Steps to apply for a student visa in Finland

After choosing a school and receiving an offer of admission, you need to determine who you are in order to prepare the financial minimum of 6,720 euros.

Choose a school

Whether studying in Finland on a scholarship or self-sufficient basis, the first thing you need to do is choose a school. If accepted, the school will send you an offer of admission. This is an indispensable document in the student visa application for Finland.

When choosing a school, you need to find out if it is recognized by the Finnish education system. The school is on the list of accredited and approved operations, the letter of admission you receive is valid.

Determine who you belong to

Finland has two types of residence permits: definite and permanent. To study in Finland, international students are required to have a visa, which specifies the length of time you are allowed to stay based on the length of study.

If you are a citizen of the countries of the European Union or European Economic Area, you have the right to live and study in Finland without a visa or residence permit. However, you must still register with the local authorities for moving to Finland for more than 90 days.

If you are not a student from these countries, you must have a one or four year visa application box. If you study in Finland more than this time, you need to continue with the extension.

Financial preparation

To prove your finances, you need a passbook, a monthly income statement and some documents to show that you own valuable assets like houses, cars, real estate ...

If you are not a student of the European Union, you need to prove that the balance in the savings book is a minimum of 6,720 euros (about 180 million VND), which is equivalent to one year of living expenses in Finland. If you do not have a savings book, you need to prove your monthly income or that of your family / guarantor to Finland for at least 560 euros a month (about 15 million VND).

For international students studying in Finland for two years or more, the amount you need to prepare in your savings book will double, to 13,440 euros. Having enough money will increase your chances of getting a two-year residence permit, no need for a one-year visa and an extension.

The capital Helsinki, one of the symbols of Finland. Photo: Study Buddy

Requirements regarding qualifications and language

Usually, when you have received an offer from the school, you have completed the language certificates that the school requires. However, to further strengthen your visa application, you should prepare and enclose your high school and university diploma, language certificate such as IELTS, TOEFL ... If you have a Finnish certificate, here It will be a huge plus for your study abroad record.

Visa application includes:

- Letter of admission to the school.
- Proof of financial (savings book or monthly income statement).
- Passport not expired and 4 photos.
- Health insurance for international students.
- Certificate of payment of 330 euro visa application fee.
- Diploma and certificate of foreign language.

These documents must be translated into English, Swedish or Finnish, otherwise they will not be accepted.

After applying, you still need to go to the Embassy to attend the interview, providing the original and a copy of the documents included in the file.

Visa benefits

If the visa is successful, in addition to being legally resident in Finland for the period of studying abroad, international students will be able to work up to 25 hours a week in the academic year and work unlimitedly during the break time. . Finland is in the Schengen area, so with a visa that allows residence in this country, you can move between 26 other countries without preparing any additional documents. This is an opportunity for international students to experience the life and culture of European countries.