For partners 
Foreign students in Finland may soon face serious restrictions: the country's government is considering an initiative according to which students from other countries risk losing the right to stay in the country if they apply for social security. According to the new rules, foreign students who apply for financial support face the loss of their residence permit.
These measures will affect students from outside the EU and EEA, who number almost 76,000.
The reason for the innovations is the desire of the Finnish authorities to strengthen control over educational migrants. According to the government, some foreign students abuse the opportunity to study at Finnish universities, staying in the country even when they are unable to provide themselves with a decent existence. Currently, students have access to Finnish social security if they are experiencing financial difficulties, but now the situation will change dramatically: even a one-time application for benefits will become the basis for the loss of resident status.
In order to increase the efficiency of the checks, the authorities plan to establish an automatic exchange of information between the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the national social insurance service Kela, which will make it possible to quickly identify those who request help and quickly take appropriate measures.
The proposal is still at the stage of public discussion, which will last until the end of February, after which it will go to parliament, where the final decision will be made.
