Many international students and immigrants in Finland have shared their experiences with us, and some of what they have gone and are going through is truly challenging. Living in Finland as an international student or immigrant can be extremely stressful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In March we participated in the International House network meeting, which only reinforced how challenging the situation is for many immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBeing separated from family creates emotional strain, and uncertainty about family visas makes it difficult to focus on studies and daily life. Support systems are often unclear, as healthcare, wellbeing services, NGOs, and practical student information are scattered, leaving many unsure where to turn for help. Language barriers make even basic daily tasks feel impossible, and without Finnish, student discounts, job opportunities, and other resources can feel inaccessible. Employment after studies is not guaranteed, unemployment is stressful, and navigating tax processes can be confusing. On top of this, adapting to local rules, enrolling in language courses, and trying to bring family members can take months, with recent legislative changes making the process even more complicated.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Many immigrants say that if they only had known about the individualistic culture in Finland and that without language everything feels like zero value, they might never have come to Finland.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yet, there is another side to this country. a Finland that is open, caring, and supportive. If only our paths had crossed, we would have shown them a very different world: a Finland where guidance, connection, and help are more visible, and where it is possible to feel welcomed and confident from the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finland can be challenging to navigate, but it is also a place full of opportunities for connection, learning, and support. In challenging times, community is essential. You can join our Mother & Girls activities in Ostrobothnia or, for example, request or receive help through CommuApp<\/a><\/strong>. Finland may be hard to navigate alone, but together, it becomes more manageable, welcoming, and full of opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re interested joining our closed peer group meetings during Spring 2026, please contact info@whatthefinland.fi.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many international students and immigrants in Finland have shared their experiences with us, and some of what they have gone and are going through is truly challenging. Living in Finland as an international student or immigrant can be extremely stressful. In March we participated in the International House network meeting, which only reinforced how challenging […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,19,12],"class_list":["post-605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-integration","tag-peer-support","tag-wellbeing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":609,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions\/609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatthefinland.fi\/fi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}