Hey there, Fam! We’ve prepared a guide to help you get through the process of immigrating to your new home in Finland. Be sure to also check out the guides for your situation as an individual student! Your family has right of residency to move here with you. We’ve had many families make the move before, and they are all happy to tell you about their situations - reach out to your tutors or OSA to chat more.
<aside> 🏦 Who’s that?! A quick overview of organizations you need to know
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*Available at the International House - a one-stop shop for most immigration concerns.
HOAS has family apartment available for you! Depending on the size of your needs, you can get up to a three room apartment, though it may be located further away from the city centre. Still, don’t worry about connections. Family apartments are often faster to be assigned than individual rooms, and HOAS family buildings tend to be quiet and well equipped with play facilities. While waiting for HOAS, you can also look at HYY housing options and City of Helsinki owned apartments.
Most Family apartments are located outside the city center, in B or C zone. If you do not include these areas in your application, your chances of being offered a spot are much lower. These apartments are generally quite convenient to transit stations which makes travel to our campus easy, usually in about 30 minutes
<aside> ❓ HOAS family apartments include internet, water, and heating, but you will need to furnish your own energy contract. Helen provides both the energy and the carrier contract (these are weirdly separate in Finland) and can start an electricity contract same day, even without a Finnish ID. 📞+358 09 617 8020
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Your spouse is welcome to work in Finland, but it can be hard to find a position if they don’t have Finnish abilities. Some employers may discriminate based on last name (though this is illegal in Finland). However your spouse can also enroll in the Integration programmes, including Finnish language courses. You can find out more from Hel.fi and migri.fi
Finnish schools are as good as international schools! If you cannot find a place in an International school for your child, it is okay to choose a Finnish school. - CE Parents
This might be why you chose CE! You have choices when it comes to your child’s schooling, but the first thing to remember is that communication between teachers and families is excellent, and the schools will take great care to make sure that your students are integrating well. Most parents report that their kids are much happier in the Finnish schools due to the lower stress and greater autonomy afforded to students. Some parents may find that their students aren’t being challenged as much as they are used to, however.
As soon as you know where you will be living, start looking for the schools on the Helsinki City website. International schools are a great option, with instruction available in English, Russian, German, Chinese, and more. Don’t be afraid to enroll your child in Finnish schools, either! They are of very high quality and will work to build in instruction in your child’s home language.
Daycare is not free in Finland. Use the Kela website to estimate your monthly payment (only available in Finnish and Swedish, but works fine with automatic translation). Sign up early - wait times can be up to 4 months.