Students who meet all requirements for getting a residence permit will have their applications processed by the automated decision-making service, according to a news release from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), which is in charge of processing all forms of permits.
EU Helpers says that this automated service will only make choices on applications that satisfy all necessary requirements; it excludes conclusions that are negative or that call for special attention.
Authorities from Migri have ensured that this system performs the same inspections as their personnel would. Applicants are still required to identify at a Finnish mission or a Finnish Immigration Service service location, notwithstanding the automated decision-making service.
The Finnish Immigration Service could then make an automated decision if the application was submitted by a university student or exchange student using the online service Enter Finland, if the processing fee was paid, if the application included all the necessary information, and if all the requirements for issuing the permit were met.
On the other hand, applications that are submitted automatically through the system and don't satisfy the rules or need more information will be decided by officials.
The Finnish Immigration Service has previously employed assistive automation for the purpose of validating public authority-maintained records on behalf of its personnel.
The automatic post-decision monitoring of residence permits related to study was started by the Finnish Immigration Service on September 28. The general law permits automatic decision-making in cases where the application is authorized and no additional parties, such as family members, are involved. It came into force in May.
Applications are still not handled fully automatically, though. For example, an authority must confirm the applicant's identification. Additionally, despite the use of automated processing, officials must personally assess the results of register inspections. Migri asserts that this is significant from a security standpoint.
Finland has issued 7,039 initial residence permits for study to foreign nationals as of the end of July. Most of the students from Bangladesh, China, India, Sri Lanka, and Russia asked for this permission.