Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's (NCP) coaltion government has reached an agreement on restricting Kela's home care allowances for immigrants.
As first reported on Tuesday by newspaper Iltalehti, the benefit would no longer be paid to a child's guardian who has lived in Finland for less than three years after the guardian turned 16. The restriction would apply only to the parent who has migrated.
The three-year residency requirement could also be met through residence in an EU or European Economic Area country, or in Switzerland.
Earlier plans were more stringent, requiring both parents to have lived in Finland or elsewhere in the EU or EEA for at least three years.
That proposal drew criticism for potentially breaching the principle of equal treatment, not least by excluding some Finnish citizens from the benefit based on their family circumstances.
The proposal is now out for consultation, before heading to parliament later in the spring.
