Finland has proposed a new measure that could revoke student residence permits for non-EU students who receive basic social assistance during their stay. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment launched a public consultation on January 16 regarding this draft legislation.
The proposal seeks to ensure that international students meet the requirement to financially support themselves while studying in Finland. If implemented, authorities will introduce an automated monitoring system to track whether students are receiving benefits from Kela, Finland’s social insurance agency.
This system would directly share data with the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), allowing officials to review individual cases more efficiently. The new rules are specifically aimed at non-EU and non-EEA students with residence permits for studies.
The government argues that the measure will close a loophole that has allowed some students to continue receiving social assistance without facing any impact on their visa status. “Automated post-decision monitoring would be used regularly to determine whether a student receives social assistance,” stated the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
This proposal is part of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government program, which focuses on tightening immigration regulations related to education and reducing dependence on public benefits.
Between September 2023 and December 2025, Migri reviewed more than 37,000 residence permits. During that period, 333 students received basic social assistance, but no permits were revoked due to current rules that don’t allow the cancellation of one-time payments. Under the proposed law, even a single instance of receiving social assistance could result in the withdrawal of a student’s residence permit.
Finland hosted about 76,000 international students last year, and the proposed changes will only impact those from non-EU and non-EEA countries. The ministry will accept public feedback on the draft legislation until February 27 through the Lausuntopalvelu.fi portal. The government aims to present the bill in parliament during the spring session and implement the new system soon after.
