Globalisation has transformed the field of higher education by increasing flows of mobile students. This has had significant repercussions not only for countries that take advantage of the expansion of exports of English-medium programmes but also for countries that have not risen to prominent positions in the global education market, such as non-English-speaking Nordic countries. In over thirty years, Finland, which is the focus of this article, has considerably expanded its provision of English-medium programmes in universities. However, the challenges of international student recruitment have persisted despite ambitious strategies. The aim of this study is to analyse the justifications and persuasion strategies used in national policy texts for recruitment initiatives. The data consist of key internationalisation strategies from the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) from 2001 to 2017. Findings suggest that the main persuasion devices in the strategies manifest a significant shift from neoliberally toned crisis talk to opportunity rhetoric. This study will broaden the horizons of analysis by going beyond the rationales for recruiting international students in a country that is in the process of finding and consolidating its position in the widening markets of higher education.