Many West African students submit forged documents to study in Finland

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Only one-third of those West Africans who had been selected to study in Finnish educational institutions last spring and in early autumn were granted a residence permit.
      ”In fact, as much as 70 per cent of the Cameroonians and Ghanaians and 60 per cent of the Nigerians gaining selection to Finnish educational institutions were denied a residence permit”, stated a press release issued by the Finnish Immigration Service.
      Most commonly, the failure to secure a permit was caused by forged documents or insufficient income.
      Forgeries of a number of documents were encountered, including false IDs, study and work certificates, as well as forged bank statements and health insurance documents.
     
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs suspected already at the end of August that the HAMK University of Applied Sciences in Hämeenlinna had not sufficiently examined the qualifications and motives of the 130 African students recruited for the school in an additional application process in the late summer.
      In the course of last summer, other Finnish educational institutes also received large numbers of applications from West African countries.
     
According to the Finnish Immigration Service, another reason for the decision to deny a residence permit was that the applicants had inadequate language skills.
      The prerequisites for a student’s residence permit include having valid health insurance coverage and a minimum of EUR 500 per month, or EUR 6,000 per year, available for the duration of the student’s residence in Finland.
     
This year marked the first time that Finnish educational institutions obligated their students to pass an international language test.
      In 2009, the Finnish Immigration Service has substantially increased its efforts in investigating the residence permit applications of African students.
      When forged documents are presented with an application, the authorities cannot ascertain the applicant’s real motives for moving to Finland, the Finnish Immigration Service argues.
      Presentation of forgeries is considered an attempt at illegal entry.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Foreign Ministry suspects some West African study applicants may have used forged certificates (25.8.2009)
  Suspected document forgery centre uncovered in Helsinki student flat (4.8.2008)

Links:
  Finnish Immigration Service press release 19.11.2009
  Ministry for Foreign Affairs
  HAMK University of Applied Sciences

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