Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland’s largest university of applied sciences, confirmed on 9 May 2026 that it has terminated its contracts with three India-based education-recruitment firms—KC Overseas, UpGrad Education and Leap GeeBee—after an internal audit and an earlier investigative report by Yle’s MOT programme revealed systematic misrepresentation of Finland’s study-to-work pathways. According to Metropolia’s Deputy CEO Simo Mustila, secret recordings showed agents promising prospective students they could finance their studies entirely through part-time work in Finland and bring family members immediately—claims that contradict Finnish residence-permit rules requiring proof of subsistence and limiting weekly working hours during term time. Several students lured by the promises have since fallen into debt, relying on food banks or informal jobs after discovering that entry-level Finnish-language positions are scarce. The decision comes as Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s centre-right government prepares a legislative package that would raise the minimum maintenance requirement for non-EU students from €560 to roughly €1,000 per month and delay family-reunification applications until a student has lived in Finland for twelve months. Universities fear reputational damage if agents continue to oversell Finland as a “work-while-you-study” destination; Helsinki-based LAB University of Applied Sciences is reviewing, but has not yet cancelled, its own agent contracts.
![Metropolia Severs Ties With Overseas Student-Recruitment Agents Over Misleading Claims]()
For applicants who want reliable, real-time guidance on Finland’s student-and-work visa rules—especially as the maintenance thresholds change—VisaHQ offers a streamlined solution. Its portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) aggregates the latest requirements from Migri, provides customised document checklists, and lets users consult specialists who can pre-screen financial evidence before submission, helping to avert delays and refusals.
For employers that rely on international graduates to plug talent shortages—particularly in ICT, engineering and nursing—the scandal is a double-edged sword. Stricter gatekeeping may improve retention of genuinely motivated students, but it could also shrink an already modest inflow of third-country talent. HR teams should plan for longer lead-times and higher evidence thresholds when supporting future student-to-work residence-permit conversions. Practically, multinational companies should advise assignees’ dependants that they may no longer be able to accompany a student from day one once the new rules take effect, likely in August 2026. Education providers, meanwhile, are rushing to draft stricter due-diligence clauses into agency contracts, and the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) is expected to intensify post-arrival checks on international students’ financial means.
For applicants who want reliable, real-time guidance on Finland’s student-and-work visa rules—especially as the maintenance thresholds change—VisaHQ offers a streamlined solution. Its portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) aggregates the latest requirements from Migri, provides customised document checklists, and lets users consult specialists who can pre-screen financial evidence before submission, helping to avert delays and refusals.
For employers that rely on international graduates to plug talent shortages—particularly in ICT, engineering and nursing—the scandal is a double-edged sword. Stricter gatekeeping may improve retention of genuinely motivated students, but it could also shrink an already modest inflow of third-country talent. HR teams should plan for longer lead-times and higher evidence thresholds when supporting future student-to-work residence-permit conversions. Practically, multinational companies should advise assignees’ dependants that they may no longer be able to accompany a student from day one once the new rules take effect, likely in August 2026. Education providers, meanwhile, are rushing to draft stricter due-diligence clauses into agency contracts, and the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) is expected to intensify post-arrival checks on international students’ financial means.
