Decisions made on applications for residence permits for studies starting in the spring term
The majority of residence permit applications for studies starting in January have been processed. Most students who begin their studies in January are coming to Finland as exchange students.
Residence permit applications must be submitted to a Finnish embassy or consulate in a country where the applicant resides legally. At the moment, we begin to process applications by students within a week after the applications have arrived at the Finnish Immigration Service. If you, however, submit your application to a police department in Finland, the processing of your application will begin within a month of its arrival at the latest.
If you applied for a residence permit for studies more than a month ago and still have not received a decision, you should wait a little longer. You will receive the decision within the next few weeks.
Next peak time in the summer: Apply for a permit well in advance
The next peak time for the processing of residence permit applications for studies is expected in the summer, when students who are due to begin their studies next autumn apply for residence permits.
Apply for a residence permit as soon as your study place at a Finnish educational institution is confirmed. This is the best way to ensure that you receive a decision before the beginning of your studies.
Your decision can be made faster if you fill out your application carefully and submit it online via the Enter Finland e-service. Applications submitted through the e-service are transferred to the Finnish Immigration Service directly in electronic form once the applicant has visited a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad in person.
Residence permit applications for studies are always treated as urgent
The Finnish Immigration Service processes all residence permit applications for studies as urgent without any separate requests. Applications are decided in the order they become pending, and emailing or calling the Finnish Immigration Service will not speed up the processing of your application. We will contact you if we need any additional information for your application.
The Finnish Immigration Service makes a decision on each application within about one month. Processing times vary depending on the case. Please note that if you receive a positive decision, it takes approximately two weeks to manufacture and send you your residence permit card.
Do not buy flight tickets in advance. The fact that you have already purchased a flight ticket will not fast-track the processing of your application.
