Moving to Finland

NEW PREMISES

Migri's service point in Helsinki moved to Malmi

Foreigner.fi 4/6/21

The new office is easy to reach by train or bus. For those arriving by car, there are parking places available free of charge.

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MOVING TO FINLAND

Finland, the least desired country in Western Europe to emigrate

Foreigner.fi 4/5/21

In the ranking of countries with the most immigrants, Finland appears last after the other Western European countries, situated among several Eastern European states.

People passing in front of Helsinki central train station. Photo: Julia Kivela/Visit Finland.

POPULATION STRUCTURE

433,000 foreigners permanently living in Finland

Foreigner.fi 3/31/21

The share of foreign language speakers among the population was highest in Vantaa, 22%, in Espoo, 19%, and in Närpiö and Helsinki, 17%.

ASYLUM

Migri cuts 700 beds in reception centers due to lack of asylum seekers

Foreigner.fi 3/30/21

The immigration agency only received 96 new asylum applications between January and February.

Helsinki-people-family-by-Julia-Kivela-Visit-Finland

MOVING TO FINLAND

Finnish population increases in early 2021 due to immigration

Foreigner.fi 3/23/21

In January-February, 4,619 persons immigrated to Finland from abroad.

Finland was represented at the meeting by Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (R) and State Secretary Olli-Poika Parviainen. Photo: Twitter/@FinlandinEU.

ASYLUM REFORM

EU ministers' meeting on migration ends without concrete results

Foreigner.fi/dpa 3/16/21

EU members with external borders argue that the bloc's asylum rules should be updated to share the burden of arriving asylum seekers while other states are reluctant to do so.

INTEGRATION

Migri updates Finnish society course for asylum seekers

Foreigner.fi 3/15/21

Two of the lectures in the course are compulsory for all asylum seekers over 16 years of age, who are obligated to participate in work and study activities.

Finnish children have fun in the snow. Photo: Foreigner.fi.

REPORT

Government: "Finland's population would shrink without immigrants"

Foreigner.fi 3/10/21

"More net immigration will be necessary to maintain a stable population in the future. A potential target could be to raise net immigration to 25,000 people by 2030," the report concludes.

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PANDEMIC

Major drop in Schengen visa applications at Finnish missions

Foreigner.fi 3/3/21

In 2020, by far the largest number of applications received by Finland were made by Russian nationals.

LABOUR MIGRATION

Finland prepares new type of visa for specialists and entrepreneurs

Foreigner.fi 2/23/21

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs believes that the adoption of the national D visa will boost labour migration to the country.

STATISTICS

Finland gains population in 2021 due to the arrival of immigrants

Foreigner.fi 2/23/21

In January, 2,120 persons immigrated to Finland from abroad while 717 persons emigrated from the country.

MIGRATION

Government draws strategy for expatriates to exert their influence

Foreigner.fi 2/2/21

The strategy includes measures enabling all citizens who are interested in returning with possible foreign spouses and children to settle in Finland smoothly and in an assisted manner. In…

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MOVING TO FINLAND

Migri launches project to speed up processing of work, study permits

Foreigner.fi 2/1/21

The aim is to issue customers with a work permit on average within a month.

How to ship anything to or from Finland

Foreigner.fi 1/27/21

From entire households to smaller boxes and parcels, find out how to move your stuff overseas or across Europe.

EXPLOITATION

Number of human trafficking victims in Finland breaks new record

Foreigner.fi 1/27/21

Among the new victims, the number of people who have been subjected to forced labor in the cleaning, construction, restaurant, domestic service and seasonal work sectors is increasing.

OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Finland reduced granting of first residence permits by 18.3% in 2020

Foreigner.fi 1/20/21

Last year, Iraqi citizens submitted the highest number of applications for Finnish citizenship, surpassing Russians.

ESPOO, VANTAA

Migri cuts 525 places for asylum seekers in Helsinki region

Foreigner.fi 1/6/21

An Espoo reception center will close and another in Vantaa will see its capacity reduced in 2021.

MOVING TO FINLAND

Citizenship applications are more expensive in 2021

Foreigner.fi 1/4/21

The processing fees of all residence permit applications for employed and self-employed persons submitted on paper have also been raised.

MOVING TO FINLAND

Migri says specialist permit processing time cut to less than half

Foreigner.fi 12/28/20

The immigration agency uses partial automation to make decisions. The system verifies that the criteria for granting a residence permit are met and automatically produces a proposal for a decision,…