Services for immigrants

In the city of Riihimäki, you can do business in all services, regardless of your background. You can find more information about, for example, employment, children's schools and kindergartens, or housing services on these pages. If you need help, advice or more information about, for example, moving to Riihimäki, permit matters, training opportunities or leisure opportunities, you can visit the guidance and advice center at Matkakeskus in Kotola (Eteläinen Asemakatu 2).

We also serve companies that need to find international experts for their company.

All immigrants, regardless of the reason for entry, are offered guidance and counseling on, for example, integration, education and employment, municipal and state services or Finnish society, legislation and various permits. Guidance is offered without an appointment at Kotola's advice point.
Quota refugees, those granted residence through the asylum process, and those receiving temporary protection who have moved to the municipality receive support and help from the city's integration services regarding integration, moving to Finland, and living in Finland. If you need help with integration or you want the city to find out the conditions for your integration, you can request that an initial survey and an integration plan be made for you. The initial survey and integration plan are usually done either by the TE office or the city.
About 5,5 percent of Riihimäki's residents have a foreign background. In Finland, municipalities have an obligation to ensure that services are also suitable for municipal residents with an immigrant background, and to support the integration of immigrants into Finland and their home municipality.

The Act on Promoting Integration requires that each municipality draw up an integration program, which must be reviewed at least every four years. The city of Riihimäki has a valid Regional Integration Program 2021–2024, which is a joint program of Riihimäki, Hausjärvi and Lope.

The regional integration program 2021–2024 has been drawn up as a multidisciplinary preparation for office holders during 2020. In addition to the municipalities, authorities operating in the region, educational service providers and third sector operators have participated in the preparation of the program. The preparation of the integration program has been guided by the regional integration work steering group. The integration program has been approved by the city council in December 2020.

Regional integration program 2021-2024
There were 2023 responses to the Racism Experiences in Riihimäki survey carried out in November 292. Most of the respondents were women (65 percent). 28 percent of the respondents were men, 2 percent of the respondents stated their gender as other and 5 percent did not want to say. In the age group of the respondents, the largest group was adults (30–65 years old, 44 percent of the respondents), 39 percent of the respondents were minors. 18–29-year-olds accounted for 9 percent and over 65-year-olds for 8 percent.

Most of the respondents (77 percent) stated that they were born in Finland. 13 percent of the respondents had lived in Finland for less than 3 years and 10 percent of the respondents for more than 3 years.

68 percent of respondents answered yes to the question Does racism occur in Riihimäki and 32 percent answered no.

About one third of all survey respondents had personally experienced racism in Riihimäki. Of these respondents, 11 percent had experienced racism in Riihimäki often or very often, and 10 percent of the respondents had experienced racism very rarely. The rest of the answers fall somewhere between the two.

Racism had been experienced in Riihimäki in different places. In the question, you could choose several answer options. Of the respondents to the question (87 answers), 53 respondents had experienced racism at school, 47 respondents in public places, 34 respondents in other services (e.g. restaurants, shops, theaters) and 24 respondents in public city services (e.g. kindergarten, library, swimming pool). Racism had also been experienced at the workplace (23 respondents), when looking for a job (21), in health care (20), in social services (18), when looking for an apartment (14) and in official services (13).