How to help employees settle in Finland

As an employer, you can offer the newcomers settling-in services. These services help the migrants with many practical matters, such as submitting the immigration documents, applying for a tax card, finding an apartment, and placing the children in schools and kindergartens. 

Many Finnish companies offer settling-in services for a fee. See what is available in your area. If you do not have previous experience of using these services, you should first ask for a detailed quote from several companies. If you are continuously recruiting from abroad, you should also consider tendering the services. 

As an employer, you can also reimburse the costs of settling-in services to the employee as an employee benefit if you cannot provide the services yourself and the employee wants to purchase these services themselves. Similarly, you can reimburse the costs of moving services. 

Both the employers and experts can also get help and advice on settling in from International House, which has offices in several locations, such as Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Kuopio, Joensuu ja Oulu. International Houses bring together local and national operators and promote their services. 

Information on settling in and related services is also available online on the Center of Expertise in Immigrant Integration website maintained by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. 

One of the key factors in settling in and integration is proficiency in Finnish and/or Swedish. Watch the video to see how FinVector acquired language training for its employees: 

Many companies offer international moving services. We recommend using a company that has an office in Finland. They usually follow established practices and provide clear instructions for the customer. They also have good and recognizable insurance taken out in Finland or the Nordic countries, which makes it easier to handle accidents. Insurance taken out abroad may not cover all situations. 

The price of the moving service may be estimated either on site or remotely. Always ask for a written offer. It is a good idea to tell the employee what they are allowed to bring with them to Finland and what the costs of importing certain items may be. Vehicles are subject to import tax, for example. 

The employer can help the international expert to search for an apartment by purchasing settling-in services or by looking for an apartment themselves, for example. As an employer, you can pay the rent in part or in full and at least provide written instructions on finding an apartment. 

It is customary to arrange temporary housing for the employee for a few months at most. Furnished apartments are popular for several reasons: the employee does not immediately have to buy all the furniture; the rent almost always includes electricity, water, an internet connection, and insurance; and the employee can get acquainted with their new surroundings before making more permanent decisions. 

If the employee searches for an apartment themselves, we recommend telling them how apartment size is expressed in Finland, how the apartments are usually not furnished, and how electricity, water, and the internet connection bills work. In addition, point out that home insurance is mandatory. For example, International House Helsinki offers links and instructions related to housing. The other Finnish International Houses also offer help in the matter.  

When choosing a bank, it is worth making sure that the services are available in English. The largest banks in Finland have high-quality English services.  

There must be a reason for opening an account, such as salary payments. For family members, banks usually offer the option of an “or” account, which means that the salary earner in the family also opens an account for a family member. 

Online banking credentials are useful because they allow you to identify yourself in numerous services provided by the authorities or private organizations. Banks have strict rules for issuing online banking credentials, and in order to be granted such credentials, the applicant must identify themselves with an identity card issued by a Finnish authority, such as the foreigner’s identity card. 

Remind the employee to report their account number to the payroll administration, Kela, and the Tax Administration. 

here is a lot of support and services available to the employer to help the employee settle in. For example, you can explore the regional services. For more information about services for spouses, see the article Integration into Finland. 

IMAGO coaching  is a service for developing the employer image. Learn the leadership skills for managing diverse personnel and engaging talent at your company in free coaching sessions. 

Työpaikkasuomi and Työpaikkaruotsi language courses are intended for international professionals who want to improve their working language skills. Better language skills improve the performance of the work community. 

There are no public settling-in services, but EURES services can help you in finding service providers. For the contact details of your local EURES expert, see the EURES website (in Finnish). 

You can apply for financial assistance for the settling-in of an expert from the EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme (TMS) program. 

TE Offices can help in finding employment for the expert’s spouse, for example. 

Tell the expert about the Work Help Finland mobile application, which is intended for foreign employees coming to and residing in Finland.