Checklist for recruiters when hiring foreigners

On this page, we have compiled a list of things that recruiters should take into consideration when employing foreigners. By foreigners we mean those people who are not Finnish nationals.

• Make sure that the respective jobseeker has the proper authorisation to work in Finland. Citizens of EEA countries may work without a working permit. The citizens of other countries must provide a residence permit with recorded grounds for their right to work. Further information is available in the section working permits.

• Retain all documentation proving the employee's right to work in a safe, easy to locate place. The information may be stored by, for example, inputting it into a personal data system, or by making a copy of the person's passport and keeping it in the workplace in case of any possible inspection. Information proving an employee’s right to work must be saved on file for four years after their employment has been terminated.

• If the employee has only recently moved to Finland, make sure that he/she has a Finnish social security number, tax deduction card and a bank account. See more here>>.

• Report the employed foreigner's name, and applied employment contract, to the employee's representative as well as the safety representative.

• If the position requires a specific higher education degree or a degree of a certain level, a degree that has been obtained abroad does not always mean that the person has the proper qualifications for the respective position in Finland. The employee can be directed to the Polku advisory service, which is where he/she will be offered guidance in applying for a degree recognition order. See more information here>>.

• If the position requires a criminal background check for the country of Finland, it can be applied for at the Legal Register Centre in the City of Hämeenlinna. This document should be applied for even if the employee has just recently moved to Finland. The employer is not obliged to check the employee's criminal background from countries other than Finland.

• Discuss the need for language training and inform the employee about the language training that is offered by the employer or by other such services in the area. All Finnish language training that is organised in the metropolitan area has been compiled on the selma-net.fi web page. 

• People who have recently moved to Finland should be directed to visit the Polku advisory service in Kamppi.

• You can find information about the taxation of a person moving to Finland for work in the Tax Administration's tax guide or at the In To Finland service point. 

Further information can be found by following the links shown on the links page.