Finland prepares tough changes for migrants: who may lose social benefits

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Finland’s Finance Minister Riikka Purra has proposed limiting access to the basic subsistence allowance for foreigners who have lived in the country for less than 10 years. The need for reform is linked to the growing number of benefit recipients and weakening incentives to work, she notes in Maaseudun Tulevaisuus. In many cases, these payments have become a primary source of income.

How much migrants receive

The basic subsistence allowance was originally designed as a last-resort safety net, but in practice it is increasingly used on a permanent basis, Riikka Purra noted. The problem, in her view, is directly linked to migration: nearly 30% of benefit recipients are people who do not speak Finnish or Swedish. Among Arabic-speaking residents, 54% receive support, while the figure for speakers of the state languages is 3.7%.

In Helsinki, a single person receives about €1,300 per month, a single parent around €2,000, a family with two children about €3,000, and a family with four children approximately €4,000. In large families, the amount approaches €5,000. In addition, the state often covers utility bills, electricity, insurance and, in some cases, rental deposits.

Additional support from regional authorities is provided separately:

household items — €800;

hobby expenses for teenagers — €550;

a baby stroller — €400;

a bicycle — €300;

sports equipment — €250;

an amusement park wristband — €80.

All of these payments are tax-free and, in their current form, do not create incentives to work, the minister stressed. She gives an example: if a family receives €4,000 without any earned income, motivation to enter the labour market naturally declines, and few people will agree to night-time cleaning shifts if a comparable sum is available without employment. Every euro earned beyond the minimum exempt threshold immediately reduces the benefit, meaning that work, especially low-paid work, brings little financial gain.

Unemployed people and students

Finland already has around 100,000 unemployed foreigners, some of whom are enrolled in integration training programmes. Riikka Purra attributes roughly half of the overall increase in unemployment to migration and points to decisions by the previous government that granted immediate access to the social security system for family members of foreign students. Initially, however, such migrants were expected to support themselves fully and not rely on state assistance.

According to data from the social insurance institution Kela, in 2024 about 250,000 households were registered as recipients of assistance, with more than 350,000 people living in them — a significant share of the country’s population. At the same time, a substantial proportion of applicants remain in the social assistance system for long periods. About one third of households receive the basic allowance for more than ten consecutive months, intensifying the debate about the transformation of temporary support into a permanent source of income.

The minister emphasises that the assistance system was not originally designed for such a burden and such a broad group of recipients: under the current rules, she says, “no amount of money will be enough” to sustain the present level of generosity.

Dismantling the support model

The reform of the basic subsistence allowance is already under consideration in parliament. It is assumed that recipients will be required to apply first for primary forms of support — unemployment benefits, student allowances and other basic measures. In cases of refusal or inaction, the amount of assistance may be cut by half, which, according to the authorities, should reduce long-term dependence on social support.

Left-wing parties describe the proposed changes as a dismantling of the welfare state model. Trade unions also criticise the government’s course toward tightening social support conditions, pointing to the risks of rising poverty and increased social vulnerability among certain groups, especially families with children and migrants. Representatives of the Social Democratic Party, the Left Alliance and the Greens argue that restricting access to basic benefits may lead not to higher employment, but to a shift of the burden onto municipalities and charitable organisations.

However, Finland’s finance minister refers to the practices of other Nordic countries. There, requirements are stricter and the level of support is lower, especially for migrants. In Sweden, models are already being implemented under which newcomers receive only part of the standard benefit, while in Denmark reduced assistance is granted only after long-term residence and with mandatory employment. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) indicates that under conditions and support levels comparable to those in Sweden, the number of basic allowance recipients in Finland could be reduced by about half.



The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Law considers that the basic subsistence allowance does not belong to the minimum guarantees explicitly enshrined in the Constitution, but is intended to maintain a socially acceptable standard of living. This, in Purra’s view, makes it possible to restrict the conditions for granting the benefit. In the long term, the Finns Party insists on linking social support to citizenship, which would require a constitutional amendment. However, already in the next electoral cycle, a practical measure is proposed — to grant the basic subsistence allowance only to those who have lived in Finland for at least 10 years.