Backlog in the processing of student applications
There is a backlog in the processing of students’ residence permit applications. Currently, students who are starting their studies in Finland in the autumn term 2016 are applying for residence permits. The number of applications has increased with 35 per cent during the first six months of the year compared to the corresponding time last year. This is about 800 more applications than last year.
The Finnish Immigration Service processes all residence permit applications for studies as high-priority applications and no requests to expedite are taken into account. Applications are decided in the order they are submitted, and emailing or calling the Finnish Immigration Service will not speed up the processing of your application. The Finnish Immigration Service also cannot fast-track your application for reasons such as flight tickets purchased in advance.
At the moment, we begin to process applications within three weeks of the applications arriving at the Finnish Immigration Service. The expected processing time for an application is one month.
Information about the processing queue for students’ residence permit applications is published on the website of the Finnish Immigration Service. The information on the website is regularly updated, even weekly during the busiest periods.
Ensuring your residence permit application is being processed as fast as possible
- Apply for a residence permit as soon as your study place in a Finnish educational institution is confirmed. Submit your application online. Applying online is the quickest and most affordable way to apply. Be sure to make an appointment at the mission (embassy or consulate) in time!
- However, do not submit your application before you have all the attachments needed for the processing of the matter. Make sure that, in addition to a study place, you have the right kind of insurance, sufficient means to live in Finland and a valid passport.
- If you have applied for a residence permit online, you can track the status of your application in the e-service. Enquiries by e-mail, phone or via the e-service do not speed up the processing but take time away from it.
- You do not need to especially contact us to begin the processing of your application. Please be patient, your application will be processed on time. We will contact you before making the decision if need be.
- If you receive a request for information from us, please answer it without delay. You should always answer all requests received from the e-service via the e-service. Send all the requested information at the same time and only once. The Finnish Immigration Service does not separately inform you that we have received the information you sent and you do not have to confirm it, for example, by e-mail.
When the decision has been made
If you are granted a residence permit, it takes about two to three weeks to manufacture and deliver the residence permit card. You cannot speed this up. So please wait for the card patiently! You can pick the card up from the mission where you went to identify yourself.
If you are not granted a residence permit, instructions for lodging an appeal will be attached to the residence permit decision. You have to decide for yourself if you want to lodge an appeal or not. The appeals are processed by the administrative court and the Finnish Immigration Service cannot give you an estimated processing time for the processing of the appeal.
Further information
Checklist for students applying for a residence permit
Applying for a residence permit for studies
