Processing student residence permits in 30 days, increasing the income threshold for residence permits, and granting permanent residence to Master Graduates are some of the new changes forthcoming in “Finnish Immigration Rules“.
Despite the growing number of applications for different immigration streams, Finland still handles the processing times accordingly. The country also planning to bring many changes in different migration paths.
Increased Income Threshold for Residence Permits
As per the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), effective from November 1, the income requirements for residence permit applicants will increase. This means the single adults will now need to show a yearly income of €14,520, up from the current €12,000.
Household income thresholds will also rise based on the number of people in the household. Students will face a higher monthly income requirement, increasing from €560 to €800. The Au pairs will be required to show €340 per month, and working holiday applicants must show €2,450 for three months.
These changes will apply to new applicants, while current permit holders remain unaffected for now. The new rules will also impact researchers in Finland who are personally funding their research.
Permanent Residence for Master Graduates
Finland is also planning to introduce a new regulation offering permanent residency to those who earn a master’s degree in the country and pass a Finnish or Swedish language exam.
Employment Minister Arto Satonen highlighted that currently, only about half of the students who study in Finland choose to stay after graduation. He emphasized the need for strategies to retain these skilled individuals. This initiative aims to prevent graduates from leaving Finland after their studies and create more opportunities for international students.
New Citizenship Rules
The Finnish parliament has announced that a proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act is expected to take effect on October 1, 2024. The proposal was presented to the parliament during the Government Council session on April 18. The final government proposals are scheduled to be submitted to the parliament during the fall term of 2024 and the spring term of 2025. The major changes proposed are:
- extending the residence period from 5 to 8 years
- only stays in Finland with a residence permit would be accepted as a residence period,
- and the number of days abroad accepted during the residence period would be reduced.
Faster Processing of the Studen Visa Applications
Finland has seen a rise in first-time residence permit applications from students, with 9,293 applications submitted by the end of July 2024, up from 8,762 in 2023.
Despite the increase, the Finnish Immigration Service has managed to process these applications faster, averaging 30 days compared to 38 days in 2023. Of the 8,159 applications processed, approximately 96% of foreign students were granted residence permits.