work-based permit, Migri’s route is the residence permit to look for work. Its rules:

• Length: up to two years. You can take it in one go or in up to three parts, each at least six months long, with the last part ending within three years of the first part’s start.
• Deadline: apply within five years from the date your study or research permit expired.
• Funds: at least EUR 800 a month for accommodation, food and other needs, which is EUR 19,200 for two years.
• Work: you can work without restrictions, in any field, and you can also start a business.
• Fees: EUR 230 online (EUR 430 on paper) as an extended permit from Finland; EUR 750 online (EUR 800 on paper) as a first permit.

Migri decides every application. Its current estimate for the first-permit version is two months in most cases and three months in a minority, so don’t leave it to the last week.

Apply before your student permit expires. It is cheaper as an extended permit, and Migri says that if you applied before your previous permit expired, you can start working immediately when you find a job. If you apply after it has expired, you must wait for a positive decision first.

In practice, gather the paperwork in your final semester: your degree certificate, or documentation that you completed your research, proof of funds, a valid passport and a recent photo. Book the application for as soon as the degree certificate is issued.

Graduates of Finnish institutions have a permit of their own: the residence permit on the basis of a degree completed in Finland. You need a completed Finnish degree and a job, trade or business in Finland. The 2026 income requirement is a net income of at least EUR 1,210, 1,090 or 1,030 a month depending on where you live. With it you can work without restrictions. Qualifying degrees include university and university of applied sciences degrees, and certain vocational qualifications.

Timing matters here too. If you currently hold a student permit and apply for this permit before it expires, Migri says you can keep working or start a new job before the new permit is issued. Otherwise you cannot start work until you have it. Online fees are EUR 530 for a first permit and EUR 230 for an extended permit.

If your salary is at least EUR 3,937 gross a month, the specialist permit and the EU Blue Card are also open to you. Our Finland work permits guide compares them.

The five-year window runs from the date your study or research permit expired, not from your graduation day. If you went home or moved elsewhere, you can still apply for the residence permit to look for work as a first permit. The fee is EUR 750 online, and you must show EUR 800 a month in funds. It is worth doing if you have a concrete plan: contacts, target employers and interviews to attend. Returning on a job-search permit without them rarely pays off.

Your Finnish degree is worth more than a job-search permit. Since 8 January 2026, most people need six years in Finland, two years of work and B1 Finnish or Swedish before they can apply for permanent residence. Graduates with a university master’s, licentiate, doctoral or bachelor’s degree, or a master’s from a university of applied sciences, have their own route with no set residence period. It needs Finnish or Swedish at level A2, or 15 credits of Finnish or Swedish studies at a higher education institution, and you must still meet the conditions for a continuous (A) permit.

Those 15 credits are the cheapest investment in your future you can make while studying. Take the Finnish courses your university offers before you graduate.

Work in Finland names internships, thesis projects and summer jobs as the common entry points into the Finnish job market, and says many international students start there before moving into full-time roles. Your university’s careers services are the first stop for all three.

• Internship: ask your department which companies have hosted students before, and whether your programme has a credit-bearing internship. It doesn’t count towards the 30-hour limit.
• Thesis: pitch a thesis topic to a company whose problem fits your degree. It turns months of work into a project the employer has already seen.
• Summer jobs: set up job alerts on Job Market Finland early in the year, and ask your careers service when employers in your field recruit summer workers.
• Network: Work in Finland points to student associations, career fairs, International Houses, industry groups and LinkedIn. Job Market Finland estimates that up to 75% of jobs are not publicly advertised.
• Language: Work in Finland recommends using your institution’s language courses while you study. Even A2 Finnish widens your options, and it counts towards permanent residence.

When you apply, write your CV the Finnish way: one to two pages, direct, with results rather than duties. Our Finnish CV guide covers the format, and first job after graduation covers the early-career basics.