Rush time begins for student permit applications
Thousands of international students beginning their studies in the autumn semester 2013 will apply for their permits this summer. This leads to backlog in the processing of students’ residence permits.
The busiest time for applications is between June and September. At that time in 2012, around 4,000 applications were submitted, two-thirds of the total student permit applications submitted that year.
The Finnish Immigration Service processes and decides on all applications for student permits as a matter of urgency. Applications are decided on in the order they are received, and e-mail or telephone inquiries will not speed up the processing of your application. The processing cannot be expedited for reasons such as flight tickets purchased in advance.
Therefore, please remember to apply for your residence permit in time and collect the required attachments according to theinstructions
You can apply for your permit electronically or with a paper form
Apply for your permit as soon as your place at a Finnish educational institution has been confirmed. You can apply for your permit electronically at https://e-services.migri.fi or submit your application in paper format to a Finnish embassy or consulate.
Please note that it takes several weeks for an application submitted in paper format to arrive at the Finnish Immigration Service. Electronic applications are sent through the system directly to the Finnish Immigration Service.
You may apply for your permit at the Finnish embassy or consulate in your home country or in a country you are legally residing in. Please make sure that the embassy or consulate you have selected will receive your application.
If you have filled in the application form correctly and attached all the required additional documents, the decision will be made in around one month from the date when the application arrives at the Finnish Immigration Service.
The majority of applicants receive their permits before their studies begin.
Visit the embassy or consulate to have your fingerprints taken
Your application cannot be processed until you have visited the embassy or consulate and had your fingerprints taken, proven your identity and presented the original copies of the attachments needed for your application. All students must visit a Finnish embassy even if they submit the application online.
Remain abroad while waiting for the decision. You may not arrive in Finland while the application is being processed and receive your residence permit card here. Notification about positive residence permit decisions cannot be given right after the decision has been made, because it takes a few weeks to manufacture and send the residence permit card. Please remember that the Finnish Immigration Service cannot speed up the arrival of your card.
Track the progression of the processing queue on the Migri.fi website
You can track the status of student application queue on the Finnish Immigration Service website at www.migri.fi/services/processing_times. The status of the processing queue is updated at least once a week. If you have applied using the electronic service, you can track the status of your application in the service.
Information about exceptional situations and changes in processing times will be available on our website www.migri.fi. We will also provide separate notification if the decisions are not ready before the start of studies.
More information
Student – The means of support requirement has been increasedChecklist for student residence permit applicants
