Immigrant unemployment benefits in Finland are set to face changes under a new government plan. The Finnish authorities want to replace part of the current jobseeker’s support with a new integration allowance. This means that immigrants who cannot show basic Finnish or Swedish skills, or who do not meet minimum work requirements, would receive lower payments until they prove progress in language or employment.
Social Security Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen confirmed to Uutissuomalainen that the draft proposal will be opened for public consultation later this year. The goal, according to the government, is to encourage immigrants to find work more quickly and to take part in language training.
Lower benefits without language or work requirements
Under the proposal, anyone who fails to pass a language test or meet minimum employment criteria would see a cut in their monthly payment. Instead of the current net unemployment benefit of around 640 euros, the amount would be brought down closer to basic social assistance, which is about 594 euros for a single adult. That means the maximum cut would be just under 50 euros per month.
Liisa Siika-aho, Director at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, explained in Helsingin Sanomat that this was a reasonable estimate of the scale of reduction, though exact details of the future allowance remain open.
Chance to recover full benefits
Immigrants would still have the chance to raise their benefit back to the original level. This can be done by passing an official language test or by meeting the employment requirement that qualifies someone for the higher unemployment benefit.
The government is still debating whether these rules will apply only to new arrivals or also to immigrants who are already settled in Finland. The new allowance would be temporary, and after a set period recipients would move back to the standard unemployment benefit system, regardless of language ability or work history.
Siika-aho emphasized that no group should remain permanently outside the main benefit system. Keeping people in the regular framework, she argued, ensures stronger obligations and clearer incentives to find work.
Step toward a citizenship-based welfare model
Finance Minister Riikka Purra, leader of the Finns Party, called the proposal a move toward a more citizenship-based social security system. She noted on X that the integration allowance fits her party’s wider plan to reshape Finland’s welfare policies, although she admitted that full reform would require constitutional change.
This is not the first time the idea has been raised. Back in 2015, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government suggested cutting immigrant unemployment benefits by 10 percent across the board. That plan was later dropped after constitutional experts warned that it could violate equality laws.
Siika-aho acknowledged that legal risks may still exist in the new proposal. She stressed, however, that in this case immigrants are not simply penalized, since they are given a fair chance to improve their own situation through language learning or employment.
The plan does not remove support entirely. Instead, the integration allowance would serve as a lower starting point, creating a clear path to higher benefits through active participation.
