Effective September 28, the Finnish Immigration Services has started automatic post-decision monitoring of student residence permits. This monitoring initiative concerns students' residence permits granted after June 1, 2022 for studies leading to a degree. The monitoring focuses on the key requirements for the residence permit for studies.
The Finnish Immigration, among other things, will check:
- whether the permit holders have started their studies,
- whether they are making progress in their studies; and
- whether their right to study is valid.
The monitoring aims to check that students are still eligible for residence permit granted to them. The Finnish Immigration Services will track the studies status, when they started, have much they progressed, if the student’s right to study is still valid and other matters related to holders of student residence permits.
Started in 2017, the post-decision monitoring means that the authorities may check afterwards whether or not you still meet the requirements for the residence permit that has been granted to you. Each year, the Finnish Immigration selects certain permit categories for post-decision monitoring. In 2021, for example, they conducted post-decision monitoring of extended permits that had been granted to spouses of Finnish citizens or on the basis of work that required a partial decision.
The legislation covering students’ residence permits was amended in 2022, making it easier for international students to focus on their studies. Now, a residence permit for studies is granted for the entire duration of the studies. This means that, as a rule, students do not need to apply for extended permits since their first residence permits are valid for several years at a time. Before the legislative amendments, the requirements for the permit were checked when students applied for an extended permit.
If the Finnish Immigration considers the withdrawal of a permit, it will always make an individual assessment of the permit holder’s situation. Before any decisions to cancel the permit, they will always contact you and ask for your opinion on the possible withdrawal of your permit. If you have a family member living in Finland, they will ask his or her opinion, too.
It maybe noted that if you hold a residence permit for an employed person but become unemployed, the Finnish Immigration may initiate a process for withdrawing your residence permit after you have been unemployed for 3 months.
You can appeal against a decision made by the Finnish Immigration Service to an Administrative Court.
Ireland’s new ILEP rule
If you enrol and have paid for an English language programme listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), you can register for a Stamp 2 immigration permission of up to eight months. You may extend your permission for another eight months if you enrol on another 25-week English language programme. Immigration officials will seek evidence of examination results and attendance. You will need to progress in your studies, by enrolling on a programme with an examination at an increased level.
Education providers that are not on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) — a list of approved higher education programmes put together by the Irish Department of Justice and Immigration — cannot sell courses to non-EEA (European Economic Area) students. Each education provider needs to meet certain criteria, such as various financial and quality assurance requirements, in order to be listed on the ILEP.
In order to extend the student immigration permission, you must:
- enrol on a higher level programme lasting at least 25 weeks
- provide evidence that you attended classes for at least 15 hours a week on your previous course
- provide evidence that you attended at least 85 per cent of your previous course classes, and
- complete an end-of-programme examination and provide examination results
If you meet the above requirements, you may study English language courses for a maximum of three permissions of eight months each, to a total of two years. After that time you must enrol on a higher QQI NFQ (National Framework of Qualifications) education programme listed on the ILEP if you wish to remain in Ireland as a student.
German government approves proposal to make legal gender change easier for trans, intersex, non-binary persons
The German government has approved the proposal for a new law of self-determination making it easier for individuals to legally change their name and gender.
The new rules will replace the current 1980s law that makes it mandatory that those wanting to change their name and gender to submit two psychological reports with a district court making the final decision. In the case of children under the age of 14, it will be the responsibility of the parents to submit the relevant documentation, while minors above the age of 14 will be able to submit the form by themselves as long as they have the consent of their parents. The change will be validated after a period of three months, while a new possible request to change gender will only be possible after one year, in order to “guarantee the seriousness of the request”, according to the text of the law.
Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland are a few countries that have already embraced an individual’s right to ‘Self Determination’.
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