Students

Frequently asked questions: Students

  1. 1. I would like to enter Finland to study. What should I do?
    1. In order to be granted a residence permit for studies, you must have a study place at a Finnish educational institution and your studies must lead to an occupation or degree. Residence permits can be granted for other than studies leading to an occupation or degree only for justified reasons.
    2. In order to be granted a residence permit, you must also have sufficient means for studying in Finland (in practice some EUR 560/month or EUR 6,720/year) and valid health insurance with adequate coverage.
    3. You must submit an application for a residence permit to either the police or a Finnish diplomatic mission by using application form OLE_OPI, including the necessary appendices. Application forms and a list of the required appendices are available from the police or a Finnish diplomatic mission or can be printed out on the Finnish Immigration Service website under application forms.
  2. 2. I have a residence permit for studies. Am I allowed to engage in gainful employment?
    1. Persons who have a residence permit granted on the basis of studying may engage in gainful employment without restrictions when the work consists of practical training or diploma work as part of a degree. During study terms when actual instruction is being given, you are allowed to do an average of 25 hours of part-time work weekly. The number of working hours is not restricted weekly but the restriction concerns each term during which work can be periodized according to the situation. During holidays, i.e. during summer and Christmas holidays, you can work full-time without hourly restrictions.
    2. Income from part-time work done during study terms may be taken into account in a discretionary manner in assessing the amount of available means required for livelihood. However, this is not possible in the case of first residence permits.
  3. 3. I wish to come to Finland to study Finnish. Must I apply for a residence permit for studies?
    1. If your studies take place in the form of a course and do not lead to a degree or occupation, a residence permit for studies is not usually granted for language studies. However, you may come to Finland to study Finnish for a maximum of three months visa-free or with a visa if the conditions for granting a visa are complied with. The decision on granting a visa is made by the Finnish embassy abroad. You may, however, enter the country to learn the language for three months with a visa or on the basis of exemption from visa. If you have been granted a residence permit on some other basis, you can freely take part in any Finnish-language course you like.
  4. 4. I am coming to a Finnish university for three months to do research within a training programme. I am in the process of completing a lower academic degree in my home country. Will I be regarded as a student who can enter for training with a visa?
    1. The Finnish Aliens Act regards persons studying abroad and carrying out (practical) training in Finland as trainees, not as students. In such a case, you must apply for a residence permit for training. However, those entering Finland to study for a maximum period of three months will need only a visa. Employers usually pay trainees for the training, and this is the difference between a student and a trainee.
  5. 5. I have a higher education degree in my home country. Can I still come to Finland to study and be granted a residence permit for studies?
    1. Yes, you can. If you meet the normal conditions for granting a residence permit for studies, you can be granted a residence permit for completing a second degree.
  6. 6. Can I be granted a residence permit for taking open university courses?
    1. As a rule, open university courses do not entitle students to a residence permit. Each application will be assessed individually. Special grounds for studies other than those leading to a degree or occupation may include:
      - further study to supplement occupational skills or degrees already acquired
      - further training relating to work done in the country of departure
      - special training to be acquired in Finland
      - student exchange
      - Finnish ancestry
      - language or other training preceding commencement of studies (e.g. a course in the Finnish language, when the applicant concerned has been accepted to study at an educational institution and these studies lead to a degree or occupation)
  7. 7. I have been accepted to study at a Finnish educational institution and am soon going to apply for a residence permit. What kind of health insurance will I need?
    1. The extent of the insurance coverage required will depend on the duration of your studies. Foreign nationals entering the country to carry out studies lasting less than two years are not usually assigned a domicile in Finland and are thus not covered by municipal health care. Such a student must have private insurance covering medical care expenses, as a rule, up to EUR 100,000. Foreign students entering Finland for studies with a minimum duration of two years are usually assigned a domicile in Finland and are thus covered by municipal health care services, but private insurance is also required primarily to cover expenses for medication of, in general, at least EUR 30,000.
  8. 8. Where can I acquire the approved health insurance that I need in order to apply for a student residence permit?
    1. You can apply for insurance abroad at an insurance company in your home country or enquire about suitable insurance at international insurance companies. Finnish diplomatic missions and the Finnish police will provide further advice. Up till now, Finnish insurance companies do not grant private insurance equivalent to the Finnish health insurance scheme as separate insurance cover.
    2. If you will be attending one of the institutions listed on www.studyinfinland.fi, we recommend that you take out the Marsh SIP insurance which has been pre-approved by the Finnish Immigration Service.
    3. If you are attending an institution not on the list, you can look into the following insurance providers, for instance, who offer international health insurances for students:
      - the French Assurances Courtages et Services (ACS) (www.acs-ami.com)
      - AON Students Insurance, whose parent company is the US company AON Corporation (www.students-insurance.eu)
      - the US company International Student Insurance (www.internationalstudentinsurance.com)
      - the Swiss insurance Swisscare – ESI Finland plan (www.swisscare-student.com)
    4. Each insurance and its terms and conditions are assessed individually when the residence permit application is being considered
    5. The insurance policy must at least include:
      - personal data
      - validity of insurance
      - geographical area in which the insurance is valid
      - insurance cover
      - amounts of benefit
      - possibility to continue an insurance valid for less than a year.
  9. 9. I am about to complete my studies at a Finnish educational institution. My residence permit for studies will soon expire. I would like to find work in Finland. What should I do?
    1. You can apply for a temporary residence permit for seeking employment by submitting an application for an extended permit to the police before your residence permit for studies expires. The police may grant you a permit for seeking employment for six (6) months.
    2. During the validity of the permit you are free to seek employment and when you find a job you may also start working without delay. Before your permit for seeking employment expires, you may apply for a residence permit on the basis of the employment you have found.
    3. It is possible to grant a permit for seeking employment only as an extended permit (read question 4 "How, at what stage and where do I apply for an extended permit?" from "Frequently asked questions: residence permits in general" ), only once and only in Finland. In order for the permit to be granted, you must have a secured livelihood.
  10. 10. I have graduated from a Finnish educational institution. What kind of permit do I need in order to engage in gainful employment in Finland?
    1. When you have found a job, you can apply for a residence permit on the basis of employment. If you do not yet have a job, you may submit an application for a permit for seeking employment to the police before your residence permit for studies expires Since you have completed a degree in Finland, you are entitled to gainful employment without a residence permit for an employed person; in other words, you may be granted a residence permit without labour market consideration (permit consideration without a partial decision from an employment and economic development office).
    2. There is no time limit between permits applied for on the basis of graduation and employment. You may, for instance, have graduated in Finland several years ago and on this basis you have a right to be granted a permit on the basis of employment without labour market consideration (partial decision from an employment and economic development office). In order for the permit to be granted, however, your employment contract must comply with the collective agreement in the field. If there is no collective agreement in the field, your employment contract must be based on the terms and conditions generally applied in the field. In addition, your livelihood must be secured.
    3. Read more: Degree from Finland