Finland is one of the best options in Europe when you think of immigration to the Green Continent.; a low crime rate, high quality of education, great healthcare for people, the efficient public transport that takes you to every corner of its great nature, job opportunities and the demand for skilled workers. Lawyers can move to Finland and work in this amazing destination. You just need to know what you have to do. The Visa Library team explains in this article how to immigrate and work in Finland as a lawyer.
Requirements to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer
Finnish national law requires some principles to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer. You need these items to immigrate and work in Finland as a lawyer. Some of these items are in your control, and some of them are not. For instance, you must wait if you are younger than the required age limit.
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Immigrate to Finland as a Lawyer
Age limit to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer.
You must be at least 25 years old to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer. Younger applicants need to wait to reach the required age.
Having a degree.
You need a valid law degree from an approved university to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer. You can study for a degree in Finland or a foreign country, but you need recognition for a foreign degree.
Recognition by the Finnish National Board of Education.
If you study for a degree outside of Finland, you need to apply to the Finnish National Board of Education and get a final decision from them. It’s the permission to work as a lawyer in Finland. They assess your degree and determine the quality and quantity of your education are equivalent to a Finnish degree or not.
You must pass the bar examination as well.
Work experience as a lawyer
You need at least 4 years of work experience as a lawyer to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer. You must be able to provide proof of it.
Have a clean background.
You must have a clean record certificate and clean background. There cannot be any criminal conviction or jail history. Your financial status must be stable, and you cannot be bankrupt.
You must be independent and on your own as well. Also, you must work full-time as an attorney-at-law.
Finland visa types for immigrant lawyers who immigrate there
The standard visa for a lawyer who wants to move to Finland is a work visa. But you need a work permit before you apply for a work visa. The work permit is authorization to work in Finland as a foreign person, and the work visa is permission to enter the country.
When you visit the Enter Finland Service website, there are different options to enter. The first residence permit is the option you or the employer need to enter and complete the procedure.
You can learn how to apply for a work permit and a work visa from the Visa Library article or watch the video we have prepared on our YouTube channel. The links are provided in the above section.
If you are a non-EU national and you are not among the visa-waiver countries, you can use a Finland tourist visa to enter the country. Why do you need to enter Finland? You might have to take an aptitude test or look for a job. It permits you to enter the country and stay for up to 90 days. It’s enough to find a job or take the test.
You can learn about Finland’s tourist visa from the Visa Library article.
Jobs positions in Finland for immigrant lawyers
People who study law might get different job positions in Finland or any foreign country. This section brings you some of the job positions you might find or work in Finland.
You can prepare yourself or get a qualification and work experience.
- Associate Attorney
- Associate general counsel
- Bankruptcy paralegal
- Contracts lawyer
- Corporate lawyer
- Corporate Attorney
- Employment lawyer
- Family lawyer
- General practice lawyer
- Immigration lawyer
- Intellectual property lawyer
- Litigation Attorney
- Litigation Paralegal
- Personal injury lawyer
- Trademark paralegal
The best cities to immigrate and work in Finland as a lawyer
The city you will find a job as a lawyer in Finland depends on the job market and your resume to persuade the Finnish employer to hire you. However, this section brings you some useful information and tips about the cities in Finland so you can make a wise decision about the place you want to choose to live in.
This is the list of the most popular cities, and foreign people want to live in them. Each one of them has its features and benefits that people have chosen them. You should find out what they have for you and what your items are:
- Helsinki
- Rovaniemi
- Oulu
- Turku
- Tampere
- Espoo
It’s obvious that there are more opportunities and companies in large cities. You might prefer the diversity and colorfulness of large cities.
- Helsinki
- Espoo
- Tampere
- Vantaa
- Turku
- Oulu
- Lahti
- Kuopio
- Jyvaeskylae
- Pori
- Lappeenranta
- Vaasa
- Kotka
How to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer?
If you get your degree outside of Finland, you must follow this procedure to immigrate and work s a lawyer in Finland. You’d better read the entire section at least once and determine the whole process you have to follow. Also, there are some eligibility principles in the above section that you must read and fulfill. Determine if you qualify them or not.
