How We Help: Research & Insights
Understanding who we serve and how we can better support immigrants in Finland through AI-powered assistance.
What We've Learned
We've researched who could benefit from Finntegrate and how our AI-powered multilingual support system can help immigrants find the information they need while making life easier for the organizations that serve them.
Finland's growing immigrant population faces real challenges including language barriers and complex administrative procedures. Finntegrate offers a practical, AI-driven solution to make information more accessible and support successful integration.
Our research shows three main groups who could benefit: immigrants seeking clear guidance, government agencies looking to serve people more efficiently, and organizations supporting international talent. We've also found significant opportunities for funding through national programs like Business Finland and Sitra, as well as EU initiatives including AMIF, Horizon Europe, and Digital Europe Programme.
The Problems We're Solving
When Systems Don't Work for People
When immigrants can't find the information they need or understand how to complete important tasks, they often have to call or visit offices multiple times. This creates extra work for everyone.
Real Impact:
Research shows that 42% of calls to public services happen because people couldn't get the help they needed the first time.
What Makes Things Difficult for Immigrants
We've identified the main challenges that Finntegrate can help address:
Finnish and Swedish are challenging languages, and important documents often aren't available in other languages. Finntegrate provides guidance in the language you're most comfortable with.
Important information is spread across many different websites and offices. Finntegrate brings everything together and explains it in simple terms.
Some people aren't comfortable with complicated online systems or don't have reliable internet access. Finntegrate works like having a conversation - just ask your question naturally.
Government websites often require exact terminology that newcomers don't know. Finntegrate understands everyday language and translates your questions.
Small errors in applications can cause big delays or rejections. Finntegrate helps you understand exactly what's needed before you apply.
Who We Serve in Finland
People Moving to Finland (2024)
Finland's immigrant community continues to grow. As of January 2024, there were approximately 386,100 people from outside the EU (6.9% of Finland's population) and 134,100 EU citizens (2.4%) living here. Most people who got permits in 2022 came for family reasons, work, or study.
2024 Applications and Permits Issued by Category
Current Support Ecosystem
Public Sector:
Migri (permits), Kela (social security), TE-Services (employment), Municipalities (integration)
Private Sector:
Relocation services, corporate immigration consultancies, HR solutions
Third Sector:
NGOs providing legal aid, crisis support, and advocacy
AI & Digitalization Trends
- Finland's "Digital Compass" strategy promotes AI adoption
- Past initiatives like AuroraAI provide valuable lessons
- Migri's discontinued Kamu chatbot shows need for better solutions
- Opportunity for robust, multilingual AI guidance
Who We Help & How We Help Them
Finntegrate serves different groups of people, each with their own needs and challenges.
People Moving to Finland
The most important people we serve are immigrants themselves, across different situations:
New Arrivals
People who just moved to Finland need immediate help with permits, housing, banking, and healthcare. Finntegrate offers step-by-step guidance in your own language.
Different Language Communities
Whether you speak Russian, Estonian, Arabic, Somali, Chinese, Hindi, or other languages, our "Your Language, Not Ours" approach helps you get information in the language you're most comfortable with.
People with Different Tech Experience
Our simple, conversation-style interface is easier to use than complicated government websites, especially if you're not very comfortable with technology.
People Who've Been Here Longer
Even if you've lived in Finland for a while, complex applications like permanent residence or citizenship can be confusing. We're here to help with those too.
How We Help You:
Less stress, clearer information, better success with applications, and feeling more confident about handling Finnish administrative tasks in your preferred language.
Government Offices & Public Services
We can help public agencies serve immigrants more effectively and reduce the number of repeat calls and visits.
Finnish Immigration Service (Migri)
Their Challenge: Managing lots of applications, long email response times, helping people understand requirements.
How We Help: Give people clear guidance in multiple languages before they contact Migri, reducing confusion and incorrect applications.
Social Insurance Institution (Kela)
Their Challenge: Making their online services easier to understand and use.
How We Help: Help people understand what benefits they can get, check if they qualify, and guide them through the application process.
TE-Services & Municipalities
Their Challenge: Supporting immigrant integration with limited staff time, new responsibilities under 2025 Integration Act.
How We Help: Provide consistent information in multiple languages, reduce time advisors spend on basic questions, ensure everyone gets the same accurate information.
Organizations & Employers
Companies, universities, and support organizations that work with international people can use Finntegrate to provide better help.
Relocation & Immigration Services
Companies like NextLink, Deloitte, and Newland Chase can offer Finntegrate to their clients as an additional service or use our tools to help their clients more efficiently.
Large Employers
Companies like Nokia, Fortum, and Neste that hire international employees can provide Finntegrate as an HR benefit, helping new employees settle in faster and more successfully.
Universities
International student offices can provide 24/7 support to students and staff, reducing repetitive questions while ensuring reliable access to important information.
Support Organizations
NGOs like the Finnish Refugee Advice Centre and MONIKA can use Finntegrate as a reliable reference tool, helping their staff provide better assistance while giving clients self-service options.
How We're Building This: Funding & Next Steps
Funding Sources We're Exploring (2025-2026)
We're applying for funding from several sources to build and improve Finntegrate:
AMIF - Digital Skills
Funder: EU (AMIF)
Funding: €1-2M | Deadline: Sep 16, 2025
Horizon Europe - AI Innovation
Funder: EU (Horizon)
Funding: €4-5M | Deadline: Sep 16, 2025
Digital Europe - GenAI
Funder: EU (Digital Europe)
Funding: €5-7M | Deadline: Sep 2, 2025
Business Finland - Deep Tech
Funder: Business Finland
Funding: €400k | Deadline: Sep 3, 2025
Sitra - Public Productivity
Funder: Sitra
Funding: Varies | Deadline: From June 2025
Deadlines and details subject to change; always verify with funders.
How We'll Keep This Running
We want to balance making Finntegrate helpful for everyone with keeping it sustainable long-term:
Main Support:
Working with government offices like Migri, Kela, and municipalities to provide better service while reducing their workload.
Additional Support:
Partnering with organizations that help international employees, students, or immigrants to provide enhanced service.
Always Free Access:
Basic help will always be free for immigrants. Advanced features might have optional paid versions in the future.
Our Plan:
- Start by working with key government offices and some employers
- Expand to help more people while seeking larger EU grants
What Makes Finntegrate Different
What's Available Now
- Official government websites (can be hard to find specific information)
- Municipal advisory services (limited hours, appointments needed)
- Private immigration consultants (expensive)
- Online forums and social media (information may not be reliable)
- Previous chatbots like Migri's Kamu (were discontinued)
How Finntegrate is Different
- Understands everyday language: You can ask questions the way you naturally think about them
- Your language, not ours: Get help in your most comfortable language
- Focuses on what you need to do: Information organized around your goals, not government departments
- Connects scattered information: Brings together information from different sources into one clear answer
- Privacy-focused: You don't need to share personal information to get basic help
- Gets better over time: Our AI learns from questions to provide better answers
Partner With Us
We're seeking partners, funders, and collaborators who share our mission of making Finland more accessible to newcomers through innovative, practical AI solutions.