Finnish MPs are voting on proposals to double the employment period of foreign students after graduation and make it easier for them to return to Finland.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labor confirmed that it would propose a series of changes that would most significantly allow students from abroad to stay for two years instead of one year after graduation.
They would also receive one visa for the duration of their course.
Currently, students have to cut red tape at the Finnish Immigration Service at regular intervals in order to obtain new study-based visas every year or two.
The proposed reform also includes plans to change the status of foreign student visas "B" (temporarily) "A" (continuous), which effectively reduces the length of stay required to apply for Finnish citizenship compared to the current arrangement.
The ministry said that if the reforms were passed, students would still have to meet the same permanent residence requirements as other immigrants.
Parliament has yet to evaluate and vote on the proposed reforms, but if approved, they would enter into force on 1 April. Jarmo Tiukkanensenior ministry official.
Students could do more work
The proposed reforms also require an extension of the restrictions on working hours for foreign students from 25 hours to 30 hours per week.
The ministry pointed out that restrictions on weekly working hours are cumulative each year, meaning that students can work more than 30 hours in some weeks and less in others, as long as the total number of hours is within the allowable limit.
The hours spent on work or training related to studies are not included in the work limit and would be practically unlimited.
Another change brought about by the reform is to increase flexibility for foreign graduates who leave the country after completing their studies and later decide to return to Finland.
The changes would also allow foreign graduates to apply for a residence permit based on a job search within five years of the expiry of their student visas. In other words, graduates can go abroad to work after their studies and then return to Finland to look for work.
Previous schoolchildren miss the proverbial boat
Sofia MeleshkovaA person who came to Finland to study in Russia in 2015 hopes that he would have postponed graduation from Hanken School of Economics last summer because he just lost the opportunity to take advantage of threatening reforms.
He managed to obtain a one-year residence permit for foreign jobseekers, but got the job only two months after graduation, when he received a residence permit based on his employment. However, his job as a project coordinator at the Karelian University of Applied Sciences lasts only a year and he will have to leave the country unless he gets a new job.
Meleshkova said she was upset about the situation and added that if she had postponed the end of her studies, she could apply for a two-year job permit once the reforms have been approved as expected.
The proposed rules require that foreign students who graduated before 1.4.2022 and obtained a jobseeker’s residence permit were not eligible for the reforms.
Simple positive
A few universities told Yle Novost that they were aware of the expected progress of the reforms and welcomed it.
Esko KoponenAn expert in international education from the University of Helsinki said that the department is closely following the development of reforms.
"They facilitate the permitting process and eliminate uncertainty about continuing studies and living in Finland until graduation. In addition, [the reforms] improve the opportunities for foreign students to find employment in Finland after their degrees, which is the goal of many international students," Koponen said, adding that a two-year job-based residence permit was a significant period in an international comparison.
Maija KuiriThe director of studies and international affairs at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) said that if approved, the reforms would send a positive signal to future students who are still deciding which country to study.
"Things would be simpler and easier from the student’s perspective, which is positive," he said, adding that the changes could also help remove barriers to their job search.
Aalto University’s response was also positive, as the reforms are a welcome relief to the challenges that both universities and employers face in recruiting and integrating international students and experts – especially foreign master’s students with relatively short periods of time. opportunity to participate in working life in Finland.
This article has been summarized and translated from the original story of Yle Novost, the Russian-language news department of the national broadcaster.