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| Emigrating to northern Europe No people in the world has migrated more than the Europeans. During the first millenium of our era, ethnic groups of Celts, Latins, Germans and Slavs travelled within the European continent creating a mosaic of nations and languages. Between the 14th and 20th centuries, millions of Europeans have migrated all around the world, from America to Australia, looking for a better life and very often fleeing war and poverty. After several centuries of internal wars the Europeans have learnt to work together and now Europe is a stable and prosperous continent. But the population in Europe is decreasing and getting older: it is forecasted that the European Union's active population will fall from 331 million today to 243 million by 2050 and therefore the EU has to attract 30 million new immigrants by 2020 to keep its economy in good health. Why would you like to emigrate to Scandinavia? Scandinavia is one of the best places to live in the world as per the Human Development reports of the United Nations. There is low unemployment, high salaries and modern infrastructures and technologies. Scandinavia has the lowest corruption and crime rate in the world. The Nordic welfare system ensures that you will enjoy universal medical care, education system and social benefits, all the most advanced in the world. The Scandinavian scenery is breathtaking and the towns and country are clean, the Nordic nations being at the forefront of green policies and fight against pollution. However, Scandinavia still attracts many less immigrants than other European countries such as Germany, England, France or Spain. The foreign community in the Nordic countries is still very small in comparison with other nations. Why? Here are some facts that are to be seriously considered when planning to emigrate to Scandinavia: » Weather: the weather in northern Europe is very hostile during winter. Scandinavians live in darkness most of the winter season and daylight hours are few. Temperatures fall below freezing level from November to March. Scandinavians have learned to cope with it, but many people find it extremely hard to live in these conditions. » Culture: the cold weather has shaped the character and culture of the Scandinavians. They are a sincere, respectful and very open-minded people, who have created the most transparent democracy in the world. But Scandinavians also enjoy silence, privacy, and time for themselves. As a stereotype, it will be easier to befriend an Italian or an Australian than a Scandinavian. » Isolation: compared to world standards, there are no big cities in Scandinavia. Outside the main metropolitan areas of Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki, distance between towns can be very long, with nothing in between other than endless forest. If you live in the Netherlands, you can go for breakfast in Amsterdam, lunch in Paris and dinner in London. If you live in Scandinavia, your choice is drastically limited. Europeans planning to emigrate to Scandinavia Sweden, Finland and Denmark are members of the European Union. Iceland and Norway are not members of the European Union, but belong to the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA countries enjoy an associated status to the EU: they benefit from most of the advantages of the Union although they do not have voting rights because they are not EU member states. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are joining the European Union in 2004. The European Union is a large country like, for example, the United States of America. You now don't need anymore a visa or a special permit to live or to work in any other part of the Union. You have equal rights of residence and of work (as long as you speak the language) and you can also access the Social Security in the same conditions that you would in your home country. Apart of this, there are three important factors that need to be taken into account: » Cultural Issues: European civilisation is very rich and every nation in Europe has created a very particular culture and customs. There will be cultural differences from your home country to Scandinavia, and you need to learn them and to respect them. People in Florida have a different lifestyle than in Montana, and so happens between Portugal and Sweden. Furthermore, learning the language of the country you want to live in is imperative if you want to integrate in the society. You will need to speak the language to understand people at work, at the shops, to make friends, and to fully enjoy life in Scandinavia. » Bureaucracy Issues: Like in the United States of America, laws within the European Union states are not completely homogeneous, but as a general rule, these are your basic rights and obligations when you move to another EU country:
» Employment Issues:You have free access to the services of the national employment services. The majority of Scandinavians speak several languages and are highly skilled, and jobseekers will be expected to speak the language on the country and to match the qualifications of any local jobseeker. You are likely to experience difficulty finding a job if your knowledge of the language is inadequate. The European Employment Service (EURES) is the easiest way for finding work in a European country. There is a 'Euroadviser' in every major public jobcentre who is trained to help jobseekers to find work in toher EU countries. Euroadvisers in your home country can contact Scandinavian Euroadvisers regarding employment opportunities and job vacancies.There are also many EU programmes intended to help the mobility of Europeans. They can be student exchange or temporary work schemes ranging from au-pair to farm work. Wages are low in these jobs, but expenses are also be minimal, and whilst not necessarily career-orientated, this is an ideal opportunity to learn a Scandinavian language and to experience the culture of northern Europe. Non-Europeans planning to emigrate to Scandinavia A guide for non-European Union citizens planning to emigrate to ScandinaviaNon European Union citizens will have to apply for a work and residence permit to be allowed to settle legally in Scandinavia. Every Nordic government has a department of immigration in charge of processing applications and they will assess your chances of eligibility for a residence permit. Several factors will decide whether the government will allow you to settle in the country, such us whether you will bring a family with you, or you have relatives in Scandinavia, whether you can speak the language, and most importantly, your professional qualifications and work experience. The Nordic workforce is one of the most skilled in the world; most Scandinavians speak several languages and have a solid educational or technical background. However, there are always professions where there is a shortage of workers and the government has to look for workforce