Peak time begins for students’ residence permit applications
Thousands of international students who are due to begin their studies in Finland in the autumn of 2015 will be applying for residence permits during the summer. This will cause delays in the processing of residence permit applications submitted by students.
The period between June and September is the busiest time of year for residence permit applications for studies. In 2014, a total of 4,110 applications, or 68% of all student applications received that year, were submitted between June and September.
The Finnish Immigration Service processes all residence permit applications for studies as high-priority applications. Applications are processed in the order they arrive, 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.
Please ensure that you submit your residence permit application in time and provide all necessary supporting documents according to the instructions
Apply online and then visit a Finnish embassy or consulate
Apply for a residence permit as soon as your study place in a Finnish educational institution is confirmed. Submit your application online at https://e-asiointi.migri.fi.
Applying online is the quickest and most affordable way to apply.
Once you have submitted your application online, you will need to visit a Finnish embassy or consulate in your home country or in a country where you reside legally. You will be asked to give your fingerprints, to prove your identity and to present the original documents you are attaching to your application. Your application will only be processed after you have visited a Finnish embassy in person.
You can also submit your application on paper at a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad. However, please note that it takes several weeks for paper applications to reach the Finnish Immigration Service by post.
Remember to check the opening hours of the embassy you have chosen and that you can go there in person before your visit.
You can also apply for a Finnish personal identity code
You can apply for aFinnish personal identity codeat the same time as you apply for your first residence permit in Finland. Public authorities, banks and employers, for example, often need to know your personal identity code.
Wait for your residence permit card abroad
As long as you have filled in your application correctly and provided all the necessary documents, you should get your decision within approximately one month of the date on which your application arrives at the Finnish Immigration Service.
If your application is approved, a residence permit card will be ordered for you at the same time. Your card will be sent to the Finnish embassy where you have visited in order to prove your identity. You should therefore wait for your card abroad.
You cannot come to Finland while your application is still being processed and receive a residence permit card in Finland. A positive residence permit decision cannot be served immediately after the decision has been made, because it takes a few weeks to manufacture and post the residence permit card. Please remember that the Finnish Immigration Service and the embassies cannot control how long it takes for the card to arrive.
Most applicants receive their residence permit before their studies begin.
Follow the information on the processing queue at Migri.fi
Information about theprocessing queue for students’ residence permitapplications is published on the website of the Finnish Immigration Service. The information on the website is updated weekly. If you apply online, you can track the status of your own application in the e-service.
We will provide information on our website about exceptional situations or any changes in the processing times. We will also publish a separate bulletin if we are unable to issue decisions on residence permit applications for studies before the start of the autumn term.
Further information
Checklist for students applying for a residence permitApplying for a residence permit for studies
