From Deportation to a Four-Year Residence Permit

Our client came to us after receiving a negative decision from the Finnish Immigration Service. The extension application based on employment had been refused, and the decision also included deportation. The authority ordered our client to leave Finland within thirty days.

The case was not about a person refusing to work, avoiding rules, or trying to misuse the system. Our client had been working in Finland for almost two years. The problem was connected to employment conditions that had fallen below the required level and to the fact that one of the employers had not replied to the Finnish Immigration Service’s request for clarification. In this case, the employers were private individuals, and the misunderstanding had consequences that were far heavier than the mistake itself.

We appealed the decision to the Administrative Court and challenged both the refusal and the deportation. The appeal made clear that the situation could be corrected, that the salary issues had been addressed, and that our client should not be punished with removal from Finland because of a mistake that was fixable and largely dependent on the employers’ responses. The proportionality of the decision was central. Deportation for a correctable employment-condition issue would have been a harsh and unreasonable outcome.

At the same time, a new residence permit application based on employment grounds was submitted, with the correctly completed forms and information. 

The result is now positive!

On 8 May 2026, the Finnish Immigration Service granted our client a continuous A-type residence permit based on employment, valid for four years, until 8 May 2030. The permit allows work in the field of domestic helpers and cleaners, and also in labour shortage sectors.

This decision changed the situation completely. A case that had started with refusal and deportation ended with stability, lawful residence, and the right to continue working in Finland.

It also shows why a negative decision should never be treated as the end of the matter. Some cases need to be appealed. Some cases need to be corrected. Some cases need both. What matters is that the necessary actions are made in time, with the right documents, the right legal arguments, and a clear understanding of what actually went wrong.

Our client can now continue their life and work in Finland without the pressure of removal hanging over them.