The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has requested SYL for an opinion on the legislative proposal to prevent international students with a residence permit in Finland from receiving social assistance. The bill proposes that in the future, applying for social assistance will lead to a clearer consideration of the withdrawal of a residence permit.

The National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) is very critical of the Government’s proposal for a law which would make it compulsory for third-country nationals to use student visas for the purpose of obtaining last-resort social assistance. While the underlying goal of the legislative proposal of ensuring sufficient livelihood for students is reasonable, it is SYL’s view that the suggested measures are excessive and inhumane. The legislative proposal would make the withdrawal of the residence permit conditional on the use of social assistance, which would be an unreasonable penalty for the international student in the event of unforeseen life circumstances.

SYL remarks that the legislative proposal is excessive, as applying for social assistance is a marginal phenomenon among international students, with only 0.9% having applied in 2025. SYL points out that the construction and management costs of a new, automatic monitoring system would likely exceed the target savings. In addition, the deterrent-based control method is ethically unsustainable. The fear of deportation raises the threshold to seek help in a crisis situation, which deteriorates students’ well-being and exposes them to abuse. SYL views that the legislative proposal is in conflict with Section 19 of the Constitution and heavily disadvantages students with families.

In terms of strategy, the legislative proposal hampers the Government’s own educational and labour immigration goals, according to which the aim is to attract international students to Finland and have them stay in the country after graduation. As a result of the deportation occurring at the end of studies, the Government would lose both the educational investments and the graduate’s input in the labour market. As a legal shortcoming, SYL mentions that the absolute wording of the law would remove discretion from the authority, even though the regulation-specific justifications point to flexibility. Because of this contradiction, SYL demands that a clear unfairness rule and consideration on a case-by-case basis are included in the law.

SYL reminds that the Government’s decisions, such as charging full tuition fees and the refunding of application fees, have increased the payment and debt burden of international students. To ensure well-being and to prevent the need for last-resort support, SYL proposes a critical assessment of tuition fees, a scholarship system that respects the autonomy of national higher education institutions, and an examination of how international students could be covered by an incentive scheme that guarantees income and financially supports graduation and staying in Finland. These measures could prevent the need to apply for social assistance as a last-resort measure.

You can read the statement in its entirety by clicking on this link as well as the consultation service. The statement is available only in Finnish.

Further information:

Saku Pesonen
International Affairs and EU Advocacy Adviser
+358 40 017 4913
saku.pesonen@syl.fi