Finland: Real estate may no longer secure visas for Russians

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s president says he wants to make it harder for Russians to use owning real estate in the Nordic nation as justification for obtaining travel visas. President Sauli Niinisto told journalists in Helsinki on Thursday that “getting a visa to a country is not a subjective right for anyone, but the visa issuer always has discretion.” As of Sept. 1, Finland slashed the number of visas issued to Russian citizens to one-tenth of the typical number, a move seen as a show of solidarity with Ukraine. The Finnish foreign minister has said that Russian property owners have started dividing their Finnish real estate holdings among several people so more are eligible for visas.