Hello,
I’m 26 & from Canada. I see Finland and Canada having a lot of similarities but Finland being on a better path?
I want to move to a country that’s going to be stable for my kids & their kids in the future. Lately the cost of living in Canada has been surging and the way things are trending it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Regardless of whatever government is in charge I don’t think that will change.
I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life for a long time. Currently I work in a mill and I think about learning to be a Millright then moving to Finland may be what I want to do. I’m from a part of Canada that relies on natural resources and I know Finland does too so there may potentially be jobs available?
I’ve always thought about where I’d like to move and out of all the countries Finland seems desirable for its high quality of life & united culture. I’d be happy to learn Finish, work to become a citizen, and raise my kids Finish (of course after a few visiting trips). I see it’s hard to learn the language & move to Finland, personally I’d take reassurance in that. I see the high barrier to entry being a sign it’s a good country to move to.
I’ve wondered if this is just rose coloured glasses why I want to move? I know Fins have gripes with their country but they seem to a lesser extent than what we’re facing here.
My gripes with Canada:
– [Almost impossible to get a family Doctor here.](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/angus-reid-institute-doctor-access-bc-1.6575386)
– [High taxes yet services keep getting worse..](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cra-call-centre-wait-times-two-hours-1.6937280) (I’ve personally been waiting 10 weeks for tax reassessment yet it says 2 week wait). I know Finland has very high taxes but it seems its spent more efficiently & Fins actually care more about that?
– Insane cost of living for housing/food.
[- Few choices of companies \(few internet/cellphone providers\)](https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-high-cell-phone-bills-1.6711205)
[- Violent criminals being released on bail multiple times despite assaulting random civilians.](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/w4kvik/woman_attacked_in_unprovoked_stranger_assault_on/)
– Big drug problems/tons of homeless. (Finlands housing first approach seems great!)
– Divided politics, our country is too big to be united (Elections are over before western votes are counted). We don’t push for assimilation at all. [We’re even seeing protests from people that recently moved here about their home country issues.](https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/surrey-school-district-cancels-khalistan-voting-event-due-to-promotional-poster)
– Cutting military funding even further from our NATO 2%.
I know Finland has some of these issues but it seems to be lesser than Canada & potentially improving? I can’t keep living where I can work 60 hours a week yet not afford a house. Are these reasonable reasons to want to move?
by LaughNgamez
3 comments
I’d say you have pretty reasonable expectations. Houses are getting expensive in Finland too, but not yet out of reach for working professionals.
Finland has a rather large shipbuilding industry, so you might want to look into marine millwright training. The shipyards pay well and seem to be always hiring. This is just some random dude talking out of his ass though, as I have no personal experience in this area.
Assuming that you don’t have EU citizenship you need a residence permit to be able to stay in Finland. Your options for applying for a permit basically fall into 3 main options:
– You are offered a job by a Finnish company
– You come to Finland to study
– You marry a Finn or another EU citizen
There are other routes as well but those are the main ones. I’ve seen other people on here say that the studying route is the easiest one to organise.
I think you’ll do okay. I think you already have the same long and dark winters, so that won’t be any better or worse.
We are struggling with rising costs and lesser usable income. The salaries aren’t rising to match the inflation.
You should also consider what your spouse and kids want to do. The milling may be near to smaller towns and cities, making the choice of living, spouse’s work options and kids’ activities and hobbies more limited. They may need to move out earlier if their vocational school or lukio are further apart.
If you can use VPN, download Yle Areena app and watch some local series to get a feel about the humour, spirit, attitudes etc. I haven’t watched these, but SavoLife is about teens in a small town with strawberry fields. Työuran Jatkajat is about people who start a new career. Unelma Lapista tells about people who want to change their lives by moving to Lapland. Vaiheessa is 10 mini documentaries about life changing. Tehtaan Sankarit is about people who are working at a car factory.