Finland to Strengthen Residence Permit Rules
The Finnish government is planning to tighten security checks and impose stricter conditions on visas for foreign students and researchers. The reason behind these measures is the aggressive actions of Russia in Europe.
This announcement comes from Mari Rantanen, the Minister of the Interior in Finland, as reported by Yle.
Rantanen also emphasized that protecting critical infrastructure, such as information networks, power stations, ports, and airports, has become a top priority for the government, given the deteriorating security situation in Europe due to Russia's actions in Ukraine. To achieve this, security measures need to be reinforced for individuals employed in critical infrastructure and technologies.
Additionally, the minister noted that the conditions for granting residence permits to students and researchers working in areas critical from a security perspective, such as dual-use technologies, will be restricted.
The new government program envisages that the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) will apply broader checks when hiring new employees.
According to Minister Mari Rantanen, having two passports can sometimes pose a risk, as ties to another country can be used as leverage against an individual. She stated that such ties include relatives living in the influence zone of another state and property in another country.
Earlier, Finland's Minister of the Interior had called for a thorough review of the residence permit issuance system in light of the situation involving the detention of Russian militant and neo-Nazi Jan Petrovsky.
It was revealed that Petrovsky had obtained entry documents based on family connections after his wife enrolled in studies in Finland.
As reported by The Gaze, Finland detained Jan Petrovsky, who is under sanctions from the European Union and the United States. According to the EU sanctions list, Petrovsky held a leadership position and commanded the terrorist group "Rusich." The organization is known to have been associated with mercenaries from the Wagner Group.
In the European Union's view, Petrovsky is responsible for actions undermining the sovereignty, independence, and national security of Ukraine. Members of "Rusich" participated in the conflict on the side of Russia during the Ukrainian crisis. Finnish authorities arrested Petrovsky on suspicion of carrying out terrorist acts in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions from June 2014 to August 2015.
The detained Russian citizen in Finland denies any involvement in the crimes attributed to him in Ukraine. Jan Petrovsky was born in the Soviet Union but spent several years of his youth in Norway, where he became known for his far-right views.
Petrovsky had ties to the Norwegian organization "Soldiers of Odin." Norwegian media reported his involvement in the Syrian conflict as part of an ultra-right group associated with President Bashar al-Assad's regime. In 2016, Norway deported Petrovsky to Russia for security reasons.