Government bill to overhaul Finland’s start-up residence permit enters decisive committee stage

Foreign founders eyeing Finland received clarity on 15 October when immigration law specialists Aval Visa published a deep-dive analysis of government bill HE 216/2026, now before Parliament’s Administration Committee. The bill would keep Finland’s pioneering start-up permit—but reverse the order of steps, make each founder pay the residence-permit fee up front and convert Business Finland’s current ‘Eligibility Statement’ into a binding partial decision inside the residence-permit process. Under today’s rules, one team member applies first to Business Finland for a free statement; only after a positive opinion can each founder file a paid application with the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). HE 216/2026 would move Migri’s general admissibility checks—including travel-document validity and grounds for refusal—to the front of the queue. Business Finland would then assess seven statutory criteria, among them novelty, rapid international-growth potential and a minimum 60 % combined ownership by founders who will reside in Finland. The reform aims to cut frivolous statement requests—of which over 40 % in 2025 were repeat applications—and to catch misuse early: Migri’s post-decision monitoring led to revocation reviews in 23 % of cases between April 2024 and December 2025, the government notes. Processing times would stay capped at two months, but the fast-track two-week lane will need redesigning, and every extension would once again require a Business Finland partial decision. For mobility managers, the headline is timing. If passed, the law would start on 12 January 2028, but pending applications on that date would still be judged under the old regime. Companies planning to transfer founders should therefore decide whether to accelerate filings or wait for the new, integrated model. Fees remain unknown—set annually by Interior-Ministry decree—yet the bill hints that part of the current €650 online fee could be earmarked for Business Finland’s assessment. With national elections due in April 2027, observers expect the committee to issue its report by early 2027 at the latest, or the bill will lapse. Most consultation respondents supported the overhaul, though start-up and investor groups warn the upfront fee could deter high-potential founders at the awareness stage. Mobility stakeholders should monitor the committee calendar and prepare updated workflow charts for HR teams once the legislative timetable firms up.