OREANDA-NEWS  The tightening of the rules of entry into the country announced by Finland may affect Russians who own real estate in Suomi, as well as applicants planning to enroll in Finnish educational institutions. At the same time, as the Yle publication reports with reference to the head of the consular department of the Finnish Foreign Ministry, Jussi Tanner, there is no clear line regarding the tightening yet. According to him, the State Council of Finland will publish a new fundamental decision on political restrictions on entry for Russians in the near future. "I think the decision will be made within a week or two," Tanner estimates.

The official specified how the authorities can tighten the rules of entry. "In the future, the owners [of the property] will have to prove that maintenance work on the facility or repairs require their presence," he said. Currently, owners of houses are allowed to enter Finland for urgent maintenance work. At the same time, according to Yle, sometimes this requires showing only real estate documents and, for example, photos of a pipe that has burst.

As for applicants, only Russians who enroll in such educational programs that lead to obtaining a degree or qualification will be able to enter Finland in the future. This will exclude, for example, public schools. Until now, Finland has allowed students to enter for short-term studies (less than 90 days). Tanner explains the innovation by the fact that in conditions of restrictions, Russians began to request visas more often on the basis of admission to an educational institution: "Visas are requested to pass entrance exams, without having a clear plan. For example, applications were submitted for Finnish-language programs without knowing the Finnish language. Or a person applied for several different specialties at the same time" (quote by Yle).