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  • Useful Sites on the Internet

    There is usually a lot of paperwork and practical arrangements to be taken care of when arriving in a new country. Except for the official documents that must be managed when settling down in Finland, there might also appear some practical problems and questions that need to be solved. The following sites might serve as a quick reference when trying to arrange with all the necessary documents and when adapting to the daily Finnish routines.

    The Finnish universities publish brochures and material containing academic information and local practical information in English. These information packages can usually be found at the homepages of your university.

    Guides and Link Collections

    Citizen's Guide: http://www.opas.vn.fi/english/index.html
    Published by the Finnish Ministry of Finance. The guide contains essential information that citizens need in everyday life.

    The VOCTUC Project: Handbook on employee mobility within Europe:
    http://www.akava.fi/html/english/voctuchandbook.html
    Published by AKAVA with the support of the Commission of the European Communities.

    The Finnish Ministry of Labour/Migration Affairs: `Are You Planning to Move to Finland?'
    http://www.mol.fi/migration/engopas.pdf

    Virtual Finland: http://virtual.finland.fi/
    Published by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://formin.finland.fi/ english/). On this site you will find among other things information on education and research, a guide to Finnish customs and manners and information on the Finnish way of life, a Finnish and Swedish glossary (`A Chance to Speak Finnish'), travel information, information on and links to Finnish mass media and a virtual newsroom.

    Discover Finland: http://finland.cimo.fi/
    Published by CIMO. Here you will find information on the Finnish education system, the higher education institutions, Finnish culture and many useful links.

    Finnish State Regulations

    Visa, residence and work permits:
    Police http://www.poliisi.fi/english/pi278en.htm
    Directorate of Immigration:
    Information sheets on work and residence permit for Finland (pdf) http://www.uvi.fi/englanti/julkaisu.html
    `Residence in Finland' http://www.uvi.fi/englanti/oleskelu.html
    Legislation concerning entry and residence of foreigners
    http://www.uvi.fi/englanti/lait.html

    Civil registration and notice of moving:
    Population Register Centre: `Registration of a Foreigner in Finland'
    http://www.vaestorekisterikeskus.fi/prc.htm
    Taxation: Tax Guide http://www.vero.fi /english/taxguide/index.html

    Identity cards and driving licenses:
    How to apply for a Finnish identity card
    http://www.poliisi.fi/english/pi274en.htm
    Information on the application procedure of Finnish driving licences and the validity of a foreign driving licence
    http://www.poliisi.fi/english/pi271en.htm

    Labour administration: Ministry of Labour http://www.mol.fi/english/index.html
    General information on migration affairs
    http://www.mol.fi/migration/pateng.html

    Consulates: Finnish diplomatic missions abroad
    http://virtual.finland.fi/kalenteri/maat.html

    Municipalities: The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities http://www.kuntaliitto.fi/indexeng.htm
    Surf Finland: Explore Finnish municipalities and cities on the web
    http://www.netek.fi/surf/

    Health Care and Social Security

    The Social Insurance Institution (the Finnish acronym KELA): http://www. kela.fi/english/index.html
    Information on among other things social benefits for parents and families, sickness allowance and unemployment benefits.

    The Federation of Unemployment Insurance Funds: http://www.tyj.fi/english/paasivu.html
    Information on earnings-related allowance during unemployment.

    The Finnish Student Health Services (FSHS, the Finnish acronym YTHS):
    http://www.yths.fi/indexEN.htm

    The Central Pension Security Institute: http://www.etk.fi/english/etusivu.asp
    Information on the employee's pension.

    Financial Aid: Grants and Scholarships

    The Finnish Cultural Foundation (Suomen kulttuurirahasto): http://www.skr.fi/english/grants.html

    CIMO (Centre for International Mobili
    ty):
    http://www.cimo.fi/

    Recreation and Culture

    kulttuuri.net: http://www.kulttuuri.net/indexeng.php3
    A gateway to Finnish culture on the net
    See above: Virtual Finland http://virtual.finland.fi/

    The Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland (AKAVA) http://www.akava.fi/html/english/index.html provides information in English on among other things the aims and goals of the Confederation.

    Martina Landén