New application or extension?- Switching from "RP to look for work or start a business" to "RP for studies"

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nlmy
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 10, 2025 4:39 pm

New application or extension?- Switching from "RP to look for work or start a business" to "RP for studies"

Post by nlmy » Sat May 10, 2025 5:02 pm

Hi everyone, I would really appreciate your advice or experience regarding my RP situation:

I am currently living in Finland with a residence permit to look for work or to start a business (RP look for work).

I have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from a Finnish university.

I recently received an official admission letter to a full-time Master’s degree program at a Finnish yliopisto (university).

Therefore, I will need to change my current RP to an RP for studies.

My main question is:

When switching from a "look for work/start a business" RP to a "study" RP, do I need to submit a completely new residence permit application, or can I just extend/change the existing one?

Additional info:

I emailed Migri about this question a week ago, but haven’t received a reply yet.

From what I read on the Migri website, it seems that changing the reason (grounds) for residence (from work to study) requires a completely new RP application, not just an extension.

I’ve been living in Finland for 5 years now, so I’m a bit concerned that applying for a completely new RP might affect my continuous residence period.

Has anyone gone through a similar situation? Any insights or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your help!



New application or extension?- Switching from "RP to look for work or start a business" to "RP for studies"

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betelgeuse
Posts: 4569
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:24 am

Re: New application or extension?- Switching from "RP to look for work or start a business" to "RP for studies"

Post by betelgeuse » Sun May 11, 2025 2:17 pm

nlmy wrote:
Sat May 10, 2025 5:02 pm
Hi everyone, I would really appreciate your advice or experience regarding my RP situation:

I am currently living in Finland with a residence permit to look for work or to start a business (RP look for work).

I have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from a Finnish university.

I recently received an official admission letter to a full-time Master’s degree program at a Finnish yliopisto (university).

Therefore, I will need to change my current RP to an RP for studies.

My main question is:

When switching from a "look for work/start a business" RP to a "study" RP, do I need to submit a completely new residence permit application, or can I just extend/change the existing one?

Additional info:

I emailed Migri about this question a week ago, but haven’t received a reply yet.

From what I read on the Migri website, it seems that changing the reason (grounds) for residence (from work to study) requires a completely new RP application, not just an extension.

I’ve been living in Finland for 5 years now, so I’m a bit concerned that applying for a completely new RP might affect my continuous residence period.

Has anyone gone through a similar situation? Any insights or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your help!
"Alternatively, you can apply for an extended permit on new grounds. Remember that you need to meet the requirements for the residence permit you apply for."

https://migri.fi/en/extended-permit


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