Special Assistance for Immigrants

The purpose of the Special Assistance for Immigrants is to provide economic security in old age and unemployment. Finnish citizenship is not a requirement.

Claimant must

• be over the age of 65 years or
• between ages 16 and 64 and unable to work and
• have lived in Finland for a consecutive period of at least 5 years after reaching the age of 16 and immediately before the assistance is to be paid
• be ineligible for a full national pension on account of not having lived in Finland for the required length of time
• have applied for all pensions and other benefits he or she may be entitled to both in Finland and abroad.

The residence requirement of 5 years applies to everyone regardless of nationality. Residence periods in other EU/EEA countries or in Switzerland may be taken into consideration.

Special Assistance for Immigrants is payable only to persons who are resident in Finland, but periods of temporary residence abroad of up to 90 days per calendar year are allowed. Any periods of residence abroad are checked in the annual benefit review.

Income and assets

The amount of the Special assistance for Immigrants is reduced by the disposable income of the applicant and his/her spouse or cohabiting partner. Any regular income of the applicant (after taxes) is deducted from the full amount of the assistance.

To the extent that it exceeds the full amount of the special assistance, the income of the applicant's spouse or partner will also be deducted from the assistance.

Income limits

If the applicant's net income per year exceed EUR 6 935 (single recipient) or EUR 12 360 (married or cohabiting), he/she will not be eligible for the Special Assistance for Immigrants.

Coordination with other benefits

The following benefits do not affect the amount of the Special Assistance for Immigrants:

• living allowance (income support)
• General Housing Allowance
• Child Benefit
• increases for children paid on top of a national pension, earnings-related pension or unemployment benefit
• regular and additional front-veterans' supplements and  grants for foreign volunteers with front-line duties
• life annuity payable under the Military Injuries Act
• Care Allowance for Pensioners, disability allowance or other comparable benefit.