The Finnish Immigration Service has announced that hundreds of student residence permits may be revoked following automated reviews that raised concerns about students not meeting the required conditions for their permits, reports Schengen.News.
By the end of September 2024, 264 permits had already been cancelled, with 216 more still under review. These cancellations resulted from automated checks, which began in September 2023. Over the course of a year, from September 2023 to September 2024, the Finnish Immigration Service reviewed a total of 5,795 residence permits.
The checks revealed that some permit holders were not fulfilling the necessary conditions, prompting authorities to consider further actions. According to Finland’s regulations, all residence permits with a validity of more than six months are subject to review. The first review occurs three months after the permit is issued, followed by annual checks thereafter.
In a positive development for students, Finland has significantly reduced its processing times for student residence permits. As of September this year, the average processing time for a new student permit was just eight days, compared to 36 days last year. Extensions for study permits now take about 20 days, though this timeframe may vary each month.
While the country is reviewing the status of some student permits, it has also expressed its intention to attract and retain foreign talent. Finland plans to offer permanent residence to international students who obtain a master’s degree in the country and pass a language test in Finnish or Swedish. However, an official decision on this initiative has yet to be made.
