The Ministry of Education and Culture has circulated draft legislation that would make it significantly harder for non-EU degree students to obtain or renew a residence permit from August 2026. The proposal lifts the subsistence requirement from €560 to €850 per month and indexes it to inflation, meaning applicants must show roughly €10,200 in liquid funds or scholarship support for a full 12-month period.
Family reunification would tighten as well: dependants could join only after the student’s first academic year, giving authorities time to verify the principal applicant’s financial situation. On permit renewal, students would have to pass a basic Finnish or Swedish exam (A1.2) within 12 months of arrival.
For applicants trying to navigate these shifting rules, VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) provides real-time visa checklists, personalised document reviews and live support, helping students, their families and sponsoring employers understand the new financial thresholds, language requirements and timing constraints before lodging an application.
![Draft bill raises monthly subsistence proof for non-EU students to €850 and adds basic-language requirement]()
Universities fear the language clause could dent enrolment from Asia and Africa, where Finnish courses are scarce. Scholarship foundations are discussing larger stipends, while corporate sponsors of MBA and graduate-training schemes may need to front-load allowances so recruits meet the higher cash-flow hurdle.
Stakeholders have six weeks to comment. The draft mirrors recent moves in the Netherlands and Germany and reflects a broader Nordic trend to link student migration to self-sufficiency and integration outcomes.
Practical implications: Mobility teams should update pre-arrival budgeting tools, warn 2026-intake candidates of the upcoming hike and revisit family-support policies to avoid unpleasant surprises midway through study programmes.
Family reunification would tighten as well: dependants could join only after the student’s first academic year, giving authorities time to verify the principal applicant’s financial situation. On permit renewal, students would have to pass a basic Finnish or Swedish exam (A1.2) within 12 months of arrival.
For applicants trying to navigate these shifting rules, VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) provides real-time visa checklists, personalised document reviews and live support, helping students, their families and sponsoring employers understand the new financial thresholds, language requirements and timing constraints before lodging an application.
Universities fear the language clause could dent enrolment from Asia and Africa, where Finnish courses are scarce. Scholarship foundations are discussing larger stipends, while corporate sponsors of MBA and graduate-training schemes may need to front-load allowances so recruits meet the higher cash-flow hurdle.
Stakeholders have six weeks to comment. The draft mirrors recent moves in the Netherlands and Germany and reflects a broader Nordic trend to link student migration to self-sufficiency and integration outcomes.
Practical implications: Mobility teams should update pre-arrival budgeting tools, warn 2026-intake candidates of the upcoming hike and revisit family-support policies to avoid unpleasant surprises midway through study programmes.
