The Finnish cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku and Oulu have teamed up to release a joint campaign designed to call attention to recent legislative changes that transfer select services to the country’s municipalities. The “Welcome Home” campaign encourages newly arrived residents to take full advantage of the respective cities’ many helpful services for newcomers. Among others, the cities’ statutory integration services can assist eligible jobseekers and people outside the labour force with adapting to Finnish society, learning the Finnish or Swedish language, and finding a job.
The Welcome home campaign will launch on the city’s digital channels on 10 February and continue for approximately two weeks. The message will be communicated in several languages, representing the language spoken most widely in each of the participating cities. It seeks to convey to current international residents or people who are planning to move or stay in Finland that the overall responsibility for the provision of statutory integration services now lies with Finland’s municipalities. The cities in question also hope to convey that they will be reliable and respectful partners in assisting their new residents to create and enjoy a good life in their new hometown.
Every tenth resident of Finland now speaks a foreign language
In 2023, the last year for which statistics are currently available, Finland’s population grew by almost 40,000 persons – the largest increase since 1956. According to Statistics Finland, every tenth resident of Finland now speaks a first language other than Finnish, Swedish or Sámi. Among the six cities participating in the campaign, the foreign-language population is 27 per cent in Vantaa, 24 in Espoo, 20 in Helsinki, 15 in Turku, 10 in Tampere and 6 in Oulu.
Another important goal of the Welcome home campaign is for the cities to send a message that all migrants are welcome, no matter what their background or the reason for arriving. Finland’s six largest cities recognise that newcomers to the country are important for many reasons.
“I strongly believe that people who have chosen Finland as their new home will not only fulfil the needs of the Finnish economy but also bring with it the kind of cultural and social diversity that will make Helsinki a better home for us all. Helsinki is committed to being a great city for new arrivals to live in,” said Glenn Gassen, Director of the City of Helsinki’s Migration Affairs.
A key priority of the Helsinki City Strategy is for the city to be a good place for its residents and visitors alike. The City of Helsinki is committed to promoting non-discrimination, equality and human rights in its operations. The goal is for Finland’s capital to be a city where different lifestyles and opinions can co-exist in harmony, and to this end, the city has introduced clear and research-based methods for dealing with harassment and discrimination.
Helping newcomers forge their own path
Integration is the process of people finding their own place in their new home country. The recently renewed KOTO24 Finnish Integration Act that in part inspired the campaign defines integration more narrowly, however, as it lays out the specific statutory services society must offer to migrants to the country. It also outlines which groups are entitled to these services.
People who have come to Finland and are actively seeking work or are outside of the labour force are encouraged to contact the city and begin using statutory integration services as soon as they arrive in the country. They should have received their first residence permit less than three years ago, but the integration services specialist conducting the initial assessment can make exceptions if a need for statutory integration services can be established. For example, parents or guardians that have been here longer caring for little ones at home are often still eligible to participate.
Each of the large cities participating in the “Welcome Home” campaign naturally provide a wide range of other services to help new arrivals of all kinds settle in and enjoy a good life in their municipality. People arriving from abroad who have already secured a job or study place also have a range of newcomer services to choose from have been designed to ease their transition.
City representatives are standing at the ready to direct people to the appropriate newcomer services, as well as to answer whatever questions new arrivals may have about employment, language classes, housing issues, children’s daycare and schools, and healthcare matters.
In Helsinki, the Welcome home campaign links to the city’s helpful Helsinki-info advisory service, which is happy to provide information on the city’s services in nine languages. Helsinki-info is available to answer your questions in three ways: 1) Face-to-face at service locations at, for example, the Oodi Central Library and International House Helsinki 2) By phone at tel. +358 9 310 111, and 3) by sending a message via the Helsinki-info chat service. The chat icon can be found in the lower-right corner of the City of Helsinki website pages.
