The Finnish Immigration Service has cancelled 264 student residence permits in 12 months, and another 216 are awaiting processing, writes SchengenNews.
The reason, as reported, was that the students no longer met the criteria for obtaining a residence permit.
According to the Finnish publication Yle, automated checks of issued residence permits began in September last year. During the year, from the end of September 2023 to the end of September 2024, the Finnish Immigration Service reviewed 5,795 residence permits.
In accordance with the rules in force in Finland, all visas issued for a period of more than six months are subject to verification. The first check is carried out three months after the permit is issued, and then they are checked once a year.
Despite the fact that Finland has decided to review the residence permit of some students, the country is striving to attract foreign talent.
In order to keep those who have in-demand skills on their territory, Finland plans to provide permanent residence to those who have received a master's degree in the country and passed a Finnish or Swedish language proficiency test. However, an official decision on this issue has not yet been made.
Source: SchengenNews
