Virtual Finland aims to make it easier for foreign employees, companies, and students to relocate to Finland
 

Where We Are Now
Currently it can take months for a foreign employee to relocate to Finland, even if all the paperwork is in order. That is because the employee is required to meet with authorities physically and to provide the same information multiple times during the process. From a technical standpoint, the information provided by the applicant cannot be automatically distributed between the relevant stakeholders because the data is not in standardized form. 

Our Goal
The purpose of Virtual Finland, a project headed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, is to make it easier for foreign employees, companies, and students to relocate to Finland. We aim to speed up the relocation process by providing digital tools based on trusted standardized data and digital identification of the applicant. 

Beyond Immigration
While we focus on foreign employees during the piloting phase of the project, solutions based on standardized data can be used for much more. For instance, the Nordic Smart Government (NSG) project aims to create new opportunities for Nordic companies by building a digital ecosystem where business data between Nordic countries can be exchanged in real-time. Virtual Finland has taken part in the testing phase of the project.

Despite the enormous amount of digital information available globally, the much talked about data economy is still in its infancy. One of the main reasons is that much of the data remains unstructured, rendering it virtually useless from an economic standpoint. Being able to agree on data standards is therefore a key ingredient in becoming a data economy forerunner. Finland has the potential to assume such a role, but it will require a state-level strategy as well as consistent public-private cooperation. Virtual Finland, though limited in its scope, aims to provide some of the building blocks needed to realize this vision.

One of Many
Helping employees, companies, and students to relocate to Finland is a joint effort. Virtual Finland works with many stakeholders, among them the Finnish Digital Agency, Finnish Immigration Service, Tax Administration, Business Finland, as well as many ministries and companies. If you’d like to join us in shaping the digital Finland of tomorrow, do not hesitate to contact us.