Finland is facing a demographic challenge as its population ages, and in response, it is stepping up efforts to bring in more foreign skilled workers. The country’s leadership emphasizes the importance of international talent, including professionals from India, to help sustain economic growth and support innovation.
To this end, Finland’s Talent Boost Programme, launched in 2017, aims to make the country more attractive to specialists, researchers, and tech experts. One key change is streamlining residence permit processes: specialists can obtain permits in about 10 days, and they are allowed to bring their families.
However, Finland has also recently tightened its permanent residency rules, extending the required continuous residence permit period from four to six years. Despite this, officials insist there will still be fast-track options for high-skilled workers. The government plans to boost spending on research and development to 4% of GDP by 2030, which will create more opportunities in sectors like ICT and deep tech.
Finland promotes itself as a stable, equitable society with good work-life balance. Officials acknowledge there are some anti-immigration voices, but they say these are a small, vocal minority, and public sentiment remains largely supportive of immigration because it contributes to innovation, economic resilience, and societal well-being.
