Neogames Pushes for Revisions to the Three-Month Rule Proposal

Last week, the Finnish government published their draft for the so-called three-month rule that would force people to leave Finland after a three or six month grace period when their employment contract ends. Neogames, the Finland Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), the Service Sector Employers (Palta), and the Finnish Startup Community have signed a joint statement calling for significant amendments to the draft proposal. The statement emphasizes that the current draft proposal requires further clarification and additional work to meet the needs of the business sectors, including the Finnish Game Industry.

According to these five trade associations, the government’s proposal should not include an employer’s reporting obligation, and the government should extend grace periods for foreign workers to seek new employment after becoming unemployed. Organizations ask the diminishing resources of the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) to be used to streamline entry processes and expedite the processing of residence permits rather than to monitor unemployed individuals.

“We demand longer grace periods than the proposed 3 or 6 months. The industry cycles or holiday seasons can significantly delay finding a new job. Additionally, people have different family situations, and no one should be put in an unreasonable position due to too short grace periods. We must ensure that Finland does not lose its skilled workers or its reputation as an attractive place to work,” the organizations state.

“In the future, the diminishing resources of the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) should continue to be used to streamline entry processes and expedite the processing of residence permits rather than chasing temporarily unemployed individuals. The majority of immigrants who become unemployed already find employment within a reasonable time on the Finnish labour market or leave the country without state intervention.”

Read more: Finnish economic associations: Proposal on the three-month rule requires further work (In Finnish)