Once you are enrolled in a Finnish University, the next step is to apply for the student visa in Finland. The student visa in Finland is known as the residence permit. Students who are enrolled for a courses in Universities in Finland for long term, or more than 90 days, are required to apply for the student visa in Finland or the Finnish residence permit. Here is all the information required for the student visa in Finland.
Finland Residence Permit:
For the international students who want to study in Finland for the longer period than 90 days, the Finland residence permit is required. In most of the cases, the residence permit is granted for one year by Finland Immigration. If there is any extension required, the extension should be applied by the students at the local police station is Finland. However, let us first talk about first Residence Permit in Finland and How to Apply for Student Visa in Finland:
How to Apply: Finland Visa for Students
Students residing outside of EU/EEA countries will have to apply for a student visa in Finland. Here are the steps to follow if one is seeking to obtain a residence permit in Finland. Applicants can apply online or offline, both.
Step 1: The first step is to fill up the Residence Permit form from the Finland Immigration website. Fill up the form as instructed and carefully. The form can be submitted digitally, or offline at the Finnish Embassy in your country.
Step 2: There will be a set of supporting documents you are required to submit with the application. Here are the documents you are generally required to submit alongside the Finland residence permit application.
- Filled up Application Form
- Acceptance Letter from the University you have Applied.
- Proof of monetary funds required (6270 euros for a year)
- A valid passport and photos
- Receipt of Application fees paid (€330 for paper based application, and €300 for online)
- A valid Health Insurance coverage proof, at least of one year
Step 3: You will have to submit the application form and al the required documents to the nearest embassy during the working hours. Even if student has applied for Finland Residence Permit electronically, the document verification is necessary in person for the application to be proceeded further.
Step 4: The next step is to submit your biometrics data to the embassy. The biometrics include the fingerprints of the candidate and photographs. Again, regardless of the application mode, the biometrics has to be in person at the embassy.
Once everything is in place, the visa process takes 60 days. The candidate is sent a mail once the Finland Student permit is issued, and it can be collected at the embassy or have it sent to candidate.
Work Permit and Student Visa for Finland
The international students in Finland are allowed to work for part time, for an average of 25 hours a week. There is not restriction on the working when the terms are not going on, in the vacations. After the studies are over, there is an option to extend the student visa for Finland or the residence permit for one year. Students are required to apply for the extension of the residence permit before their first residence permit expires.