The Student Union of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences METKA shares the view of the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Arene and numerous organisations that the bill prepared by the Ministry of the Interior to amend the Aliens Act must be amended so that international students with a degree from a university of applied sciences are also entitled to a permanent residence permit. As it stands, the bill places students at universities of applied sciences and university students in an unequal position, which undermines the attractiveness of universities of applied sciences and contradicts Finland’s objectives of education and work-based immigration.
Polytechnic graduates go into sectors where there are significant labour shortages, such as engineering, business, and social and health care. It is inconsistent that the bill excludes these students from permanent residence permits, even though there is a great need for their skills in Finland. Suvi Pulkkinen, Senior Expert at the Finland Chamber of Commerce, says: “It is strange that the government wants to make it more difficult for graduates from these fields to stay and find employment in Finland.” (Keskuskauppakamari 25.11.24, STT info 27.2.25)
In Finland, the Bachelor’s Degrees of university of applied sciences and a university are both qualifications of the same level (Finnish Qualifications Framework, level 6). If the amendment is adopted, it will put higher education degrees on an unequal footing under the law and will reduce the attractiveness of universities of applied sciences for international students. While graduates from universities of applied sciences often move directly into the labour market to address labour shortages, university graduates usually go on to Master’s studies. This difference is also reflected in the opportunities for further study: it is almost impossible to go straight from a Bachelor’s degree in a university of applied sciences to a Master’s degree in a university of applied sciences that would qualify for a permanent residence permit, as this usually requires at least two years of work experience after the Bachelor’s degree.
There is no justification in the bill for excluding university of applied sciences graduates and why there is inequality between qualifications of the same level. This distinction is inconsistent with the objectives of Finland’s Roadmap 2023 on education and work-based immigration, which aims for 75% of international students to remain in Finland for employment after graduation. In addition, the bill runs counter to the objectives of higher education policy, according to which education-based immigration should be promoted in order to reduce the shortage of skilled workers.
The Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Student Union, METKA, calls for the bill to be amended so that international students with a Bachelor’s degree from Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) are also eligible for a permanent residence permit. Finland should avoid creating inequality between higher education degrees and focus on addressing the labor shortage by attracting talent to the sectors that need it most.
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