Most European countries allow students to work outside of their studies. This work limit per hour is not the same for all countries.
In today’s blog, I will inform you about the things you need to know about working limitations in Finland as a student. Let’s dive in to the topics of this blog:
- What are the student visa types in Finland?
- How long can you work in Finland as a student?
- What does this limited working hour mean for a student?
- Exception to the rule.
- How are the hours calculated?
- What will happen if you work more than permitted hours?
- Personal recommendation for you.
What are the student visa types in Finland?
Usually, prospective students were receiving B-type visas. The validity of this B-type visa was 1 year. In 2022, the Finnish embassy introduced another visa type for some students, the “A”-type study visa. This visa has a validity of 2 to 3 years, during which you can complete your studies without the worries of renewing visas.
How long can you work in Finland as a student?
This depends on the type of visa you received. If you received an A-type visa for your studies, you can work a maximum of 30 hours per week. On the other hand, if you are granted a B-type visa, you will be able to work a maximum of 25 hours per week. Regardless of the type of visa, you can work full-time during the summer. That means from May to August (4 months), there will be no limit on working. There are no mandatory courses in any universities during this period, so you can work as much as you want.
What does this time limitation mean?
If you are studying a course at the university and working outside of the university, such as in restaurants, cleaning jobs, etc., you are entitled to work 25-30 hours per week depending on your visa. Your employer can give you a work contract for up to 30 hours per week.
Exception to this rule:
If you manage to secure a field-specific job related to your study, then you can work unlimitedly. For example, if you are studying in the IT field and you manage to get a job in an IT company, your hour restriction will no longer be valid in that case. If you receive an offer from a company, please double-check this with the immigration office. You can just send an email to Migri (migri@migri.fi) and ask them about it.
I was working in a laboratory which was relevant to my studies.
How are the hours calculated?
You have the flexibility to work more or less in a particular week. For clear understanding, let me give you an example. Let’s say you are allowed to work 30 hours per week. If you work 20 hours in the first week of a month, you can work 10 more hours in the next week. Conversely, if you work 40 hours in the first week of a month, you can work 20 hours in the next week to keep the hours within the limit.
What if you work more than 30 hours?
In day-to-day life, this might not be a problem, but it can affect your further visa renewal process. If you want to extend your visa afterwards, the visa office might ask you to provide your payslip. The payslips show how many hours you work each month. If you are found to have worked more than the permitted hours, they might send you a warning. In the worst cases, they might not allow you to renew your visa.
Usually, the employer does not take this risk in Finland. If the authority finds out that the employer is giving you a work contract for more than 30 hours, they will face severe consequences.
Personal recommendation:
In a student visa, work and study is correlated. Always make sure that you are progressing in your studies. During visa renewal, this is the most important parameter they consider. Make sure you complete all the necessary courses within the given timeline. A few more hours above the maximum work limit does not affect much in a practical situation if you can maintain your studies.
All the best for you. Thank you for reading.