Finland Proposes Fast-Track Residence Permits for International Students

The Finnish Interior Ministry has proposed tighter rules for family reunifications seeking residence permits, with the proposal being submitted for comments on January 27.

While this proposal aims to make it difficult to bring third-country nationals into the country for family reunification purposes, it has plans to streamline the process for students who want to obtain residence permits in Schengen.News reports. 

Henrik Vuornos, a Member of the Parliament from the National Coalition Party, has acclaimed the proposal highly, especially in relation to the fast-track of residence permits for students, calling this a significant improvement.

If approved and implemented, this proposal could grant international students in Finland the opportunity to become permanent residents without having to complete the required time of residency as it currently does. 

“Finland Wants Foreign Students to Be Part of the Society,” Finnish MP Says 
MP Vuornos noted that Finland needs highly skilled migrants, highlighting that this reform could increase the number of arrivals at Finnish universities.

To its core, this measure is expected to make Finland a more attractive destination for international students. By attracting more students in highly skilled fields, the government aims to address labor shortages across the country. 

The proposal that was submitted by the Interior Ministry will be open for comments until March 7, and some of the changes it includes are as follows: 

Foreigners can obtain permanent residence permits if:

• They generate at least €40,000 in annual income 
• They obtain master’s or postgraduate degrees and have two years of work experience. 
• They have good knowledge of Finnish or Swedish language, in addition to three years of work experience. 

Finland Received 63,000 Applications for Students in 2024 
According to the Study in Finland website, around 63,000 applications were recorded in 2024, which was up by three per cent compared to the previous year. 

About 53,800 of the applicants were foreign students, with 80 per cent of them coming from outside the EU. The top ten nationality groups for international students in Finland were Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ghana, India, Vietnam, Iran, and Cameroon. 

Study programmes for business, administration, and law, in addition to information and communication technologies (ICT), were the most popular choices for these students.

Source: https://schengen.news/finland-proposes-fast-track-residence-permits-for-international-students/