Gather the requirements to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer
You must gather and submit this list of documents to the Finnish National Agency for Education.
- Application from. There is an online application form you need to complete and send to the Finnish officials. The processing with the online application is faster, and you will get the results faster. If you cannot complete the online application form, you can complete the paper application form. You should email Finnish officials to this email [email protected]. And ask for the paper application form.
- Your qualification certificate or degree.
- Your transcripts or documents indicating the content of your studies.
- A copy of your passport or national ID card or proof of nationality.
These documents are required if you are an EU national;
- . Evidence of professional qualifications. This is required for EU/EEA nationals. It must be from the country where you have got your professional qualifications.
- Work certificates or certificates of professional experience if you have them. You need a certificate of life-long learning as well.
Translation of your documents.
Are your documents in one of the following languages:
- Finnish,
- Swedish,
- Danish,
- English,
- Estonian,
- Icelandic,
- French,
- German,
- Norwegian
- Spanish.
If yes, you do not need to translate them, but if not, you must have your original documents translated into one of the following languages:
- Finnish,
- Swedish
- or English
A verified translation office must translate the documents in the heading with all the contact information.
Processing by Finnish officials
After you send the requirements or supporting documents, Finnish officials will email you the confirmation to receive the documents. There is a fee you must pay for the assessment and processing of your application. You will receive instructions on how to pay the fee at your email address. Remember that you will have to pay the fee in two weeks after reigning the email.
If you have not sent a full list of the documents, you will have to send them to the Finnish National Agency for Education. The processing of your application beings after you have sent the required supplementary documents. The processing time takes 2-3 months from the date Finnish officials receive the supplementary documents.
If Finnish officials need further documents, the officer or person responsible for your application will contact you to inform you to send them.
After Finnish officials finish your application and decide on it, they will send you the instructions to pay the fee. There is a fee for the decision that you have to pay. Remember that you will have to pay this fee two weeks after getting the email.
You will receive the paper form of the decision or an electronically signed letter at your email address.
What do lawyers have to do after receiving the decision from Finnish officials?
After you receive the decision from the Finnish officials, read the decision letter and its instructions carefully. It will inform you of the further steps you have to take. There are three things that you have to do one of them:
- Completing studies in Finland or a foreign country.
- Take an adaptation period.
- Take an aptitude test.
If the letter says that you do not have to do anything, you can apply for a job in Finland. The letter holds all the necessary information about the further steps you have to take. Follow it to complete your recognition process.
Applying for a final decision to the Finnish officials
After you follow the instruction in the letter and complete whatever it requires, you must apply for a final decision. The letter might tell that you can apply directly for the final decision. If so, use the Electronic application form for a final decision to apply for it and receive the final decision. It allows you to work as a lawyer in Finland legally.
Remember that you can only apply for a final decision if you have completed the instructions by the letter. You either have to take further studies, an adaptation period, or an aptitude test.
If you have questions regarding the process or the steps you have to take on the decision letter, you can email Finnish officials at this email address: [email protected].
What if the answer to the recognition is negative?
Finnish officials might decide that you are not eligible to work as a lawyer in Finland. In this case, you can appeal their decision. The instructions and information on how to appeal the Finnish officials’ decision are provided on this website.
Look for a job in Finland as a lawyer
After you get the final decision and permission to work as a lawyer in Finland, you can begin looking for a job. You may begin looking for a job at any stage, but you must inform the employer of the conditions of your application.
The EU/EEA lawyers who have permission to work in Finland do not need a work permit to work in Finland. They just need to inform the local officials of their presence.
But non-EU/EEA nationals need a work permit to work in Finland. You need to get a work permit before moving to Finland. To do so, you need a Finnish employer willing to hire you. You cannot apply on your own for a work permit and must have an employer who needs your skills and is willing to hire you. This is why it’s essential to find a job offer.
