Finland issues highest ever residence permits to international students in 2022

Highlights of Finland issuing residence permits to international students in 2022

• Finland approved the highest-ever 7,060 residence permits between January to October the international students
• Finland reported a 54% higher percentage of study permits in 2022 compared to last year
• Finland sees international students as a solution for the current shortage of workforce in the country
• The average time to obtain a residence permit for students in Finland is 20 days
• The study permits in Finland are also up by 55% and already surpassed the decisions of 2021
• The majority of study applications were from Russia, China, India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam

Record-high residence permits were issued for international students in 2022

Finland grants 7,060 students, residence permits between January and October which sums up to be the highest number of permits to date. Based on reports of Finnish immigration services, the study permits issued in 2022 are 54% higher than in 2021.

The percentage of new international students also increased compared to pre-pandemic days.

The International students receiving residence permits already crossed the record high year 2016 which were 6,348 residence permits were granted to the students.

Finland’s action plan for the shortage of workforce

Finland plans to consider international students as one of the solutions to handle shortages of the workforce that are currently existing in the country. The country hopes to create favorable conditions to accommodate shortages in the workforce by attracting more foreign students.

The new legislation that was effective in April, allows international students to apply for a residence permit which is valid for the complete duration of their studies. Whereas the residence permits that were issued in 2021 were for a maximum of 2-years.

The acceptance rate for the residence permits that have been applied for by foreign students is 95% positive in 2022. Students receive the decision of residence permits on average after processing in 20 days, while it was 18 days in 2021.

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Finland Study permits

Finland's government has huge plans of improving the efficiency & quality of immigration services to be customer-centric. Automating and providing digital solutions for making the customer experience the best and providing better operations.

The decisions that are issued on the study applications are also up by 55% compared to 2021, reaching 7,741 decisions that were issued between January and October.

Most study permit applications applied to Finland were from Russia (941) & China (610) countries. A significant number of study permits were filed by international students from India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam.

Finland has seen an increased rate of students applying for work in Finland after completing their graduation. This affects the number of students applying for permanent residence will increase.

The number of study permits that were filed between January and October is 8,336 applicants which were up by 62% compared to last year.

Willing to study in Finland? Talk to Y-Axis, the world’s no.1 overseas career immigration consultant.

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