Finland looks to tighten rules on international students’ finances

The proposals, announced by the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment last week, form the first of two planned legislative packages to make sure students can financially support themselves while studying in the country.

Under the draft law, receiving social assistance would become a specific reason for cancelling a residence permit. While authorities would still carry out an overall assessment, the proposal states that even a single instance of claiming support would, as a rule, lead to permit cancellation.

“The majority of international students in Finland are doing well and able to make ends meet, as is required by their residence permit. However, we must make sure that students do not end up in a vulnerable position and that they meet the conditions of their residence permit,” said minister of employment, Matias Marttinen.

The measures would apply to students from outside the EU and EEA studying in both higher education and upper secondary institutions, and, if approved, are expected to come into effect later this year.

We must make sure that students do not end up in a vulnerable position and that they meet the conditions of their residence permitMatias Mattinen, Finnish government

The government said the changes would strengthen monitoring of students’ financial situations. Between September 2023 and December 2025, more than 37,000 residence permits were reviewed by the Finnish Immigration Service, with 333 cases involving applications for social assistance, it said.

Officials believe the stricter rules will further reduce reliance on public funds, ensure international students have a good understanding of Finland’s living costs and crack down on misuse of the system.

Meanwhile, a second package is expected to introduce steps aimed at preventing students from falling into financial difficulty in the first place.

Under this raft of measures, international students would have to live in Finland for at least a year before dependents, including family members, would be allowed to join them.

The government would also set out a fixed minimum amount of money students must have to live in the country, and this figure would be clearly set out in law.

The same rules used to refuse university-level international students visas or residence permits would be applied to school-level students, as well as their family members.

And a new language proficiency requirement would be introduced for study permits, to prevent cases where students’ language skills are not at the correct standard to study in Finland.

The second package is shortly expected to be sent for public consultation.

The latest figures suggest that some 22,000 international students currently study in Finland – although these numbers date back to 2022 and the true number could now be much higher.

Students from outside the EU or EEA have to pay relatively high tuition fees for taught programs, with fees ranging between €8,000 and €20,000 per year depending on the institution and the program.

The proposals reflect a broader trend across Europe, where governments are tightening migration and compliance rules for international students while continuing to compete globally for talent.

In a similar move, Denmark made headlines last year for taking steps to make it harder for international students to study at its universities over fears education is being used as a back door into the Danish labour market.

New legislation is set to impose stricter academic entry requirements, restrictions on spouses, national reviews of forged documents, and shorter post-study work permits for third-country students in response to rising concerns.