Finland Plans Tighter Monitoring of Foreign Students on Residence Permits

Finland’s government is preparing new measures that would allow authorities to more closely monitor foreign students after their residence permits have been granted.

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the proposal is aimed at preventing the misuse of student residence permits and would apply to students arriving from outside the EU and EEA.

Under the planned reform, a foreign student’s residence permit could be revoked if they apply for and receive basic social assistance, which is intended as a last-resort form of financial aid.

The government argues that the changes would help ensure that residence permits are used for their intended purpose and that students are financially able to support themselves during their studies.

The proposal is expected to be discussed further before any changes are made to the law.