Finland is officially a bilingual country, with both Finnish and Swedish as national languages. Swedish is also a minority language, the status of which is protected by law. Finland's bilingualism is based on the Constitution, which defines Finnish and Swedish as national languages.
In Finland, there are structures and linguistic rights that enable everyday life in Swedish. Public services, such as early childhood education, education, healthcare, the legal system and media – for example, the Swedish-language services of Yleisradio – also operate in Swedish. These services are part of the basic structures of society and are financed by tax funds.
The Act on the Promotion of Integration (681/2023) gives immigrants the opportunity to choose Finnish or Swedish as their primary language of integration.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's government programme includes an entry to promote Swedish-language integration. The entry in the government programme sets the goal that approximately 5–10 % will integrate in Swedish. In addition, the authorities should provide clearer information about the possibility of integrating in Swedish as well.
The immigrant's language choice is registered in connection with the assessment of integration skills and service needs, individually according to the person's needs and wishes.
Swedish-language integration services correspond in content to Finnish-language services, but the service offering and availability of services vary. Swedish-language integration services are primarily available in Swedish-speaking and bilingual areas.
It is possible to study in Swedish, from basic education or TUVA education to vocational or upper secondary school studies and from there to education leading to a university degree. You can find out about the education offerings in your area on the opintopolku.fi website.
More information:
Language choice for integration