Third-party agents have attempted to recruit popular social media content creators to help them spin a false narrative about life in Finland for foreign students.

An Yle investigation last year revealed that the agents — who were operating as partners of Finnish third-level institutions — have exploited Finland's image as the "happiest country in the world" to sell an inaccurate or downright misleading image of life in the country.

Deceived by the agents into believing that part-time work was easy to obtain and would cover all their living expenses, many students ended up struggling to make ends meet and relying on handouts to survive.

Content creator and education professional Saaima Aziz revealed the sums she has been offered after being approached by a number of different agents.

"They [the agents] said they are ready to pay me 1,000 euros, or 1,500 euros, just for one video," Aziz told the All Points North podcast.

Aziz has more than 80,000 followers on Instagram alone and often posts videos warning about the dangers of scams and the spread of misleading information about Finland.

"I don't feel this is the right way to earn money, to mislead students, the people who believe in me. So I said, no, I can't do this," she told APN about the offers she received.

You can watch the full episode from the video below or on our YouTube channel.

Record number of students from abroad

Immigration agency Migri granted a record 12,192 first-time residence permits to students from outside the EU in 2024, as Finland has become an increasingly popular destination to study — especially among students from South Asia.

The figure for 2024 is more than double the number of permits granted to students in the pre-Covid years of 2019 (5,246) and 2018 (5,202) — with the increase in particular being driven by applications from countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan.

Many are attracted by the reputation of Finland's education system, or the promise of a healthy work-life balance.

However, others have been misled into believing that they can easily find part-time work — despite Finland's dismal unemployment rate — and that the salary they will receive can easily cover their living expenses.

Aziz told APN that some students take out huge loans to cover the cost of coming to Finland, because they have been told they will make the money back in a short period of time.

"I know some people who have tried to survive here for a year, or a year and a half, but they end up returning home with a heavy loan on their shoulders," she said.

Finland's government has recently drafted legislation aimed at tackling the agents' activities, as revealed by Yle's investigation. The bill will also set out in law the minimum income level required of foreign students from outside the EU.

While noting that the government's plans have proved somewhat unpopular, Japanese student Tomonao Bushida told APN that the move will help to prevent foreign students from being lured into a poverty trap.

"The government is kind of asking, are you really ready to come here, financially, mentally," he said. "So I would say it's not quite a negative thing. It's quite reasonable."

Despite his love of Finland, Bushida described his first year of studying in Finland as "the most difficult year" of his life, adding that he often wonders if he has a future in Finland.

"I want to see my future here, definitely, and I have motivation and the passion to live here," he said. "But at the same time, I have come to the point that I really have to think about going back to Japan as a Plan B."

Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.