Student Residence Permit Withdrawal in Finland: Study Progress, Absence, Work and Financial Requirements
A Finnish student residence permit is usually granted for the duration of the studies, but that does not mean Migri stops checking the permit until the date printed on the card. Students must continue to meet the requirements of the permit, and Migri actively monitors whether studies have started, whether they are progressing, whether the right to study remains valid and whether other permit conditions continue to be satisfied.
Yes. Finnish law contains several grounds for withdrawing a student residence permit. They include no longer meeting the requirements for the permit, residing in Finland for a purpose other than the one for which the permit was granted, insufficient study progress, exceeding the limits on working, insufficient financial resources and lack of required insurance. The exact legal ground matters because not every ground is assessed in the same way.
The law distinguishes different reasons for withdrawing a student permit
Student residence permits are governed primarily by the Act on the Conditions of Entry and Residence of Third-Country Nationals on the Basis of Research, Studies, Training and Voluntary Service, Act 719/2018.
Section 12 is particularly important because it distinguishes between situations where a permit must be withdrawn and situations where it may be withdrawn.
A student permit must be withdrawn in certain situations
The statutory grounds include situations where:
- the student no longer meets the requirements under which the permit was granted;
- a residence permit or supporting document was obtained fraudulently, falsified or altered; or
- the student is residing in Finland for a purpose other than the purpose for which the residence permit was issued.
Other student problems can lead to discretionary withdrawal
Section 12 separately states that a student residence permit may be withdrawn where:
- the student does not comply with the time limits on economic activity;
- the studies are not progressing sufficiently;
- the student's financial resources are not sufficient; or
- the required insurance is not valid.
That distinction matters. A case about slow study progress is not legally identical to a case where Migri concludes that the person is no longer residing in Finland for studies at all.
How does Migri know whether a student is actually studying?
Migri uses automated post-decision monitoring of student residence permits.
The current monitoring system checks, among other things:
- whether the student has started the studies;
- whether the studies are progressing;
- whether the student's right to study remains valid;
- how the student supports themselves in Finland; and
- other information relevant to the residence permit requirements.
Migri may obtain information through the KOSKI education database, the Incomes Register, Kela, the Population Information System and other official registers.
Educational institutions can also provide relevant information. For example, universities may report admitted international students who do not arrive and begin their studies.
Your permit being valid for several years is exactly why monitoring matters. Since the 2022 reform, student permits can generally be granted for the entire duration of the studies. Students may therefore go several years without an extended permit application where Migri would otherwise have rechecked the requirements.
How many credits do you need to keep a student residence permit?
This is one of the most misunderstood parts of the student permit system.
The legislation itself does not say that every higher education student must complete an exact universal number of ECTS credits every year or automatically lose the residence permit.
Migri's current 2026 public guidance for extended student permits states that a higher education student should complete approximately 45 credits during an academic year.
For vocational students, Migri instead states that the studies must be full-time and must progress according to the study plan.
What if you have fewer than 45 credits?
Fewer than 45 credits does not by itself tell the whole story.
Migri's current instructions expressly tell students who have completed fewer credits to provide documentation explaining why progress has been slower.
Relevant reasons can include:
- illness or another documented health problem;
- thesis or dissertation work that has not yet produced the same number of registered credits;
- a mandatory internship;
- an exchange period;
- delays or changes connected with the educational institution;
- other circumstances that genuinely explain the study record.
The key is not simply saying that there was a reason. The reason should normally be supported by evidence.
In an actual student withdrawal matter reviewed by Legally.fi, Migri had information showing that the student had completed only 10 credits over two academic years. Migri requested a recent transcript, proof of registration, the student's study plan and an explanation for the lack of progress.
The same plea request specifically identified useful evidence such as a statement from the educational institution, a thesis supervisor's statement and documentation of internships or exchange studies.
What about the "5 credits per month" rule?
A real Migri plea request from 2024 referred to study progress in terms of 5 credits per month of study.
For a current 2026 case, however, the more useful public reference is Migri's present guidance of approximately 45 credits during an academic year for higher education students.
Neither figure should be treated as a substitute for section 12 itself. The statutory question is whether studies are progressing sufficiently, and the individual circumstances and evidence can matter.
Can Migri withdraw a student permit because you are registered as absent?
Being registered as absent can attract Migri's attention because KOSKI data can show that you are not currently attending.
