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One of the first choices a person makes when moving to a country is whether they want to primarily integrate in Finnish or Swedish. The choice of language determines, among other things, which language the person will use to participate in integration services and which language learning will be the focus of the services.

Both employees and employers benefit from a language-aware working environment The Act on the promotion of immigrant integration was amended on 1.1.2025. Unfortunately, this website has not yet been updated to comply with the new integration Act (...

Plain language is easy to use Plain language is suitable for those who find the standard Finnish language too difficult to use. Plain language uses easy words and sentence structures both in writing and speaking. Plain language increases the acces...

Both employees and employers benefit from a language-aware working environment Language awareness refers to the continuous consideration of different situations in the use of language, language features and texts. Language-aware thinking takes a r...

What should be taken into account when choosing the integration language and when a worker is guiding the customer in choosing an integration language in a Customer Service encounter? The following information can help the immigrant choose their first language of integration.

The initial assessment referred to in the Integration Act means a package of measures enabling the authority to conduct a preliminary assessment of the immigrant’s preparedness concerning employment, study and other aspects of integration and the need for language training and other measures and services promoting integration.

Education provides immigrants with linguistic skills and prerequisites for gaining employment Immigrants usually participate in the same early childhood education and care, education and training as the rest of the population. In addition to these...

5.6.2025 | According to the government's proposal, the conditions for a permanent residence permit would be tightened, among other things, by extending the continuous period of residence required for the permit. In the future, applicants would also be required to have knowledge of Finnish or Swedish and a work history of a certain length. The legislative amendments are scheduled to enter into force on 8 January 2026.

Linguistic objectives The objective of integration training is for the student to achieve a basic language proficiency in Finnish or Swedish (proficiency level B1.1, section 26 of the Integration Act). A functional basic language proficiency means...

An authority may carry out the assessment itself or organise the specified measures included in the assessment as an outsourced service. However, the initial interview included in the assessment must always be conducted by a public official.

The drawing up of the integration plan is the responsibility of either the municipality or the TE Office/municipality in the pilot area. The plan is based on the assessment of the immigrant’s service need conducted in the initial assessment and on those services and measures that can be used to promote the person's integration.

The Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration (hereinafter, the Integration Act) aims to strengthen immigrants’ employment, capacity to work and language skills, and to increase their participation in society. Another objective of the Act is to promote equality, non-discrimination and positive interaction between different population groups.

Individual study paths The Act on the promotion of immigrant integration was amended on 1.1.2025. Unfortunately, this website has not yet been updated to comply with the new integration Act (681/2023). We apologise for the inconvenience. The updat...

The municipality or TE Office carries out an initial assessment in cooperation with the immigrant and, if necessary, with the wellbeing services county. An initial assessment will be carried out for unemployed jobseekers, recipients of social assistance and those who request an initial assessment, if they are deemed to need it.

An integration programme is a service package for the early stages of integration organised by municipalities. The objective of the services included in an integration programme is to promote the immigrant’s integration, employment or entrepreneurship, skills and working life competencies.

Integration programme – service package for the early stages of integration An integration programme is a service package for the early stages of integration organised by municipalities. The objective of the services included in an integration pro...

Reaching immigrants outside the labour force with municipal integration services Why should immigrants outside the labour force be targeted for services? This online resource offers a collection of operating methods for reaching those outside the ...

Information for those who work as a teacher Teachers face immigrants of different ages in their work. In the role of a teacher, you can support the development of readiness and competence as well as provide material in the person’s native language...

Content and scope of training The content and scope of the study path of an adult immigrant participating in integration training vary according to individual needs. The maximum extent of the programme is 80 credits. One credit corresponds to the ...

Organisations play an important role in the promotion of immigrant integration, from tasks related to early-stage housing arrangements to language clubs and various leisure activities. The activities are partially on a voluntary basis, but many organisations also employ experienced professionals.