11/11/11

Customer numbers at immigrant service point InTo Finland increase

Single-window approach to the provision of government services endorsed by Liisa Hyssälä, Director-General of Kela, and Mirjami Laitinen, Director-General of the Finnish Tax Administration

Into Finland, a service point for workers, students and researchers moving to Finland, was opened on 3 November 2008. It is operated jointly by Kela and the Finnish Tax Administration InTo serves a diverse clientele ranging from IT, construction and restaurant professionals to guest dancers in the Finnish National Opera, pizza cooks recruited from their employer's home country, and companies offering relocation services.

The Directors-General of Kela and the Finnish Tax Administration paid a visit on Friday to the InTo service point.Both made the point that moving to a new country is always a challenging process.

According to Liisa Hyssälä, Director-General of Kela, the founding of the InTo Finland service point was motivated by the shared belief of Kela and the Finnish Tax Administration that migrating workers need help when they arrive in Finland.Operating on the basis of the "single-window" principle, the InTo service point is today recognised as a pioneering provider of relocation services in Finland.According to Hyssälä, the ideal case would be if all of the services that immigrant workers need were available from a single location.

Mirjami Laitinen, Director-General of the Finnish Tax Administration, says that persons moving to Finland need accurate information and must be able to form a complete picture of their country of employment.The Finnish tax system, for instance, is complicated.Workers need accurate information about their rights and responsibilities with regard to taxation right away, Mirjami Laitinen says.

During the three years it has been in operation, the InTo service point has helped nearly 12,000 workers with tax and social security issues. More than 1,000 e-mail customers seeking information have been advised where to find reliable information.The number of customers has grown continuously.

Possibility of distance assistance is explored

As organisations with a nationwide presence, Kela and the Finnish Tax Administration are able to make their services available across municipal boundaries.

According to Liisa Hyssälä, the possibility of offering access to InTo services from outside the Greater Helsinki Region is worth looking into. Distance assistance could be explored as a pilot project implemented as part of the public administration project focusing on services provided at a distance.

Starting 1 July 2012, foreign nationals moving to Finland to work in construction are expected to register with the Finnish Tax Administration and to obtain a personal identity code and a so-called tax number, says Mirjami Laitinen. This is another great example of a task that would fit InTo's role, also if implemented nationwide without a local physical presence.

Additional information:

Web site InTo Finland

Sirkka Hongell, Kela Regional Director for Southern Finland, tel. 050 60 821, e-mail sirkka.hongell (at) kela.fi
Tuuli Oksanen, Tax Director for the Greater Helsinki Region, tel. 02061 22990, tuuli.oksanen (at) vero.fi