There are different ways you can use to find a job in Finland as a lawyer. The first and easy way you can use from your home is to look for a position through the websites that advertise job positions in Finland. This is a list of them:
- Monster Finland
- Tiptopjob Finland
- Jobs in Helsinki
- Duunitori
- Te- Palvelut
- Careerjet Finland
- Monster. fi
- Indeed Finland
- Rekrytointi.com
- Learn4Good
- Oikotie
- The Hub
- Glassdoor
- Rekrytointi.com
You must prepare your resume plus the decision letter you got from the Finnish officials and apply for the positions. If your resume is good enough and outstanding, Finnish employers will reach out or contact you. They will hold an interview, and the process goes on to offer you the positions.
There is another way to find a job in Finland as a lawyer. It’s to get assistance from the employment agencies in Finland. These are the recruiters that connect employers and employees. They can find you a position, but it’s up to you to reach them. This is a list of these recruiters or employment agencies in Finland:
- StaffPoint
- aTalent Recruiting
- Adecco
- Finnwards
- Horton International
- Barona
- Eezy
The job offer must lead to an employment contract with the Finnish employer. It must be on the company’s letterhead and hold all the necessary information and terms of employment. These are some of the terms that must be included in the letter, but you or the employer can add other items:
- Salary
- Starting date
- Duration of employment.
- Location,
- Tasks and responsibilities
- Confidentiality.
- Etc.
Lawyers apply for a Finland work permit and a work visa
After you finalize the employment contract, you need a work permit to work in Finland as a foreign lawyer. Remember that non-EU/EEA nationals need a work permit, and EU nationals can work in Finland without a work permit.
The application process is like this:
Finnish employer or you, the lawyer, can apply for a work permit. You’ll have to apply for the “First Residence Permit.” to work as a lawyer.
Visit the Enter Finland Service website. When you enter the site, click on the Work Part button, you’ll enter another page and should read the instructions to know which part is appropriate for you. A residence permit for an employed person (TTOL) is often your choice. But there might be another option according to your conditions or a particular case for lawyers. Read the instructions. Then create an account if you don’t have any.
Now, you need to complete the online application form on the website. Then, submit the scanned form of supporting documents.
You can find more information about Finland’s work visa from the Visa Library article or watch the video that the Visa Library team has prepared on our YouTube channel.
Lawyers’ Salaries in Finland
Your salary as a lawyer in Finland depends on many factors and items:
- Education.
- Work experience.
- The location or city you work with.
- The company you work with.
- Your positions.
- Tasks and responsibilities.
- Job title.
The sources who publish figures for lawyers’ salaries in Finland have mentioned different numbers. According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a lawyer in Finland is about €8,238 per month. This source says that the estimated additional pay is about €3,369 per month.
According to Salary Explorer, the average salary is about 8,520 EUR per month. While the lowest salary is about 4,260 EUR, the highest salary is about 13,200 EUR.
According to World Salaries, the average annual salary is about 108,120 EUR, with an average monthly salary of about 9,010 EUR. It says the lowest annual salary is about 48,560 EUR, with the lowest monthly salary of about 4,046 EUR. This is while this source says that the highest annual salary is about 169,000 EUR, with the highest monthly salary of about 14,083 EUR.
Let’s sum up…
The Visa Library team brought you how to immigrate and work in Finland as a lawyer. We explained the requirements or eligibility principles that you need to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer. Then the procedure you have to follow as a foreign person to immigrate to Finland as a lawyer or the recognition is covered in detail. This is your ultimate guide to becoming a lawyer in Finland.
If you have questions, write them down in the comment section. The Visa Library team will answer all of them.
Frequently asked questions about immigration to Finland as a lawyer
Having a degree or lawyer’s license from a foreign country doesn’t give you the right to work as a lawyer in Finland. You must pass the recognition process and get a license from the Finnish Bar Association.
Yes, there are so many pros in Finland, and you can have an amazing life there.
Your income depends on many factors, but the average salary is about €8,238 per month.
- Author
- Max-B.
- July 1, 2023