Absence does not mean that every case has the same outcome. Migri needs to assess what the absence means in the particular circumstances.
Important questions include:
- why you registered as absent;
- whether your right to study remains valid;
- how long the absence has lasted;
- whether you have continued any part of your studies;
- whether you intend and are able to resume your studies; and
- what you have actually been doing in Finland during the period of absence.
In several actual 2025 plea requests reviewed by Legally.fi, KOSKI showed that the student had been registered as absent while the Incomes Register showed that the person had been receiving salary from employment.
Migri did not merely ask why the person was absent. It stated that the available information gave it reason to believe that the person was not studying and was working instead.
This illustrates a critical distinction. The issue can move from slow or interrupted study progress to the more serious question of whether the person's actual purpose of residence has changed from studying to working.
Can you work while holding a student residence permit?
Yes. Working is expressly allowed.
A student residence permit currently allows paid employment in any field for an average of 30 hours per week.
Migri also describes this as approximately 120 hours per month or 1,560 hours per year.
The weekly hours can exceed 30 during individual weeks. A student may, for example, work full-time during holidays, provided that the permitted average is respected over the relevant period.
Work that forms part of the degree
The 30-hour limitation does not apply in the same way to diploma work or an internship that genuinely forms part of the degree and for which the student is to receive study credits under the arrangement.
This distinction should be documented properly. It is not enough simply to call ordinary employment an internship after the work has already been completed.
When can employment become a residence permit problem?
There are two different risks.
Section 12 expressly allows withdrawal to be considered if the student fails to comply with the limits on economic activity.
Even work that is lawful in itself can become relevant if the overall evidence shows that the student is no longer genuinely studying and is effectively residing in Finland for employment instead.
This is why the question is not simply "Am I allowed to work?" A student can be allowed to work while still having a problem if the studies themselves have effectively stopped.
If employment has genuinely become the main basis for living in Finland, the correct solution may be a work-based residence permit rather than trying to preserve a student permit whose original purpose no longer reflects reality.
See also the separate Legally.fi guide on work-based residence permit withdrawal, job changes and new employment.
Can insufficient funds cause withdrawal of a student residence permit?
Yes.
A student must have sufficient financial resources during the entire period for which the residence permit is valid.
Migri's current amount is EUR 800 per month.
For studies lasting at least one year, a first permit applicant currently demonstrates EUR 9,600 for the first year. This does not mean that the financial requirement disappears after the first year. The law requires sufficient financial resources throughout the permit period.
When applying for an extended student permit, income from employment can be taken into account.
The money must genuinely be available to the student
A bank balance is not useful if the circumstances show that the money was never genuinely available for the student's living expenses.
Migri can request bank statements covering transactions and may ask about the origin of funds.
If substantial funds entered the account shortly before a permit application and were transferred away shortly afterwards, Migri may ask who actually owned the money and whether the student genuinely satisfied the financial requirement.
Depending on the facts, a financial issue can therefore become more serious than merely having a low account balance. It can also raise questions about the accuracy of information or evidence originally provided to Migri.
Can an expired insurance policy put the student permit at risk?
Yes. Section 12 expressly lists lack of valid required insurance as a possible withdrawal ground.
Students must maintain the insurance required for their situation throughout the relevant period.
A separate private insurance policy is not required in every case. Migri currently recognises situations where a student has appropriate coverage through a Kela card, European Health Insurance Card or UK Global Health Insurance Card.
The important point is that the required medical coverage must actually exist.
What happens when you graduate or stop studying?
A student residence permit exists because the person is a student.
Migri's current guidance expressly states that once a person graduates, they are no longer a student and the basis for residence changes.
Do not assume that a future date printed on the residence permit card automatically gives you the right to remain in Finland indefinitely on the old student basis after the underlying circumstances have ended.
After completing a degree
Depending on your situation, possible next permits can include:
- a residence permit on the basis of a degree completed in Finland where the requirements are met;
- a residence permit to look for work or start a business; or
- another residence permit based on employment, family ties, entrepreneurship or another applicable ground.
Migri currently allows a qualifying former student to apply for the permit to look for work or start a business within five years after graduation. The permit can be granted for up to two years.
The correct permit strategy depends on what you are actually doing after the studies end.
What should you do if Migri sends a plea request about your student permit?
Do not answer only the question "Do you oppose withdrawal?"
The response should address the exact factual and legal concern in Migri's letter.
