Student Union Helga does not support the draft government proposal for a law amending the Aliens Act (permanent residence permit), which defines the following regarding obtaining a permanent residence permit: “A permanent residence permit could also be obtained by completing a master’s degree, a postgraduate degree or a lower university (bachelor’s) degree at a university in Finland.”
The entry in the draft excludes university of applied sciences bachelors degrees, which are also lower university degrees, and are completed by international students. It is worrying to note in the draft that there is no intention to recognize the value of university of applied sciences education in working life, even though university of applied sciences education currently best meets the needs of working life. This places university of applied sciences students in an unequal position compared to university students and weakens the attractiveness of university of applied sciences education. The proposal in question is also short-sighted in terms of the labor market, because graduating bachelor students of university of applied sciences have graduated in fields where there is a labor shortage, for example, the social and healthcare sectors. The draft also contradicts Finland’s Roadmap for Education and Work-Based Immigration 2035, which aims to triple the number of foreign degree students by 2030 and increase their employment and retention in the country to 75 percent.
The government should not make it difficult for graduates to stay and find employment in Finland. A permanent residence permit should also be granted after completing a university of applied sciences bachelor’s degree, provided that the person has sufficient Finnish or Swedish language skills. This enables equal opportunities for university graduates to stay in Finland after graduation and maintains the attractiveness of higher education internationally.
