Finland’s government has agreed to restrict access to the home care allowance for some immigrants, according to Finnish news outlets including Iltalehti and Yle. The reform forms part of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s integration programme.
Under the proposal, a parent who has lived in Finland for less than three years after the age of 16 will not receive the benefit if they stay at home to care for a child.
According to the news outlets, the three-year residence requirement will also count time spent in another EU or EEA state or in Switzerland.
The restriction will apply only to the parent who has moved to Finland. It will not apply to both parents.
In single-parent families, the requirement will concern the parent living with the child.
The change will enter into force on 1 July 2026. It will affect those who move to Finland after the law takes effect.
According to information first reported by Iltalehti, the reform reflects what ministers have described as a “Norwegian model”, where access to certain family benefits links to prior residence.
The Swedish People’s Party had raised concerns that a broader restriction would lead to situations in which a Finnish parent lost support due to their partner’s background.
The government states that the amendment forms part of a wider effort to differentiate social security for immigrants and permanent residents within constitutional limits.
Constitutional scrutiny delayed the proposal. Ministers reviewed the equality provisions and the right to basic social security before finalising the draft.
The bill will go to parliament this spring.
Earlier in February, Finance Minister and leader of the Finns Party Riikka Purra proposed in comments to the media that immigrants should work without pay as a condition for receiving certain social benefits.
“In Denmark, social welfare, especially last-resort support, is tied to a 37.5-hour weekly work requirement,” Purra said in an interview with Suomen Uutiset.
“The obligation applies especially to foreigners and involves simple tasks, such as cleaning or gathering twigs, which do not displace any actual jobs,” she said.
Purra later wrote on X that some immigrants take low-paid jobs to secure residence and then leave work because “it does not pay in relation to social security”.
Her remarks drew criticism from opposition politicians and members of the governing National Coalition Party.
Former Helsinki mayor Juhana Vartiainen, from the National Coalition Party, wrote on X that the same incentive problems apply to Finnish citizens.
“That is why reform of social security and labour legislation is necessary in any case,” he said.
Denmark expanded its work requirement last summer.
The scheme applies to people who have lived in Denmark for fewer than nine of the past ten years and who have worked less than 2.5 years full-time.
Participants must complete up to 37 hours a week of assigned activity to receive benefits.
Municipalities organise tasks. They include waste collection, sorting donated clothes and assisting in care homes.
Part of the weekly requirement can consist of language classes or job search conducted under supervision.
In Finland, the constitution guarantees everyone the right to essential subsistence.
Research Professor Pasi Moisio of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare told Helsingin Sanomat that transferring the Danish model to Finland would prove difficult.
“The constitution and its interpretation grant immigrants a strong right to last-resort social security,” Moisio said.
He added that Denmark has broader employment and integration services.
“In Finland, social security focuses on passive income transfers. There are fewer obligations or service opportunities,” Moisio said.
HT