Student’s residence permit Anna Tähkäpää Turku police station

Student’s residence permit The studies must lead to a degree or vocational qualification The student’s residence permit can be valid one year at most

Applying for a residence permit First residence permit application should be done abroad at the Finnish embassy in the student’s home country The application for the extension should be done at the police station in the student’s residential area (in Varsinais-Suomi: Turku or Salo police station) It is also possible to apply electronically ( –the applicant must anyway go to the embassy (first application) or police station (extension) and give finger prints and show all the original documents For police, an appointment must be booked in advance

Processing times Police’s processing time at the moment is about 1-2 months Depending on the situation it can also be longer Electronic application for extension does not speed up the process Upcoming trip, for example, does not speed up the process The application for extension should always be done before the current permit expires

Necessary documents Application form (OLE_OPI) Passport, new passport photo, fee 116 € (year 2013) Study certificate (certificate of attendance) Transcript of records Clarification of income Health insurance All the documents must be originals, not copies or printouts

Study certificate Certificate of attendance for the current or upcoming study year (depending on when the application is made)

Transcript of records In the decision making, it is relevant that the studies have progressed during the previous study year The required amount of study credits is approximately 45 credits per year

If the studies are not progressing Reasons, for example: Writing thesis –Certificate from the university (when has the student started working on the thesis, when will it be ready, how many credits is it worth) Health problems that prevent studying –Doctor’s certificate, own clarification Other reasons –Own clarification

If the studies are not progressing If there is no acceptable reason for the lack of progress, the police can grant a residence permit for a shorter time (less than a year) or make a negative decision altogether In the decision making, police takes into consideration all the clarifications, the case-specific situation and previous study years

Minimum level of income Requirement is euros per year or 560 euros per month (net) Student must present a bank account statement from a Finnish bank account (transactions from the last three months) If the statement is printed out from the internet banking system, the student must present also an original balance statement from the bank The money must be on the student’s own account and available for his/her use

Minimum level of income If the money is on a foreign bank account, the student must present a bank statement and a certificate that the money is in his/her use in Finland Sponsorship agreements provided by relatives, friends or employers are not acceptable If the student is working, work contract and latest payslip are also needed

Minimum level of income If the student does not have enough money, the permit can be applied for a shorter time (e.g. if the student has about euros, the permit can be valid for about 9 months) If the student applies for a one year extension and does not have the necessary income or savings, the decision may be negative

Health insurance The health insurance must cover medical expenses in the amount of euros if the studies in Finland last at least two years If the studies last less than two years, health insurance must cover medical expenses in the amount of euros The health insurance must cover the student’s entire stay in Finland

Student’s right to work With a student’s residence permit, the student has a right to work full-time if the work is part of an internship that is required for a degree or if the work is otherwise closely related to the studies Student has a right to do other kind of work 25 hours per week during the academic term When the university does not offer any instruction, the student can work full-time

Exchange studies Student can go for an exchange period to another country for one academic term and still have a residence permit in Finland If the exchange period lasts the whole study year, it is not possible to have a residence permit in Finland If the student intends to go for an exchange period during the upcoming study year, he/she must present a certificate or clarification about it when leaving the application for the extension Student may need a residence permit to the other country

After graduation Residence permit for looking for employment –The permit must be applied for before the student’s residence permit expires –The graduate must present a degree certificate when applying for the permit –Income requirement is euros in total or 560 euros per month (net) –The permit is valid for six months and it is only possible to get it once right after the student’s residence permit

After graduation Residence permit for working –The graduate must present a degree certificate when applying for the permit –Work contract and latest payslips are also required –Income requirement is euros per month (net) –With this permit, the graduate is allowed to work full-time and do any kind of work

Student’s family members Student’s family members (e.g. spouse, children) can apply for residence permits to Finland based on family ties First residence permit application should be done abroad (embassy) and the extension in Finland (police) The validity of the family members’ residence permit cannot be longer than the student’s permit

Income requirement for family members Spouse 700 euros per month or euros per year Child 500 euros per month or euros per year Second child 400 euros per month or euros per year For example, a student with a spouse and one child: –1.760 euros ( ) per month or – euros ( ) per year

PhD Studies If the doctoral student is paid salary or grant, he/she can apply residence permit for scientific research If the student is studying with his/her own funds (savings), he/she can apply for student’s residence permit If the student has done another degree in Finland, it is possible to apply for residence permit for working if the student receives salary

PhD studies Income requirement is euros per month (net) When leaving an application, the PhD students must have a clarification from the university about –the length of the research/studies –the length and amount of the funding

Contact information Address: Eerikinkatu A, Turku Customer service tel (Mon-Fri am) Application forms:

Contact information Alien affairs information desk (with a queue number) –Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri and Wednesdays closed Booking an appointment: – –by calling –visiting the information desk at the police station