News

Welcome Office is a two-year information centre project in Ostrobothnia. The aim of the project is to guide immigrants and their employers in many issues regarding immigration. The project is financed by EU (through the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia) and 12 different municipalities in the region. Welcome Office has offices in Vaasa, Jakobstad and Närpes.

Project Manager Pia Hägglund is pleased about the coverage that Welcome Office has gained among students and schools during the fall 2012. Hägglund’s wish is to reach the employers next, since Welcome Office can provide useful information for them too.
- One of Welcome Office’s priorities is to make it easier for employers to hire immigrants, describes Hägglund.

Adjusting can take time

Along with new circumstances come often new questions. Hägglund is aware that seeking answers to questions, whether you are a private person or a company, can be difficult. Especially the internet can seem like an information jungle. Customers can contact the Welcome Office free of charge, without making an appointment. At the Welcome Office the customer receives always personal guidance.

- There are no stupid questions. Welcome Office doesn’t do other authorities work, but we seek answers to all sorts of questions and if necessary we redirect our customers to the authority who handles the matter at hand, Hägglund clarifies.

Project Manager Pia Hägglund and project worker Kaisa Mäkinen at the Welcome Office in Vaasa.

Hägglund emphasizes that immigration is a positive thing, since Ostrobothnia needs new skilled employees to different fields of work. Welcome Office’s ambition is to make immigrants feel welcome, and help them to quickly adjust to the Finnish society both through work and spare time.

Municipalities with different types of immigrants

According to Hägglund the city of Vaasa has the whole range of immigrants. They have come to Vaasa due to studies, work, marriage, or as refugees. Welcome Office’s information point in Vaasa has received all sorts of questions from immigrants, for example questions regarding hobbies, work, daycare, and language courses.

- A few of the immigrants in Vaasa have also asked about starting their own businesses, and we have redirected them to the Vaasa Region Enterprise Agency Startia, says Hägglund.

For example in Närpes the range of immigrants looks different, because almost all of the immigrants in Närpes have come there due to work. Because of this most of the questions directed at the Welcome Office information point in Närpes regard work issues.

Hägglund want to remind that also citizens of Finland are more than welcome to visit Welcome Office with their questions.

- A Finn might have an immigrant as a colleague, and if the situation is new it can bring about questions regarding for example cultural differences. We accept all questions, because we have to keep in mind that in the end we are all just human, Hägglund smiles.

Welcome Office serves customers in English, Finnish and Swedish.

The Vaasa office can be contacted through:
Phone: +358 (0)63251551
E-mail: welcome.office@vaasa.fi