As a part of Finland’s goal to attract more international experts, the country is taking action to facilitate the entry of highly skilled workers, start-up entrepreneurs, students and researchers.

The most recent of these actions, a new fast track procedure, was introduced together with a new long-term national D visa on 1 June. This fast track procedure - aimed at highly skilled workers and start-up entrepreneurs and their families - promises a processing time of 14 days for residence permits applied for online. The national D visa, on the other hand, allows international experts and their families to enter Finland as soon as they receive a favourable decision. There is no longer a need to wait for the permit card to arrive before entering Finland.

Students and researchers are not yet eligible for the national D visa, but their arrival and stay in Finland was facilitated by two other actions earlier in 2022. First, a new act grants students and their families residence permits for the entire duration of their studies, changing their and their family members’ residence permits from temporary to continuous. Second, a change to the so-called job seekers’ permit makes it easier for students and researchers to stay in Finland to search for work after their study or research period is over. If they apply for this residence permit within five years of the expiration of their residence permit, they will now be able to stay in Finland for two years.