Vladimir (@si_vp) is a Senior Embedded Developer. He recently moved to Finland through EoR and has already changed employers with a salary increase.
At first, we moved to Montenegro because many said it was a "paradise for children." However, we couldn’t find the keys to the gates of paradise. We decided to move on and chose Finland. I had three interviews but didn’t find anything suitable. But that didn’t stop me, and I decided to relocate via EoR, staying with my previous employer. The company was supportive, and I negotiated a €300 raise to meet Migri's salary requirements.
I applied for the residence permit and handled the relocation myself. Note: Assistance with residence permit processing and relocation is now included for all EoR clients.
Applying for a Residence Permit
- Master’s degree in Physics from St. Petersburg State University (issued in both Russian and English).
- Apostilled original marriage and child birth certificates. Notarized translations of these documents. Apostille on the translation was done remotely without submitting the original, and I applied online with scans.
- Contract with Nerdsbay.
The visa center didn’t check the original documents, only the passports. The application was approved in 24 hours. The cards took about three weeks to arrive (no fast track).
Relocation
We were looking for an apartment where we could immediately register our residence, so we didn’t go to DVV right away. We had high hopes for Lumo since we watched a webinar with their director, who said it was easy to rent without a henkilötunnus. But in practice, it turned out not to be so simple, and we lost a week because of it. It’s better to go straight to DVV to get your number.
- Completed temporary registration and received a tunnus, which took 3 days.
- Rented an apartment. Arranged insurance with LahiTapiola over the phone without bank codes, all online.
- Then completed permanent registration at DVV, and I immediately went to VERO to get a tax card. DVV was by appointment (30 minutes), the tax office without an appointment (one hour).
- Getting an ID at the police station took 8 days. No appointment, one hour in line for submission, 10 minutes for pickup.
- I set up a bank account and codes at S-pankki. No appointment, 40 minutes for the process. Service is free if you join the S club, which was set up for a €100 deposit. The deposit is refunded when you cancel the membership.
- Ordered Kela cards online using bank codes for myself and my son. The actual plastic cards are still pending, and the application status on the website has been "in process" for about a month and a half. But two weeks after applying, when we had an X-ray done for our son, Kela found him in the system.
For me, the biggest headache was renting an apartment. The timelines were unclear, and without a tunnus, no one wanted to talk. I had to send emails. We ended up renting from Retta. They also don’t rent without a tunnus, but by then, I had already applied for it at DVV. It takes specialists 1-5 days to get it, so I was able to arrange a viewing, and by the time we signed the lease, I had my number.
Experience with Nerdsbay
I have positive impressions of EoR. Everything was pretty easy: communication via Telegram, with quick and adequate responses to requests. In a critical moment, when employer confirmation was needed in EnterFinland within two days, everything was handled promptly. When I needed to change bank details, I just sent the new ones via Telegram and asked for future payments to go there. Olga said "OK," and that was it. After moving to Finland, I found a new employer in the US who was okay with EoR, and Nerdsbay negotiated with them almost entirely on their own. The only change for me was the salary :) Additionally, my old company paid off some outstanding debts over two months, and despite multiple payments, Nerdsbay only charged their commission once for that month, not for each payment.
We’ve been in Finland for four months now, and everything is great (except for the prices😁). We are slowly looking for a daycare for our child. I like that everyone knows English. When I went to play floorball with the locals, they switched to English when they found out I didn’t speak Finnish. A special shoutout to the rabbits outside our window and the deer in the park :)