Bringing a family to Finland from the United States is going to likely cause some mixed emotions for everyone. Relocating abroad is a challenge for all but it comes with many benefits. You may become bilingual, you will grow more adaptable, and you will learn to network on an international level. Everyone in your family regardless of their age will certainly benefit from the experience even if you don’t intend to stay there for longer than a few years.
Perhaps the biggest struggle with moving your family to Finland is the act of applying for visas and permits. Fortunately, you can hire a migration agent for assistance with this process before you even leave the states. They will make sure that you comply with the nation’s immigration laws and provide all the right proof to obtain the proper permissions into Finland.
About Earning Residency as a Family in Finland
Any persons moving to Finland should first apply for a residence permit from the Finnish diplomatic mission in the United States. You can find applications for residence permits online or in paper copy but they must be submitted in the states. In exceptional cases, the application for a residence permit can be submitted in Finland.
A residence permit is either temporary or permanent (P). Depending on the nature of the stay, a temporary residence permit is granted as a fixed-term (B) or continuous residence permit.
The first permit is usually granted for 1 year, unless you specifically apply for a shorter period of stay in Finland. Continuous residence permits can be extended for a maximum of 3 years at a time.
If you have a fixed-term residence permit for an employed person or self-employed person, your permit can be extended on a fixed-term basis for a maximum of 1 year at a time. You can be granted a continuous residence permit after a 2-year temporary stay if the preconditions for granting the permit are still valid. For permanent residency, you can apply for permanent stay residence permits after your family has resided in Finland for 4 years. Each member of your family, regardless of age, will need their own permits and visas. Remember that not all residence permits allow you to work in Finland so make sure you apply for the proper permits and visas.
Get Your Family Prepared for the Overseas Move
The transition from America to Finland will be the hardest for young children. They could harbor some angst and confusion about what is to come, but you must reassure them it’s for the greater good of your family. There are some ways you can keep them interested and excited by getting them involved with the process of preparing for the big move.
Before you move overseas, you’ll want to sort through the belongings of everyone in your family. Obviously, it would be nice to ship your entire home’s contents over to the new nation, but this is unnecessary and costly. Instead of packing everything up to move over to the nation, sort through it all to rid of anything you and your family don’t need. To keep the children involved, let them go through their own things. Have them throw away broken and old items, while putting aside any items in good condition that they don’t mind donating or selling. By holding a garage sale before the move, you and your children can earn extra cash while reducing the amount of things you decide to have shipped.
Once you have rid of all the things in your home that you don’t need, allow the kids to pack their own personal bags for the flight over to Finland. They should pack personal items, entertainment and anything that helps to comfort them. As you continue to prepare for the move, you may also want to show them online images of your soon to be home while educating them of the lifestyle, culture and educational system of the nation. Anything you feel your kids would find exciting, show and tell them of it. This will only encourage their excitement regarding the international relocation.
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