Provide the current transcript, attendance or registration certificate, study plan and evidence explaining slower progress. Thesis work, health issues, internships or exchange periods should be documented where relevant.
Explain why, show whether the right to study remains valid, provide evidence of any authorised or justified absence and give a concrete plan for resuming or completing the studies.
Address both sides of the issue. Explain the employment, working hours and legal right to work, but also demonstrate the actual study activity and progress. If the purpose of residence has genuinely changed, assess another permit ground immediately.
Provide complete bank records and explain the source, ownership and availability of the funds. If employment supports your livelihood, provide the relevant employment documentation and make sure the figures are consistent with information in the Incomes Register.
A generic explanation is weaker than dated medical evidence that connects the health problem with the period in which study progress was affected.
One document can answer several concerns. A proper statement from the educational institution can confirm your current right to study, explain thesis or internship activity, describe your progress and support a realistic completion timetable.
Has Migri questioned your student residence permit?
Legally.fi reviews the actual plea request, your study history, KOSKI-related issues, employment, finances and the legal ground Migri is relying on. We then identify what needs to be explained, what evidence is missing and whether another residence permit should be considered before Migri decides the withdrawal matter.
KHO 2026:23: not beginning the studies and working instead
A fresh Supreme Administrative Court decision is particularly important for student residence permit withdrawal.
In KHO 2026:23, the person had been granted a student residence permit for the period from May 2023 to July 2026.
The studies were not started. The authorities concluded that this resulted mainly from the person's own conduct and that, by the time Migri made its decision, the main purpose of residence could be regarded as employment.
The Supreme Administrative Court upheld the conclusion that the student residence permit had to be withdrawn under section 12 because the requirements for the student permit were no longer met and the person was residing in Finland for a purpose other than the one for which the permit had been granted.
The practical lesson is narrower than "working is dangerous". Students are expressly permitted to work. The problem in KHO 2026:23 was that the studies had not begun and the factual purpose of residence had become something else.
How common is student post-decision monitoring?
Student monitoring is not a marginal process.
Government material published in 2026 states that more than 37,000 student residence permits were subject to automated post-decision monitoring between September 2023 and December 2025.
The same material reported that 333 of those students had applied for social assistance.
Those figures do not mean that 333 permits were withdrawn. They were used by the Government when preparing proposed changes to the student financial-resource rules.
Important August 2026 update: proposed social assistance rule is not yet current law
There is a significant student residence permit reform currently before Parliament.
Government Proposal HE 79/2026 proposes adding a specific ground under which a student's residence permit would be taken into withdrawal consideration if the student has resorted to social assistance during the validity of the permit.
The Government has proposed that the reform enter into force in autumn 2026.
As at 18 August 2026, this proposal is still pending. It should not be written or advised as though the proposed rule is already in force.
Under the law currently in force, sufficient financial resources already remain a continuing requirement and insufficient resources are already expressly relevant to possible withdrawal. The proposed amendment would change how reliance on social assistance is regulated specifically.
Questions that usually need a case-specific answer
The following situations cannot safely be decided from one number alone:
- you have 30 or 40 credits but a documented health problem;
- you are writing a thesis but relatively few new credits appear in KOSKI;
- you were registered as absent for one semester;
- you work close to the maximum permitted hours;
- you worked full-time during the summer;
- you transferred to a different programme or institution;
- your study right remains valid but your studies were interrupted;
- you have graduated but your residence permit card still shows a future expiry date;
- your funds originally came from relatives and Migri is asking where the money came from;
- you have received a plea request while also qualifying for a different residence permit.
The relevant facts need to be matched to the correct legal ground. That is the difference between a useful response and a generic explanation.
Continue with the Residence Permit Withdrawal series
Protect the student permit before Migri makes the decision
If you already have a plea request, the strongest time to deal with the factual record is before Migri issues the withdrawal decision. Legally.fi assists with plea responses, study evidence, financial explanations, alternative residence permit strategies and appeals.
Sources and legal basis
- Act 719/2018, especially sections 7, 7a and 12
- Migri: Post-decision monitoring
- Migri: Extended student permit requirements and study progress
- Migri: Working and internships during studies
- Migri: Student income requirement
- Supreme Administrative Court: KHO 2026:23
- HE 79/2026, pending legislative proposal
General legal information checked against legislation and authority material available on 18 August 2026. Individual withdrawal cases depend on the applicable permit, facts, evidence and the contents of Migri's actual plea request or decision.