Background:

The Finnish Government is planning legislative amendments to add a € 1 600 monthly income threshold to grant residence permits in view of employment. Legislation will also be amended so that the income limits will be decided by government decree in the future. The aim is to promote full-time work and to make sure that workers will be able to support themselves better.

Before making a decision, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, which is in charge of preparing the amendments, would like to know whether similar thresholds exist or are planned in other EMN Member Countries. This ad hoc query, launched at the request of EMN Finland, checks the existing policy in EMN Member Countries and compares the different minimum salary thresholds and their potential evolution.

Respondents:

A total of 24 countries responded to this ad hoc query (including BE).

Findings:

A preliminary analysis of the results of the ad hoc query shows that:

• 18 EMN Member countries have a minimum salary threshold for residence permits for employment. This threshold ranges between € 460 and € 3 085,11 through respondent countries. The lowest wages are in CY, IT, HR, CZ, GR, PL, and PT with less than € 800 required per month. The highest are in LU and AT with more than € 2 500 gross required to access the job market. In countries like FR, DE, and NO, multiple schemes and scales exist to determine the minimum income threshold for delivering a permit to a migrant worker. However, these countries do not have a quantified, common, and fixed minimum income. Some countries also have different requirements for unskilled and (highly) skilled workers.
   
• 6 EMN Member countries do not have a minimum salary threshold for regular work permits: BE, BG, HU, MT, SK and SE. In BE, the minimum salary that applies for regular work permits is the average guaranteed monthly minimum income. This amount is determined country-wide and must be considered as the lowest limit of income that any worker can receive. If higher minimum wages are determined in a specific sector, then these apply. Thanks to cooperation with social partners, certain sectors have their own rules and salary scales established by collective labour agreements. In 2022, the Belgian average guaranteed monthly minimum gross income was €1 954,99. As of 1 November 2023, it increased to € 1 994,18.
   
• In most countries, the amount of the threshold is influenced by the legal minimum salary, the (minimum) national average salary, the cost of living, or policies established to protect the national labour market.
   
• Most minimal wages and thresholds are adjusted yearly.
   
• A minority of salary thresholds is determined by decree. Most amendments to existing laws are decided by governments with prior consultation with social partners.  
   
• Finally, most updates are made public via a publication in the Official Gazette and/or a statement from members of the government. 

For further information, please read the compilation of answers above.