Is it currently possible to move from India to Finland with employer-sponsored visa support?

This blog post is part of a Q&A session hosted by Lidiia Salo, a career coach in Finland. To see the other questions that were asked and answered, and to watch the video recording, click here.

Question

We are currently working in India, and my husband and I are inclined to move to Finland. We've been to Finland twice before, and one was a recent one where there was a career event organized at Wolt by Work in Finland, and that’s the one we attended.

We are working with some of the top companies and have very niche skills in technology, one of them being the buzzword these days — AI — and we are really inclined to move to Finland because it’s a beautiful country, the culture is very nice, and also because there is a lot of development in terms of technology which is being encouraged in Finnish tech companies. 

The thing is that we've been trying to apply for jobs for more than 6 months now. We see positions that we are very qualified for and the skills are matching, and we apply regularly, but there is silence — there hasn’t been any proper response, irrespective of the good match. So, if you could show us some light on how we can do that?

Plus, I would also like to know whether Finland is actually hiring from India or whether it is within the EU first and India second. Should we be discouraged to apply? Are companies mainly finding people within Finland or within the EU? How should we go about it?

Answer 

Thank you a lot for your question. To answer it, I would like to explain what’s happening. If a company is looking for someone — even in tech — they would first look for candidates from Finland. And right now, Finland is going through an economic crisis. What does it mean? It means there are many people available on the market, including tech professionals. They even say that it is an employer’s market at the moment, meaning that a job is posted and within one day, 100 applicants apply.

You might have a very good profile being in India, but the risks of relocating you and applying for a visa on your behalf are too big for most companies to take.

If they were to offer you a visa, there is a process. The Finnish permit system first considers local and EU labour availability before issuing a permit to a non-EU worker.

Right now, the chances are very low. It doesn’t mean it is not possible — I know Indians who moved because they worked with IT consultancies supporting Finnish clients, or they were in a very senior niche tech or engineering role. Some companies are still relocating candidates from abroad, but it’s mainly about hiring for executives or very senior roles.

From a company perspective, it also makes sense: if I, as a recruiter, can publish a job and find the right candidates from Finland, I’ll go for them. If I cannot, then I consider people from the EU because they can just come here. And if there are no fitting candidates, then I will do sourcing on LinkedIn and look outside the EU.

If you are truly serious about moving to Finland, one way is to look for jobs that provide relocation. You could also consider other ways to relocate, such as studying in Finland—especially if you are an experienced tech professional.