abroad. If your profession is one of those needed by the government, it will be very easy to obtain a residence permit. How to apply for residence in a Nordic country? You have to apply to the Department of Immigration of the government of the Scandinavian country you would like to live in. This is done at an Embassy or Consulate of your Nordic nation of choice from your country of residence. Paperwork will then follow and the immigration department will let you know whether your application has been accepted or has been unsuccessful. You are not allowed to work in Scandinavia until a positive decision has been done on your application. The Nordic Countries: Overview » Norway Norway is considered to have the highest quality of life worldwide. It has a strong economy and high standard and cost of living. The Norwegian economy is dependent on the North Sea oil and gas fields (Norway is the larger oil exporter of the world after Saudi Arabia and Russia). Other leading industries are fishery, forestry, mining, and shipping. Unemployment is one of the lowest in Europe and although the Norwegians have a highly skilled workforce, there are skills shortage in engineering, geophysics, geology, IT and pharmacy.Norway is imposing strict immigration regulations for foreign nationals who are not coming from a European Union country. For further information regarding residence and work permits in Norway, contact the Utlendingsdirektoratet (Directorate of Immigration). For general information about the Norwegian labour market, contact the Arbeidsmarkedsetatens. » Denmark Denmark has one of the most developed economies in the world with high standards of living and salaries. The Danish economy is highly dependent on foreign trade, with food and beverages being the largest industrial sector. Denmark has a strong public sector, which is one of the biggest employers in the nation. The country's strategic location as a crossroad in northern Europe benefits its tourism industry. Denmark has a very skilled workforce and unemployment is low, although there are skill shortage in several sectors. For further information regarding residence and work permits in Denmark, contact the Udlændingestyrelsen (Danish Immigration Service). For general information about the Danish labour market, contact the Arbejdsmarkedsstyrelsen. » Sweden A neutral country which has not participated in any war for the whole 20th century. Sweden has achieved one of the highest standards of living in the world. The Swedish economy is heavily orientated towards foreign trade, where the engineering sector accounts for half of output and exports. Other leading industries are forestry, mining and hydropower.Sweden has a very skilled labour force and enjoys a low unemployment rate. Most of the population lives in the south of the country and especially in the most cosmopolitan of the Scandinavian capital cities, Stockholm. For further information regarding residence and work permits in Sweden, contact the Migrationsverket (Swedish Migration Board). For general information about the Swedish labour market, contact the Arbetsformedlingen. » Finland Finland is one of the leading economies in Europe with a per capita output similar to Germany, Great Britain and France. Its key economic sector is the telecommunications and electronics industry, with the giant Nokia as their flagship company. Other main areas of employment are forestry, industrial engineering, chemicals and shipbuilding.Finland is officially a bilingual country, with 94% of the population Finnish speaking and 6% Swedish speaking. Knowledge of both of these languages has normally been a prerequisite for employment. The Finnish workforce is perhaps the best skilled in Europe, and their architects, designers and musicians are recognised and admired throughout the world. For further information regarding residence and work in Finland, contact the Ministry of Labour. » Åland Åland enjoys a similar standard of living than other Scandinavian countries. The economy of the island relies on ferrys and small service industries benefiting from the proximity of Finland and Sweden. Åland receives further revenues from tourism and subsidies from Finland. » Faroe The economy of the Faroe islands is entirely dependent on fishing exports and on subsidies from Denmark, which supplies half of the government revenues. The public sector plays the dominant role in the islands' economy. Faroe also benefits from the proximity of oil exploitation rigs in the North Sea and from tourism. Unemployment is low and there are labour shortages in several sectors. » Shetland and Orkney The Shetland and the Orkney islands are dependent on finishing and on the oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea. The islands' economy receives further revenues from tourism and from EU and UK subsidies. Shetland and Orkney are suffering from a decline in population since the last decade and, as a consequence, there are labour shortages in several sectors. » Iceland and Greenland The Icelandic economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, about 11% of the workforce is directly employed in this sector. Renewable resources, mining and manufacturing also give important revenues to the Icelandic economy. Tourism is the third largest earning industry of the country. The IT industry is rapidly expanding. As in every small country, employment for foreign nationals does not abound. However, it is possible to find easily seasonal work, mostly on farms. For further information contact the Utlendingaeftirlitid (Directorate of Immigration) and the Vinnumalastofnun (Icelandic Employment Service). The economy of Greenland is entirely dependent on fishing exports and on subsidies from Denmark. The tourism sector and other small scale industries provide further revenue for the economy. Greenland is not part of the European Union and a work permit will be required for employment there. Greenland has its own language, although Danish is also widely used. » Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Since their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the young Baltic republics have steadily adopted very serious reforms to align their economies with the rest of the western countries. Trade has been switched from Russia to the European Union, creating many opportunities in the export and manufacturing sector. Although many people in the Baltic countries speak Russian and German as a foreign language, international co-operation has led to a high demand for teachers of English as a foreign language.Unemployment is still very high as a consequence of the profound changes for the Baltic economies but a positive improvement is expected after Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania become members of the European Union in 2004. There is as yet many underdeveloped areas in the Baltic republics for entrepreneurs and for the private initiative.
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