Finland to tighten income rules for non-EU students

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Finland’s government has announced plans to enshrine in law a minimum income requirement for foreign students from outside the EU.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Employment Minister Matias Marttinen said the measures were intended to respond to growing difficulties experienced by students arriving from abroad, according to public broadcaster Yle.

Under the plans, students seeking to bring family members to Finland would be required to wait at least one year before applying for family reunification.

The government is also examining whether to ban the use of unofficial education agents, allowing students to use only agents that have formal agreements with Finnish universities.

The move follows an investigation by Yle, which found that third-party education agents have been spreading false and misleading information to prospective fee-paying students about living and working in Finland.

According to the investigation, the misinformation has had serious consequences, with some international students falling into severe financial hardship and relying on handouts to survive.